2018
Kazakhstan police raid newsrooms, detain journalists, seize equipment
New York, April 13, 2018–Kazakh authorities should stop harassing journalists with the independent news outlets Forbes Kazakhstan and Ratel and dismiss criminal defamation suits against the two outlets and their journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
One journalist killed and three injured in Yemen missile attack
Washington, D.C., April 13, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned a missile attack that killed a journalist and injured three others in Yemen today. Abdullah al-Qadry, a photographer and camera operator for the privately owned station Belqees TV, died from injuries while covering clashes in Bayda province, according to news reports.
For third week, Palestinian journalists injured by gunfire covering Gaza protests
At least two Palestinian journalists were injured while covering mass protests on the Gaza border on April 13, 2018, according to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS), the journalists’ employers, and news reports.
Two journalists, driver killed after being kidnapped in northern Ecuador
New York, April 13, 2018 –The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of three members of an Ecuadoran reporting team who were kidnapped on March 26 in northern Ecuador near the Colombian border and called for the perpetrators to face justice. President Lenín Moreno confirmed today that reporter Javier Ortega, photojournalist Paúl Rivas,…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of April 9, 2018
Journalists Imprisoned An Istanbul court on April 6 arraigned İhsan Yaşar and İhsak Kabul, the publisher and responsible news editor respectively for the recently seized pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgürlükçü Demokrasi, on charges of “being members of a [terrorist] organization” and “making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization,” the daily Evrensel reported.
CPJ delegation meets with EU officials, calls on them to act on press freedom
Brussels, April 12, 2018–A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists this week met with senior European Union officials, including European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, to urge them to ensure EU institutions uphold press freedom in member states.
Dominican Republic convicts man over 2011 murder of journalist
New York, April 11, 2018–A Dominican Republic court yesterday sentenced Matías Avelino Castro to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2011 murder of journalist José Agustín Silvestre, according to reports. The court convicted Avelino Castro, whom police had identified as the alleged mastermind of the killing, of being an accomplice to murder,…
Liberia should reform libel laws in wake of $1.8 million civil lawsuit against Front Page Africa
New York, April 11, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over a US$1.8 million civil defamation lawsuit against Front Page Africa, a privately owned Liberian newspaper that has long been the subject of complaints and harassment for its critical reporting on successive governments.
Ex-politician threatens two Brazilian radio reporters
A former city council president in the northeastern Brazilian town of Patos threatened two local radio show hosts, Jozivan Antero and Abrantes Júnior, on March 15, 2018, days after they reported on accusations of alleged corruption during their two shows, according to the news website Central Vale Notícia.
Two journalists assaulted in West Bengal state, India
New Delhi, April 11, 2018–Authorities in West Bengal state must identify and bring to justice those who assaulted Biplab Mondal, a photojournalist with the Times of India Kolkata city bureau, and Manas Chattopadhyay, a reporter with the regional ETV Bharat television channel, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Mondal and Chattopadhyay were covering a…