Turkish journalist Hatice Şahin sentenced to more than 6 years in prison on terrorism charge
Istanbul, September 20, 2022—Turkish authorities should not fight the appeal of journalist Hatice Şahin and stop persecuting journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, September 19, Şahin, a freelance journalist who was a former reporter for the pro-Kurdish privately owned daily newspaper Yeni Yaşam, was sentenced to six years and three months…
Nicaraguan government suspends at least 17 local radio and TV stations
In August 2022, Nicaragua’s telecommunications regulator ordered the suspension of at least 17 media outlets, including radio stations and local television channels, according to a list shared with CPJ by the journalists’ union Periodistas y Comunicadores de Nicaragua (PCIN). The list of suspended news outlets that PCIN shared with CPJ includes TV stations Canal San…
South African journalist Karyn Maughan criminally charged over report on former President Zuma
Lusaka, September 20, 2022 – Former South African President Jacob Zuma and his legal team should immediately drop their private criminal prosecution against Karyn Maughan, a reporter with the privately owned News24 site, and allow the press to report on court proceedings without intimidation or fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday….
Ethiopian journalist Abay Zewdu remains detained after court grants bail
Nairobi, September 20, 2022 — Authorities in Ethiopia should immediately and unconditionally release Abay Zewdu, chief editor of privately owned satellite and YouTube-based broadcaster Amara Media Center (AMC), and cease detaining journalists without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. At about 1:30 p.m. on September 10, security officers in civilian clothes and…
Digital Safety: Protecting against online smear campaigns
Updated March 20, 2023 Media outlets and journalists are increasingly targeted by sophisticated smear campaigns designed to harm their credibility. Groups coordinate to spread false online content about them or their work, often targeting their social media accounts. Some such groups have undisclosed government backing. Posts often seek to undermine news reports and convince readers…
Turkey’s legal year begins with new terrorism charges, convictions for journalists
In the first week of the legal year when courts open, Turkish courts convicted two journalists on terrorism charges, brought new terrorism charges against two others, and rejected an appeal for the release of 15 journalists and one media worker, who have been in pretrial detention for nearly three months. On Wednesday, September 7, 2022,…
‘An open-air prison’: Kashmiri journalists on how travel bans undermine press freedom
When Indian immigration officials stopped freelance Kashmiri journalist Aakash Hassan at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi international airport on July 26, they held him for several hours and questioned him about his family, his professional background and his reason for traveling – and refused to allow him to board his Sri Lanka flight because, they said, he was listed…
Gunmen threaten Mexican reporter Rodrigo Bustillos in Tehuacán
Mexico City, September 16, 2022—Mexican authorities must immediately and properly investigate threats against journalist Rodrigo Bustillos and guarantee his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Bustillos, a veteran reporter based in Tehuacán in the central Mexican state of Puebla, currently works for privately owned news sites Domingo7 Tehuacán and Grupo Entiempo Comunicaciones, which…
Somaliland’s ministry of information imposes indefinite ban on CBA TV
Nairobi, September 16, 2022—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland to allow the privately owned CBA TV broadcaster to resume operations and to desist from using bans to silence the press. In a September 6 letter, the minister of information Suleyman Yusuf Ali, also known as…
Armed men in military uniforms beat, threaten lives of Congolese journalists Parfait Katoto and Picard Luhavo
Kinshasa, September 16, 2022—Congolese authorities should conduct swift and transparent investigations into the attacks on journalists Parfait Katoto and Picard Luhavo in their homes, hold those responsible to account, and ensure the safety of journalists working across the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. In separate incidents on September 6 and 7, armed…