2022
CPJ submits reports on Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco to United Nations Universal Periodic Review
The human rights records of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco are under review by the United Nations Human Rights Council through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This U.N. mechanism is a peer-review process that surveys the human rights performance of member states, monitoring progress from previous review cycles, and presents a list of recommendations on how a…
CPJ condemns 10-year prison sentence for Tajik journalist Daler Imomali
Stockholm, October 18, 2022—In response to news reports that independent journalist Daler Imomali on Monday, October 17, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Tajikistan on multiple charges related to his reporting, including participation in banned organizations, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement condemning the ruling: “From the start, it has…
SOTA, one of the last independent news outlets in Russia, doubles down on coverage
Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia has sought to stamp out independent reporting on the war, prompting journalists to flee and newsrooms to shut down or to self-censor under threat of criminal prosecution. Remarkably, one local outlet has continued to produce robust reporting despite the repressive environment. SOTA, which counts a staff of 40 journalists and support workers,…
DW correspondent Borralho Ndomba harassed, briefly detained while covering student protest in Angola
Borralho Ndomba, a correspondent for German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) in Angola, was briefly detained by police on October 8, 2022, while covering a student demonstration in the capital, Luanda, according to reports by DW and U.S. Congress-funded Voice of America, a statement by DW that was reviewed by CPJ, and the journalist, who spoke…
The legal battle to protect slain reporter Jeff German’s electronic devices–and why it’s so concerning for press freedom
A district judge last week barred police from accessing electronic devices used by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German before his fatal stabbing in September – but only for a while. The measure was a preliminary injunction against searching German’s cellphone, hard drive, and computers, but a further ruling expected this week could authorize a…
Malta: Court sentences hitmen to 40 years each for role in assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Valletta, Malta, October 14, 2022–Following a guilty plea, a court in Malta’s capital, Valletta, on Friday sentenced brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio to 40 years each for their role as hitmen in the assassination of Malta’s leading investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia. On Friday, representatives of Article 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the…
Algerian journalist Nadir Kerri briefly detained and placed under judiciary control
On October 11, 2022 Algerian authorities arrested journalist Nadir Kerri, editor-in-chief of local independent news website Autojazair, specializing in automotive news in Algiers, after he responded to a summons for questioning, according to news reports, and a local journalist and press freedom advocate familiar with the case, Zaki Hannache, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. On October 12,…
Four staff members of Nicaragua’s La Prensa charged with conspiracy, two in detention
Guatemala City, October 14, 2022 — Nicaraguan authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges against staff members of the independent newspaper La Prensa, release two drivers held in custody, and cease harassing the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On September 29, the Nicaraguan prosecutor’s office charged four La Prensa staff members with “conspiracy…
Togolese Liberté newspaper suspended for 3 months, continues publishing amid appeal
On October 5, 2022 a court in Lomé suspended the privately owned Liberté newspaper for three months and fined the company and two of its staff members a total of 12 million West African francs (US$17,800) for publishing erroneous information about the prime minister, according to local media reports and the director of Liberté, Médard Amétépé, who spoke to the…
Vietnamese journalist Huynh Thuc Vy beaten, choked by prison guards
Bangkok, October 14, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities must investigate, identify, and bring to full justice the prison guards responsible for physically abusing imprisoned journalist Huynh Thuc Vy, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On October 9, Vy told her young daughter that guards had beaten and choked her at the Gia Trung Prison, where…