Tunis court sentences 2 journalists to 1 year in prison, prevents hearing coverage
New York, May 23, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release radio journalists Borhen Bsaies and Mourad Zghidi after a Tunis court convicted them on May 22 of defamation and spreading false news, and sentenced them to one year in prison. “CPJ is deeply concerned that…
FAQ: How CPJ documents press killings in the Israel-Gaza war
In accordance with its longstanding methodology, CPJ has tracked and documented the cases of members of the press killed in relation to their work since 1992. This includes each journalist and media worker killed since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, 2023. CPJ’s rigorous methodology has been widely cited by United Nations bodies, government…
Q&A: Journalist Shrouq Al Aila on what cameras can’t show about the war in Gaza
Gaza journalists Shrouq Al Aila and Roshdi Sarraj were on a work trip in Saudi Arabia last fall when their home became a war zone. The married couple quickly returned to Gaza to report and to be with their community. But Sarraj, the founder of local production company Ain Media, would only manage to produce…
Turkish prosecutors charge journalist Sinan Aygül for threatening his attackers
Istanbul, May 22, 2024 – Turkish authorities must drop charges against journalist Sinan Aygül alleging that he threatened the men who attacked him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In June 2023, Aygül, chief editor of the privately owned local news website Bitlis News and chair of the local trade group Bitlis Journalists Society, was hospitalized after he was…
Ugandan opposition leader’s bodyguards assault, harass three journalists
Kampala, May 22, 2024—Ugandan authorities should thoroughly investigate and hold to account those responsible for attacking journalists Zainab Namusaazi, Gertrude Mutyaba, and Magaret Kayondo, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 18, the private bodyguards of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, harassed and assaulted the three journalists who…
Nicaraguan police arrest journalist Orlando Chávez in León
Nicaraguan police detained Orlando Chávez, the director of the independent news radio show “El Metropolitano,” along with his brother and sister, after raiding their home on May 19, 2024, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa. News reports said police arrested the journalist’s siblings, Obed and Merary Chávez, for alleged obstruction and confiscated their phones….
Russia bans news site SOTA, penalizes 3 ‘foreign agent’ journalists
Berlin, May 22, 2024—Russian authorities must immediately halt their criminalization of journalists and independent media outlets by labeling them as “undesirable” and by issuing punitive sanctions against those they deem “foreign agents,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 16, the prosecutor general’s office banned SOTA, one of Russia’s last independent news outlets,…
UN asks Taiwanese journalists for Chinese passports to attend WHO assembly
Taipei, May 22, 2024 – The World Health Organization should allow all journalists to cover the organization’s annual decision-making meeting, the World Health Assembly, and issue press accreditation to Taiwanese media outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 9 and 10, after submitting a request for press accreditation to cover the World…
CPJ, partners call on ICJ to order unimpeded media access to Gaza following South Africa’s urgent request
New York, May 22, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ARTICLE 19 and partners on Wednesday issued a statement (full text below) in support of South Africa’s urgent request to the International Court of Justice to order Israel to facilitate unimpeded media access to Gaza. In a joint statement, nine human rights and press freedom…
Syrian student journalist Atia Abu Salem on hunger strike in Jordanian prison
Istanbul, May 22, 2024—Jordanian authorities must immediately release Syrian student journalist Atia Abu Salem, revoke the deportation order against him, and stop censoring members of the press because of their reporting on the Israel-Gaza war, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 9, Jordanian security forces arrested Abu Salem, a Syrian student at…