CPJ calls on Biden administration to press India prime minister on media freedom during visit
New York, June 14, 2023—Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. from June 21 to 24 and meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, the Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday issued the following statement calling on the U.S. government to urge India to end its media crackdown and release the six…
Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora convicted of money laundering, sentenced to 6 years in prison
Guatemala City, June 14, 2023–In response to the Wednesday, June 14, conviction of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora on money laundering charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The shameful conviction and imprisonment of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora serve as a stark testament to the erosion of freedom of…
Governor of DRC’s Equateur province defies court order allowing Radio Télévision Sarah to reopen
Kinshasa, June 13, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo must comply with the court decision authorizing Radio Télévision Sarah to reopen and ensure the broadcaster’s equipment is returned, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 6, a local court of appeal in Mbandaka, the capital of the northwestern Equateur province, declared the…
Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay convicted on treason, false news charges
Guatemala City, June 12, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should release journalist Victor Ticay from prison and ensure members of the press do not face criminal penalties for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, June 9, a judge in the capital city of Managua convicted Ticay, a correspondent for the privately owned TV…
Liberia’s FrontPageAfrica summoned to defend bribery report or face contempt of court
Abuja, June 12, 2023—Liberian authorities should ensure that journalists are able to cover court cases without fear that they will be forced to expose their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. In a summons dated May 31, which CPJ reviewed, Judge Blamo Dixon of Criminal Court C in the Liberian capital Monrovia ordered…
Ukraine journalists say opaque accreditation process hampers war coverage
Paris, June 9, 2023—Ukrainian authorities should ensure that journalists covering the war are not pressured over their reporting and must set clear and transparent qualifications for press accreditation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since March, officers with Ukraine’s SBU security service have repeatedly questioned journalists seeking accreditation from the country’s military and others…
Israel Defense Forces shoot 2 Palestinian photojournalists with rubber bullets
New York, June 8, 2023—Israel Defense Force officials must investigate the Wednesday, June 7, shootings of photojournalists Momen Somrain and Rabie Al-Munir with rubber bullets and make public its findings, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. IDF soldiers shot the journalists with rubber-coated bullets while they reported on an IDF demolition of a terrorism…
Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani detained on undisclosed charges
New York, June 8, 2023—Iranian authorities must release cartoonist Atena Farghadani and stop their unabated efforts to silence commentators and members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, June 7, authorities arrested Farghadani at Evin Prison in the capital city of Tehran after she responded to a summons to appear…
South African court prohibits former president’s private prosecution of journalist Karyn Maughan
New York, June 8, 2023—In response to the Wednesday, June 7, ruling by the Pietermaritzburg High Court prohibiting former South African President Jacob Zuma from continuing the private prosecution of journalist Karyn Maughan, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement urging the former president to accept the ruling: “The unanimous ruling of three…
Pakistani journalists Ahmad Noorani and Shahid Aslam targeted in leak case
New York, June 8, 2023–Pakistan authorities must cease harassing journalists Ahmad Noorani and Shahid Aslam and allow them to work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In late May, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued an investigative report, which CPJ reviewed, accusing the journalists of involvement in illegally accessing the tax records…