CPJ calls on Taliban to drop plans to restrict Facebook access in Afghanistan
New York, April 8, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that the Taliban plans to restrict or block access to Facebook in Afghanistan and calls on authorities not to move ahead on a measure that would further impede the free flow of information in the country. On April 6, Najibullah Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting…
Taliban bans, restricts media operations in 2 Afghanistan provinces
New York, February 22, 2023 – The Taliban must reverse its recent orders targeting media operations in Helmand and Parwan provinces and allow journalists to work freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, February 21, Taliban officials, in a meeting with journalists in the southern province of Helmand, announced a ban…
Armenian draft legislation would give government sweeping wartime censorship powers
Stockholm, January 19, 2023 – Armenian authorities should not use military conflicts as an excuse to curtail press freedom and should rework clauses in a draft bill that would threaten press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On January 6, the public comment period closed for a bill drafted by the Ministry of…
Russia blocks Ekho Moskvy and Dozhd TV, restricts social media access
Washington, D.C., March 1, 2021 — Russian authorities should allow Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow), Dozhd TV, and all other news outlets to work freely, and should refrain from restricting access to social media platforms, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since last week, Russian authorities have slowed and restricted access to Facebook and…
Kazakh journalist Aigul Utepova convicted of participating in banned political groups
Stockholm, April 29, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Aigul Utepova and should allow her to report and comment on the news without restriction, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, the Saryarkinskiy District Court in the capital, Nur-Sultan, convicted Utepova of participating in two banned political groups, sentenced…
China uses visa process to intimidate foreign press, FCCC survey finds
Conditions for foreign correspondents in China deteriorated in 2019, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) annual survey found. The report, published today, noted that for a second year none of the respondents gave a positive response when asked if conditions had improved.
Nepal’s hard-fought press freedom at risk amid restrictive bills, government pressure
Last year, when Raju Basnet was covering landgrabs in the Nepali city of Lalitpur, he knew he was playing with fire. His reports in the weekly Khojtalas alleged that powerful people, including government officials, were involved in the scheme and Basnet had already received multiple warnings to back off the story. Despite this, Basnet told…
Hong Kong Journalists Association finds press freedom further restricted by ‘one country’ principle
In its annual report, released July 29, the Hong Kong Journalists Association found that press freedom has gone backward as the administrative region seeks to implement legislation to criminalize critical opinions toward China’s “one country” policy and Beijing.
CPJ calls on Turkey’s presidential candidates to prioritize press freedom
Ahead of June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 18 other international press freedom and freedom of expression organizations in calling on to the future leader of Turkey to prioritize press freedom and safety of journalists in the country.