Jimmy Lai marks 1,000 days in jail
CPJ joined 10 other press freedom and human rights groups on Monday in calling on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to take immediate and decisive action to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and a British citizen. Lai, 75, has spent more than 1,000 days behind bars…
CPJ welcomes 27.5-year sentence for murder of Mexican reporter Israel Vázquez
CPJ welcomes the 27.5-year sentence for one of the perpetrators in the murder of Mexican journalist Israel Vázquez Rangel, who was shot at least five times while reporting in Salamanca on November 9, 2020, and died several hours later in hospital. An additional perpetrator in the 2020 murder was sentenced to 20 years in prison…
Pegasus spyware found on exiled Russian journalist’s phone
An investigation revealed that the phone of Galina Timchenko, an exiled Russian journalist who heads independent news website Meduza, was infected by NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance spyware while she was in Germany earlier this year. The infection took place shortly after Russia designated Meduza as an “undesirable” organization – a measure that banned the outlet from operating on Russian territory.
Cyberattacks attempt to crash 6 media sites globally using U.S. company RayoByte
Media sites from at least six countries — Somalia, Kosovo, Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, and Turkmenistan — have faced distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks using U.S. company RayoByte’s services over the last two years. Such cyberattacks often take place alongside other threats to journalists’ safety and press freedom. Headquartered in Nebraska, RayoByte is one of many…
At least 65 journalists missing globally
August 30 marked the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, with CPJ documenting at least 65 journalists missing globally. Official indifference and failure to investigate these disappearances cast a chill on other reporters and devastate the journalists’ families, who are often left in the dark with little to no support. ➡️ Mexican journalist Jorge…
Peruvian journalist Manuel Calloquispe faces threats and assaults while covering the Amazon
Manuel Calloquispe has faced an angry mob laying siege to his house, been called a traitor, been punched and kicked by miners, and had his equipment stolen. He once had to duck for cover when someone threw a machete at him. Yet, for more than a decade, the Peruvian freelance journalist has reported on the…
Two years into Taliban rule, media repression worsens in Afghanistan
When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, they promised to protect press freedom and women’s rights—a key facet of their efforts to paint a picture of moderation compared to their oppressive rule in the late 1990s. Two years later, the Taliban have not only reneged on that pledge, but intensified their crackdown on…
Journalists targeted ahead of elections in Senegal and DRC
Ahead of elections in Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, journalists are being legally harassed and physically attacked. In Senegal, journalist Pape Alé Niang was arrested on July 29 and released on August 8, following a 10-day hunger strike. The day before his arrest, Niang broadcasted a video on his outlet’s YouTube channel,…
Covering Ukraine: When a Russian missile brought death to a popular pizza restaurant
British photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind and her Ukrainian producer Dmytro were planning their next day of reporting over dinner in Kramatorsk when a Russian missile crashed into the restaurant. The two journalists were among dozens injured; 13 were killed. The June 27 bombing of the Ria Lounge, a popular hangout for local journalists, was a stark…
Guatemala journalist José Rubén Zamora marks 1 year in prison
This Saturday, July 29, marks one year of the unjust incarceration of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora, founder and publisher of investigative newspaper elPeriódico. Zamora was arrested on July 29, 2022, at his home in Guatemala City. He was held in pretrial detention for nearly a year before being convicted of money laundering and sentenced…