Togolese journalists Ferdinand Ayité and Isidore Kouwonou sentenced to 3 years in prison
New York, March 17, 2023 — In response to news reports that a Togolese court on Wednesday sentenced journalists Ferdinand Ayité and Isidore Kouwonou to three years in prison for insulting authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists released the following statement of condemnation: “Togolese authorities should not contest the appeals of L’Alternative publisher Ferdinand Ayité…
Russian court sentences journalist Andrey Novashov to 8 months of correctional labor
Paris, March 6, 2023 – In response to multiple news reports that a Russian court Monday sentenced journalist Andrey Novashov to eight months of correctional labor, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Russian journalist Andrey Novashov’s case demonstrates how authorities are using wartime censorship measures to silence members of the…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül sentenced to 10 months in prison under new disinformation law
Tatvan, Turkey, February 28, 2023 – A court in Turkey on Tuesday, February 28, sentenced journalist Sinan Aygül to 10 months in prison for allegedly spreading disinformation, according to news reports. Aygül is the first journalist prosecuted under Turkey’s new disinformation amendment, passed in October 2022, that CPJ has documented. He remains free pending an…
Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko sentenced to 6 years in prison
Paris, February 15, 2023 – In response to news reports that a Russian court on Wednesday sentenced journalist Maria Ponomarenko to six years in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Russian authorities should be ashamed of the six-year prison sentence given to journalist Maria Ponomarenko, whose sole so-called crime…
Belarusian authorities sentence journalist Andrzej Poczobut to 8 years in prison, detain journalist Anastasia Sharkevich
Paris, February 8, 2023 – Belarusian authorities must immediately release journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Anastasia Sharkevich, and stop retaliating against journalists for their reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, February 6, Sharkevich, who manages the Telegram channel of the independent newspaper Narodnaya Volya, appeared in a video published by a pro-government…
Russian authorities seek 9-year prison term for journalist Maria Ponomarenko, detain RFE/RL columnist Iskander Yasaveyev
Paris, February 7, 2023 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Maria Ponomarenko and columnist Iskander Yasaveyev and stop prosecuting members of the press over their reporting and commentary on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 6, authorities in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, arrested…
On 2-year anniversary of military coup, Myanmar’s junta must stop persecuting journalists
Bangkok, February 1, 2023 — On the second anniversary of the military’s seizure of power in Myanmar, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement demanding the junta regime immediately and unconditionally release all of the journalists targeted in the post-coup crackdown: “Over the last two years, press freedom conditions in Myanmar have deteriorated…
Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye sentenced to 10 years in prison
Nairobi, January 20, 2023 – Burundian authorities must not contest the appeal of journalist Floriane Irangabiye and ensure that members of the press are not imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 2, the Mukaza High Court in Bujumbura, the capital, convicted Irangabiye of undermining the integrity of the…
Belarusian journalist Yulia Mudreuskaya sentenced to 1.5 years in prison colony
New York, January 18, 2023 – In response to reports that Belarusian authorities sentenced journalist Yulia Mudreuskaya to 1.5 years in a prison colony for her alleged participation in protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Belarusian journalist Yuliya Mudreuskaya should never have been detained by authorities in the first…
Belarus court sentences 2 journalists to years of house arrest
Paris, January 13, 2023 — In response to a Belarusian court’s sentencing of journalists Snezhana Inanets and Aliaksandr Lychauka to years of house arrest Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement condemning the restrictions on the journalists’ freedom: “While it is a relief that Belarusian journalists Snezhana Inanets and Aliaksandr Lychauka will…