CPJ welcomes Lucy Westcott as emergencies director
New York, October 7, 2021–As threats to journalist safety worldwide persist, the Committee to Protect Journalists is pleased to announce that Lucy Westcott has been named CPJ’s emergencies director. In the role, Westcott will oversee the organization’s Emergencies team, which provides comprehensive, life-saving support to journalists and media workers at risk around the world through…
Bangladesh authorities detain sister of exiled journalist Kanak Sarwar
Washington, D.C., October 6, 2021 — Bangladesh authorities must immediately release Nusrat Shahrin Raka, cease targeting journalists’ family members, and commit to allowing the media to operate without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Very early yesterday morning, officers with the police Rapid Action Battalion raided Raka’s home in Uttara, a…
Journalists’ profiles must be restored on LinkedIn’s China site, CPJ says
Washington, D.C., October 6, 2021 — LinkedIn should immediately restore journalists’ blocked profiles in China, be transparent about the process that leads to profile takedowns, and ensure that the company does not facilitate the global export of Chinese censorship of reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. LinkedIn blocked the profiles of several U.S….
Polish police search journalist’s home, seize equipment over alleged threats to legislator
Berlin, October 6, 2021 — Polish authorities should stop harassing journalist Piotr Bakselerowicz, return his equipment, and respect the confidentiality of his sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 2, four officers from the Warsaw Police Department, two of whom carried guns, searched the apartment of Bakselerowicz, a reporter for the independent…
Partner of journalist missing in Mali says she’ll only be at peace when he returns home
Freelance French journalist Olivier Dubois, 47, did what he would normally do ahead of an assignment. He gave his partner and mother of his children, Deborah Al Hawi Al Marsi, a piece of paper with names and contact numbers in case of an emergency. Each time Olivier returned safely home to the Malian capital, Bamako,…
CPJ calls on UN to renew Yemen human rights investigatory body
New York, October 6, 2021 – The United Nations Human Rights Council should renew the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen and support the group’s work investigating human rights abuses in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. “The U.N.’s Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen has played a critical…
CPJ joins call for Canada to impose targeted sanctions on Eritrean officials
The Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday joined 15 other rights organizations, journalists, and human rights experts in a statement calling on the government of Canada to impose targeted sanctions on senior Eritrean officials for human rights abuses, including the 20-year imprisonment of newspaper editor Dawit Isaac and other journalists. “After two decades, the devastating mistreatment…
Ukrainian state bank personnel seize journalists’ equipment, delete footage
Vilnius, Lithuania, October 5, 2021 — Ukrainian authorities should conduct a thorough investigation into an assault on two journalists working for investigative project Skhemy and ensure that all journalists can operate in a safe environment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, security personnel of state-owned bank Ukreksimbank forcibly seized recording equipment from journalists of…
Indian journalist Raman Kashyap killed amid Uttar Pradesh clashes
New Delhi, October 5, 2021 – Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Raman Kashyap and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, Kashyap, a freelance journalist who contributed to the local news channel Sadhna TV, was found dead…
Russian journalist Igor Kuznetsov detained, charged with inciting mass disturbances in Telegram chats
Stockholm, October 4, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Igor Kuznetsov and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 16, police in Tomsk, in western Siberia, arrested Kuznetsov, a local freelance correspondent for the independent news outlet RusNews, and searched his home, where they confiscated three…