Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack on bringing transparency to surveillance exports that threaten press freedom
“Many countries are using these technologies to put people in jail,” Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack told CPJ in a recent video interview. He was describing advanced surveillance capabilities, such as those that CPJ has documented being used to target journalists like Omar Radi and Maati Monjib, who were both jailed in Morocco in 2020. Israeli companies like NSO Group and Cellebrite market equipment to…
Russian authorities open court case against journalist Yury Dud for distributing ‘drug propaganda’
New York, June 17, 2021 – Russian authorities should drop all court proceedings against journalist Yury Dud and ensure that he can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 10, the Zyuzinsky District Court in Moscow accepted a lawsuit filed against Dud, who runs the YouTube channel vDud, for…
Salvadoran court orders Revista Factum to take down reporting on murder case
Guatemala City, June 17, 2021 – Salvadoran authorities should immediately rescind a court order requiring the independent news website Revista Factum to take down an article, and should allow the media to report freely on issues of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 14, the First Peace Court in the…
CPJ highlights risks for journalists who flee; calls on nations to create special emergency visas
Searching for safety, journalists in exile are often trapped in a vicious circle New York, June 17, 2021– The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on governments to provide safe refuge to journalists at risk through special emergency visas, in a feature and recommendations released ahead of World Refugee Day. Drawing on CPJ’s work over…
At-risk journalists who must flee home countries often find few quick and safe options
In 2018, journalist Mohammad Shubaat was in Daraa, Syria, caught between advancing forces aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the closed borders of Israel and Jordan. Despite the dire threat to Shubaat and many of his colleagues, it would take over a year of intense negotiations with some 20 countries by the Committee to…
Hong Kong police arrest 5 Apple Daily executives, raid headquarters
Washington, D.C., June 16, 2021 — In response to the Hong Kong police force’s raid on the office of the independent newspaper Apple Daily and the arrests of five executives today, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The arrests of five executives at the pro-democracy Apple Daily today under Hong Kong’s Orwellian…
Indian police open criminal investigation into The Wire and 3 journalists
New Delhi, June 16, 2021 — Authorities in India’s Uttar Pradesh state must immediately drop their criminal investigation into journalists Rana Ayyub, Saba Naqvi, and Mohammed Zubair, and the independent news website The Wire, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh police filed a criminal complaint stating that they were opening a…
Kazakh newspaper Aq Zhayiq and editor Azamat Maitanov receive death threats
Stockholm, June 16, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate all threats made to employees of the independent newspaper Aq Zhayiq and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since the beginning of the year, unidentified individuals have sent dozens of death threats to Azamat Maitanov, the outlet’s editor-in-chief, and…
Colombian journalist Pincen Mora survives shooting attempt at home in Medellín
Bogotá, June 16, 2021 – Colombian authorities should thoroughly investigate the attempted shooting of journalist Pincen Mora, hold the perpetrators to account, and guarantee his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 8, at about 5 p.m., a group of eight unidentified men on motorcycles stopped at the home and office of Mora,…
Former Mexican mayor convicted for role in murder of reporter Miroslava Breach
Mexico City, June 16, 2021 – In response to yesterday’s sentencing of Hugo Amed Schultz Alcaraz to eight years in prison for his role in the 2017 murder of Mexican reporter Miroslava Breach Velducea, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “After several recent sentences in the Javier Valdez Cardenas and Miroslava Breach…