CPJ Insider: March 2022 edition
CPJ’s Gulnoza Said on fears for journalists as Russia invades Ukraine After threatening to do so for months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a move that U.S. President Joe Biden called “a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.” Now, Ukraine is bracing…
Attorney general in Brazil files criminal defamation complaint against journalist Thiago Herdy
Rio de Janeiro, February 23, 2022 – Authorities in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state should not pursue criminal defamation charges against journalist Thiago Herdy, and should refrain from criminally investigating journalists in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 16, Minas Gerais state Attorney General Jarbas Soares Júnior filed a…
Spanish court orders investigation of 4 journalists over testimony in police abuse case
Berlin, February 23, 2022 – Spanish authorities should drop their criminal investigations into four journalists over their coverage of alleged police abuses, and should ensure that members of the press do not face criminal charges over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 16, the Provincial Court of Madrid acquitted a…
Pakistan expands prison terms for online defamation to 5 years
New York, February 22, 2022 – Pakistan authorities must immediately revoke a recently enacted ordinance that further criminalizes freedom of expression in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Sunday, February 20, President Arif Alvi enacted amendments to the 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, increasing the prison term for online defamation…
Security forces detain 2 more journalists in northern Syria
Washington, D.C., February 22, 2022 – Authorities in northern Syria should immediately release Ahmed Sofi, Dara Abdo, and all other members of the press detained for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, February 19, forces affiliated with the Democratic Party Union, the political party in power in the Autonomous Administration…
Turkish journalist Güngör Arslan killed
Istanbul, February 19, 2022 – On Saturday, Turkish journalist Güngör Arslan, publisher and news editor of local news site Ses Kocaeli, died in a hospital in the western province of Kocaeli after he was shot by an assailant in the chest and right leg inside his office in the city of Izmit, according to news reports. In a statement the…
Ethiopia ends emergency, but pursues new cases against 3 detained journalists
Nairobi, February 18, 2022— Ethiopian authorities should drop any plans to charge two journalists, Amir Aman Kiyaro and Thomas Engida, with terrorism, stop a fresh investigation they are pursuing against editor Temerat Negara, and end the practice of punitively detaining journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Amir, a freelancer who contributes to The…
Chadian journalist Evariste Djailoramdji killed while covering community violence
New York, February 18, 2022 — Chadian authorities should thoroughly and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Evariste Djailoramdji and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On February 9, unidentified people in the southern village of Sandana shot and killed Djailoramdji, a reporter working for the local broadcaster Lotiko…
Authorities investigate 3 Cape Verde journalists after reporting on police killing
Authorities in Cape Verde in January and February 2022 opened investigations into three journalists for “qualified disobedience,” in connection with their reporting on a classified investigation into a police killing, which allegedly involves a minister and, after seven years, produced no suspects, according to the journalists and news reports. On January 26, 2022, Hermínio Silves,…