Pan Ei Mon, left, and Chit Su Win, wives of jailed Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, talk to media after their appeal was rejected by a court in Yangon, Myanmar, on January 11, 2019. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
Pan Ei Mon, left, and Chit Su Win, wives of jailed Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, talk to media after their appeal was rejected by a court in Yangon, Myanmar, on January 11, 2019. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
The Torch

Another delay in justice for Reuters’ journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo

The Torch is a weekly newsletter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that brings you the latest press freedom and journalist safety news from around the world. Subscribe here.

A Myanmar court upholds the conviction of Reuters news agency reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. Investigative journalist Ahmed Divela shot dead in Ghana. In Romania, the EU GDPR privacy law is being used to try to muzzle investigative outlet, Rise Project.

Global press freedom updates:

  • CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour gave remarks last week at a bipartisan event at the Capitol marking 100 days since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder
  • Montenegro hands a jail sentence to investigative journalist Jovo Martinović.
  • CPJ published a Safety Advisory on an increase in sophisticated phishing attacks that mimic two-step verification
  • In a letter to Governor Satya Pal Malik, CPJ called for the release of journalist Aasif Sultan, who is being held by Jammu and Kashmir state police
  • Journalist in Iran given six-year sentence in connection to his critical reporting
  • CPJ joined rights organizations and the #KeepItOn Coalition to call for Zimbabwe to restore internet and social media services
  • Russian blogger handed a 10-day sentence after sharing a video on YouTube
  • Hamas forces detained and allegedly assaulted director of Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate
  • Read the latest Turkey Crackdown Chronicle, CPJ’s weekly round-up of press freedom violations in the country

Spotlight

A campaign poster for Nigeria's incumbent president and candidate Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, pictured in Lagos, on January 4. At least three journalists were injured by stray bullets after a fight broke out at a campaign rally for the ruling APC party. (AFP/Pius Utomi Ekpei)
A campaign poster for Nigeria’s incumbent president and candidate Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, pictured in Lagos, on January 4. At least three journalists were injured by stray bullets after a fight broke out at a campaign rally for the ruling APC party. (AFP/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

As elections in Nigeria approach, CPJ has documented increasing threats to journalists in the country. Three journalists in Nigeria were injured by stray gunfire while covering a political rally last week. News outlets in Nigeria covering the conflict in Nigeria’s northeast have also faced threats. The Daily Trust was raided last week by authorities, who seized equipment and detained an editor and reporter.

For journalists looking for tips on covering political events and demonstrations, CPJ’s Emergencies Team has a safety kit online with tips on physical, digital, and psychosocial safety.

What we are reading:

Do you have an Amazon Alexa-enabled device? Enable CPJ's flash briefing skill to stay up to date with the latest press freedom news from around the world.