Peruvian journalist Gastón Medina receives death threat note, bullet at his outlet
Bogotá, March 2, 2022 – Peruvian authorities must thoroughly investigate a death threat against TV journalist Gastón Medina, bring those responsible to justice, and guarantee his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 23, Medina, the owner and news director of the independent Cadena Sur television station in the southern city of…
Ukrainian camera operator Yevhenii Sakun killed in Russian shelling of Kyiv TV tower
New York, March 2, 2022 – In response to reports that Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Sakun was killed on Tuesday, March 1, when Russian forces shelled a television tower in Kyiv, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Sakun, who was…
CPJ joins call for human rights protections in EU Digital Services Act
CPJ joined 71 civil society organizations in a March 1 letter calling on European Union member states to ensure that the Digital Services Act protects human rights as final negotiations on the text begin. The DSA is a legislative framework which could limit the spreading of hate speech, disinformation, and other illegal content on the…
Afghanistan’s intelligence agency emerges as new threat to independent media
On January 19, the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) publicly called on Afghan media to refrain from publishing and broadcasting what it termed “false news and baseless rumors.” The warning amounted to the first public acknowledgement of something that Afghan journalists already knew: a tough new cop was on the beat. The emergence of…
Russia blocks Ekho Moskvy and Dozhd TV, restricts social media access
Washington, D.C., March 1, 2021 — Russian authorities should allow Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow), Dozhd TV, and all other news outlets to work freely, and should refrain from restricting access to social media platforms, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since last week, Russian authorities have slowed and restricted access to Facebook and…
CPJ ‘deeply disturbed’ by Russian shelling of Ukraine television tower
New York, March 1, 2022 – In response to media reports that Russian military forces shelled a television tower in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “We are deeply disturbed by the Russian military’s attack on television infrastructure in Kyiv, which threatens to deprive Ukrainians…
Spanish journalist covering Ukraine refugees detained in Poland
UPDATE, October 18, 2024: Polish authorities accused Pablo González, also known as Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov, a Spanish-Russian citizen, of being an agent for Russia’s intelligence services. Since his arrest in February 2022, he had been held in pre-trial detention and was released to Russia in August 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange. Recent reports…
Indian authorities arrest journalists Kishor Ram and Fahad Shah
New Delhi, March 1, 2022 – Authorities in Uttarakhand and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir must release journalists Kishor Ram and Fahad Shah immediately and cease arresting members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 23, police in the northern state of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district arrested Ram, a reporter with the…
Across Russia, journalists detained, threatened over coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Washington, D.C., February 28, 2022 – Russian authorities must allow reporters to do their jobs covering the country’s invasion of Ukraine and protests against the war without fear of punitive retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At least five journalists are facing charges and dozens more were detained across Russia following their coverage…
‘Completely unclear’: Mushtaq Ahmed’s lawyer seeks answers on how the Bangladeshi writer died in jail
One year after renowned Bangladeshi writer Mushtaq Ahmed died in jail, the circumstances of his death remain murky. While an investigative committee formed by the Home Ministry claimed he died of “natural causes,” his former lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua believes that Ahmed may have died of health issues that arose after alleged torture. In May 2020, the Rapid Action Battalion,…