State of Emergency

20 results arranged by date

CPJ calls on Sri Lankan government to respect press freedom amid nationwide state of emergency

New York, April 4, 2022 – The government of Sri Lanka should respect press freedom, ensure unrestricted access to social media and communication platforms, and allow the media to work freely and independently during a nationwide state of emergency, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, April 1, the Sri Lankan government declared…

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Ethiopia ends emergency, but pursues new cases against 3 detained journalists

Nairobi, February 18, 2022— Ethiopian authorities should drop any plans to charge two journalists, Amir Aman Kiyaro and Thomas Engida, with terrorism, stop a fresh investigation they are pursuing against editor Temerat Negara, and end the practice of punitively detaining journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.  Amir, a freelancer who contributes to The…

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Kazakhstan authorities block news sites, detain journalists during nationwide protests

Stockholm, January 6, 2022 – Kazakhstan authorities must allow journalists to report freely on ongoing protests in the country and ensure their safety from officials and protesters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.  Since January 4, authorities in the Central Asian nation detained at least eight journalists reporting on mass protests in several cities…

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Ethiopia Insight reporter Ermias Tasfaye detained since November

Nairobi, December 23, 2021— Ethiopian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ermias Tasfaye and all other members of the press detained for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ermias’ November arrest was made public in a statement by his employer on December 14 and follows the Ethiopian government’s crackdown on journalists…

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A soldier is pictured behind a gate.

CPJ calls for press freedom to be upheld as Myanmar military takes power, imposes emergency rule

Bangkok, February 1, 2021 – Myanmar’s military must fully restore all blocked TV stations, phone lines, and internet services and refrain from imposing any orders that restrict the media’s ability to freely report the news amid emergency rule, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The military seized power from Myanmar’s elected government today, detaining…

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A police officer clears shoppers from a market on the first day of lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 disease in Monrovia, Liberia, on April 11, 2020. The government says the right to free expression is suspended during the state of emergency. (Reuters/Derick Snyder)

Liberia’s journalists wary as authorities announce new press passes, threaten shutdowns

When the coronavirus arrived in Liberia, local journalists knew what it meant to report on a deadly, infectious disease; six years earlier they had donned personal protective equipment (PPE) to report on the Ebola crisis, Musa Kenneh, the Press Union of Liberia’s secretary general, told CPJ. But this time, Kenneh said, threatening comments from government…

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Law enforcement officers are seen in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on March 26, 2020. CPJ recently joined a letter expressing concern over media restrictions in the country. (Reuters/Vladimir Pirogov)

CPJ joins letter expressing concern about Kyrgyzstan media restrictions during pandemic

CPJ and 23 other members of IFEX, a global network of free expression organizations, sent a letter yesterday expressing concern over the press freedom implications of Kyrgyzstan’s COVID-19 state of emergency, which has been in place since March 22.

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A military police officer is seen in El Alto, Bolivia, on April 3, 2020. Bolivia recently enacted a decree criminalizing ‘disinformation’ on the COVID-19 outbreak. (AFP/Aizar Raldes)

Bolivia enacts decree criminalizing ‘disinformation’ on COVID-19 outbreak

Bogotá, April 9, 2020 — Bolivian authorities should reform the country’s lockdown decree to ensure that journalists cannot face jail time for reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Journalists are seen in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on March 13, 2020. The Myanmar government recently ordered dozens of news websites to be blocked. (AFP/Thet Aung)

Myanmar orders dozens of news websites blocked in crackdown on ‘fake news’

Bangkok, April 2, 2020 – Myanmar should lift its order to block news websites and cease all efforts to censor the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Soldiers are seen in Manila, the Philippines, on March 15, 2020. The country's state of emergency includes a regulation imposing criminal penalties for spreading ‘false news’ about the coronavirus pandemic. (AP/Aaron Favila)

Philippines COVID-19 state of emergency includes prison time for spreading ‘false news’

Bangkok, March 27, 2020 — The Philippine Congress should repeal a recently enacted regulation that imposes criminal penalties for spreading ‘false news’ about the coronavirus pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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