Arab Israeli journalist Hassan Shelan’s home bombed
New York, June 22, 2021 – Israeli authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the bombing of journalist Hassan Shelan’s home and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 11 p.m. on June 17, a bomb exploded on the second floor of Shelan’s home in the…
Police investigate The Intercept Brasil editor Leandro Demori over reporting on police killings
Rio de Janeiro, June 21, 2021 – Authorities in Rio de Janeiro should immediately drop a criminal investigation into journalist Leandro Demori, and stop using the threat of criminal charges to intimidate journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 12, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Unit for Repression of Cyber Crimes…
Kurdish authorities in Syria revoke Kurdistan 24 license, close offices
New York, June 21, 2021 — Authorities in north and east Syria should reverse their decision to revoke Kurdistan 24’s broadcasting license and should allow it to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Media Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Kurdish-led de facto…
CPJ joins call urging Ethiopia to maintain internet access during elections
The Committee to Protect Journalists recently joined 46 other human rights, free expression, and technology organizations in a letter calling on Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to guarantee secure and reliable internet access during and following the country’s elections. In the letter, sent on June 18, members of the #KeepItOn Coalition against internet shutdowns also…
Czech president’s office bans communications with 5 outlets for alleged ‘misinformation’
On May 21, 2021, the office of Czech President Miloš Zeman issued a statement saying it would no longer provide any information to the weekly Respekt newspaper, news websites Seznam Zprávy and Deník N, and 168 Hodin and Reportéři ČT, two news programs on the public broadcaster Česká Televize. The statement accused the five outlets…
CPJ, rights groups call on EU to uphold Burundi human rights commitments, including press freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists and other human rights groups today called on European Union High Representative Josep Borrell and EU foreign ministers in a letter to uphold benchmarks set in 2016 when the EU suspended direct financial support to the Burundian government over its failure to protect human rights, democratic principles, and the rule…
CPJ board honors Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai with Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award
New York, June 21, 2021– The Committee to Protect Journalists today said it will honor Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned founder of Hong Kong’s Next Digital media company and Apple Daily newspaper, with the 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. The award is presented annually by CPJ’s board of directors to recognize extraordinary and sustained commitment…
Murderer of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez sentenced to 32 years in prison
Mexico City, June 18, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed yesterday’s sentencing of Juan Francisco Picos Barrueta, known as “El Quillo,” one of the murderers of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas, and called on Mexican federal authorities to redouble their efforts to have the alleged mastermind of the killing extradited to and tried in…
Armed men rob, threaten to kill Congolese journalist Parfait Katoto in his home
Lome, Togo, June 17, 2021 — Congolese authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats made to journalist Parfait Katoto and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 9:50 p.m. on May 29, an armed man entered Katoto’s home in the eastern town of Biakato, in Ituri province, through an open…
A ‘slow death’ for Yemen’s media: the country’s journalists report through displacement and exile
March 2018 was a low point for Akhbar al-Youm, an independent daily newspaper in Yemen. Three weeks after the newspaper’s Aden office was set ablaze by unidentified arsonists, seven of its employees were abducted for a month by forces under the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, which controls the southern port city. The attacks forced the publication to relocate from Aden to…