Burkina Faso columnist Alain Traoré taken by armed men in masks
Dakar, July 16, 2024— Burkinabe authorities should immediately and comprehensively investigate the disappearance of columnist Alain Traoré after armed men in masks claiming to be agents of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) took Traoré, a satirical columnist for the private radio station Omega, from his home in the capital of Ouagadougou on July 13. Three other journalists—Serge Atiana Oulon,…
Malik Hassan Zaib becomes 7th journalist slain in Pakistan this year
Update: Following the publication of this alert, the local press freedom group Pakistan Press Foundation and the Pakistani newspaper The News International reported that Zaib was targeted over a personal dispute. New York, July 16, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a surge in the killing of journalists in Pakistan, as the July…
Russia sentences journalist Masha Gessen to 8 years in absentia on ‘fake’ news charges
Berlin, July 15, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday urged Russian authorities to stop the prosecution of exiled journalist Masha Gessen and immediately drop all charges against them. On July 15, the Basmanny district court in Moscow convicted Russian-American journalist and writer Masha Gessen, who uses the pronouns they/them, in absentia on charges of disseminating “fake” information…
CPJ calls on US to investigate threats against exiled Cuban journalist
Miami, July 12, 2024—Miami-based Cuban journalist José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that he received a threatening text message on June 21 from an unknown number with an Ecuadorian country code, which said, “we know exactly where to find you” and included a photo and video of a car driving past…
Libyan TV host Ahmed al-Sanussi arrested after corruption report
New York, July 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate and safe release of Libyan television host Ahmed al-Sanussi who was arrested in the capital Tripoli on Thursday. “CPJ strongly denounces the arrest of Libyan TV host Ahmed al-Sanussi. It is unacceptable that authorities have not disclosed where he is being held…
Azerbaijan extends pretrial detentions of journalists facing currency smuggling charges
Stockholm, July 11, 2024 – Azerbaijani authorities have extended the pretrial detentions of 11 journalists in recent weeks as part of an ongoing crackdown on the country’s few remaining independent media outlets. The journalists are among 13 media workers from four independent outlets charged since November with currency smuggling related to alleged receipt of Western…
Media organizations urge Israel to open access to Gaza
New York, July 11, 2024—More than 70 media and civil society organizations have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to Gaza. The organizations—which include the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post—point out that no independent media access to Gaza has…
Mexican journalist Victor Morales found dead on highway
Mexico City, July 11, 2024—Mexican authorities must credibly investigate the killing of journalist Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales, apprehend those responsible, and determine whether he was targeted for his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The body of Morales, founder and editor of the Facebook-based news site Realidades, was found on the side of…
CPJ, 4 others urge Saudi authorities to release detained podcaster, other content creators
On July 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined four human rights organizations in urging Saudi authorities to immediately release various Saudi content creators and journalists, including Palestinian journalist and podcast presenter Hatem al-Najjar, who has been detained since January of this year. Al-Najjar is the host of the popular podcast “Muraba” (Square) on Thmanyah, a…
After prison release, journalist Mustapha Bendjama struggles to rebuild his life in Algeria
After serving a 14-month prison sentence on various charges, Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama assumed his life would return to normal as the editor-in-chief of Le Provincial, a local independent newspaper in the northeastern city of Annaba. “I was wrong,” said Bendjama, who was released April 2024. In a phone interview with CPJ, Bendjama revealed that his contract at…