Photos: Israel-Gaza war takes unprecedented toll on journalists
The Israel-Gaza war has been devastating for civilians, including journalists covering the conflict. While a few conflicts have taken the lives of hundreds of journalists over a period of years, no other war has taken so many journalists’ lives in such a short time span, according to CPJ data that has been gathered since 1992. Here…
Russia sentences US journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years
New York, July 19, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns as outrageous a Russian judge’s decision on Friday to jail U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich for 16 years on fabricated espionage charges. “Russia’s decision to jail Evan Gershkovich for 16 years on sham charges is outrageous,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna. “Journalists…
CPJ calls on EU’s von der Leyen to make press freedom a reality
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 25 partners on Friday wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling on her to make press freedom and journalist safety a priority during her second term and offering recommendations for “durable and long-lasting solutions.” “It is crunch-time for the European Commission to deliver on media freedom…
In Venezuela, restrictions and self-censorship limit coverage of opposition ahead of election
Antonio Di Giampaolo has hosted his popular radio news program En el Aire, Spanish for “On the Air,” for nearly 40 years. On May 17, Di Giampaolo planned to broadcast an interview with opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González, but executives at the station Éxitos 93.1 FM in the western city of Maracay nixed the plan with no explanation, according to the journalist. “I had…
Urgent appeal to UN says journalist José Rubén Zamora was tortured, should be freed
Mexico City, July 18, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists supports the urgent appeal filed to U.N. officials by an international legal team on behalf of Guatemalan investigative journalist José Rubén Zamora, who the appeal says has been wrongfully imprisoned since 2022 and held in conditions “that amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading…
Croatia’s Melita Vrsaljko attacked twice over report on illegal dumpsite
Berlin, July 18, 2024—Croatian authorities should swiftly investigate two attacks made against reporter Melita Vrsaljko in relation to her environmental reporting and take steps to ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, July 15, Vrsaljko and a cameraman were filming an illegal dumpsite in Nadin village in central Croatia when…
Kenyan journalist Catherine Wanjeri wa Kariuki shot in leg covering protests
Kampala, July 16, 2024 —Kenyan authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the July 16 shooting of journalist Catherine Wanjeri wa Kariuki as she covered ongoing protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Kariuki, a reporter for the privately owned Mediamax Network Ltd media group, was shot three times…
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
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 14 shooting of Malik Hassan Zaib brings the death toll to seven since the start of the year. On Sunday afternoon, Hassan Zaib, a reporter for the privately owned Urdu-language newspaper…
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…