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Berlin, June 26, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly condemns the Russian foreign ministry’s Tuesday decision to block access to 81 European media outlets in Russia in response to the EU’s recent ban on four pro-Kremlin media outlets.  “Russian authorities’ blocking of 81 European media outlets betrays their deep-seated fear of truthful…

Police and National Security Intelligence officers detained 32 Rohingyas, a stateless ethnic minority, for around 16 hours in Bangladesh’s southeast Cox’s Bazar region on May 17, 2024, on allegations of holding an unauthorized meeting of the Asia-Pacific Network of Refugees (APNOR), a region-wide network of civil society organizations and advocates. Officers questioned nearly all of…

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 17 press freedom organizations, journalists associations and rights groups on Wednesday in calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to act immediately to declare Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and an editor with the Tatar-Bashkir service of the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as “wrongfully detained” by…

New York, June 26, 2024—As the closed-door trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich opened in a Russian court on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists denounced it as a travesty of justice and renewed its call for the journalist’s immediate release. “U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich goes on trial today after nearly 15 months of unjust…

Nairobi, June 25, 2024—Kenyan authorities must investigate reports of several journalists attacked while covering protests, desist from intimidating the media, and ensure reliable and secure access to the internet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Thousands of Kenyans have taken to the streets several times since June 18 to protest a proposed law that…

Istanbul, June 25, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed an Istanbul court’s Tuesday acquittal of journalist Sezgin Kartal on the charge of being a member of a terrorist organization. “We are pleased with the acquittal of journalist Sezgin Kartal, but let us not forget that the case against him was built on next to no…

Sulaymaniyah, June 24, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iraqi Kurdish authorities to immediately and unconditionally free Syrian journalist Sleman Ahmed, who has been detained for eight months, and drop all charges against him. Ahmed — an Arabic editor for the local news website RojNews — is due to stand trial before Duhok Criminal…

New York, June 24, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes reports that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be freed from prison in a plea deal with the United States Justice Department. “Julian Assange faced a prosecution that had grave implications for journalists and press freedom worldwide,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “While we welcome the…

On May 16, four supporters of Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) assaulted Dokurugu Abubakar Ndeeya, a reporter with the privately owned Zaa Multimedia, while he was filming outside a meeting between Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia and party leaders in the northern Tamale region, the journalist told CPJ and media reports said. Ndeeya told CPJ he…

Lusaka, Zambia, June 21, 2024—Nigerian authorities should drop all criminal charges against Precious Eze Chukwunonso, publisher of the privately owned outlet News Platform, who was detained for nearly three weeks, following a complaint about his reporting, and allow journalists to work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 27,…