CPJ, others warn against censorship attempt from former Brazilian attorney general
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined eight other press freedom organizations in an April 19 statement urging the Brazilian Supreme Court to dismiss the case against journalist André Barrocal filed by former attorney general Augusto Aras. Aras filed a defamation case against Barrocal in response to the reporter’s July 2020 article about Aras’s performance,…
Belarus jails blogger Aliaksandr Ignatsiuk for 6 years on defamation, extortion charges
New York, April 19, 2023—Belarusian authorities must immediately release journalist Aliaksandr Ignatsiuk, who was sentenced to six years imprisonment, and ensure that no members of the press are jailed for their work. On April 5, a court in the southern city of Stolin convicted Ignatsiuk of extortion, organizing or participating in gross violations of public…
Georgian police assault at least 4 journalists covering ‘foreign agents’ bill protests
Stockholm, April 19, 2024—The Georgian Parliament should reject a draft law that would designate media outlets as “foreign agents,” and the authorities should investigate allegations of police brutality against journalists, hold those responsible accountable, and protect media members reporting on the ongoing protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. On April 17, the…
Palestinian intelligence arrests journalist Khalil Dweeb in Bethlehem
New York, April 19, 2024—Palestinian authorities in the West Bank must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Khalil Dweeb, who has been detained since Tuesday, April 16, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Two Palestinian General Intelligence Service agents arrested Dweeb, a freelance camera operator who contributes to the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, on Tuesday after…
Somali authorities investigate media rights group, freeze its accounts
Kampala Uganda, April 19, 2024—Somali authorities should drop all criminal investigations against the Somali Journalists Syndicate and desist from weaponizing the judicial system to obstruct the work of the media rights organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. Two commercial banks, Premier Bank and Dahabshil Bank International told the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS)…
Canadian journalist detained during Israel-Gaza war protest
Washington, D.C., April 18, 2024—Canadian authorities must allow journalists to do their jobs and cover protests without fear of being detained or arrested and make public whether journalist Savanna Craig is facing charges following her arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. Craig, a reporter with the Montreal news program Local 514, was…
Taliban shuts down broadcasters Noor and Barya, seals Noor offices
New York, April 18, 2024—The Taliban must cease their relentless suppression of independent media in Afghanistan and allow private broadcasters Noor TV and Barya TV to resume operations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, the Media Complaints and Rights Violations Commission banned the two broadcasters for violating “national and Islamic values,” without…
Tunisian journalist Mohamed Boughalleb sentenced to 6 months in prison for defamation
New York, April 18, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Mohamed Boughalleb after he was convicted by a Tunis court of defamation and sentenced to six months in prison on Wednesday. “The sentencing of journalist Mohamed Boughalleb to six months in prison over social media posts…
CPJ, others request update on Egyptian journalist Alaa Abdelfattah from UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 press freedom and human rights organizations in an April 17 letter to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) seeking updates regarding the urgent appeal filed on November 14, 2023, about the case of jailed Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdelfattah. The appeal was submitted by 34 organizations, including…
Indian journalists’ 2024 election concerns: political violence, trolling, device hacking
As the scorching summer peaks this year, India’s political landscape is coming to a boil. From April 19 until June 1, the world’s biggest democracy will hold the world’s biggest election, which the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in power since 2014, is expected to win….