Spanish reporter Ferran Barber detained for weeks without charge, deported from Iraqi Kurdistan
Beirut, September 10, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned Iraqi Kurdistan authorities’ detention and deportation of Spanish freelance journalist Ferran Barber and urged the authorities to allow local and foreign journalists to do their jobs freely.
Journalist detained in Iraqi Kurdistan without charge since August 21
On August 21, 2019, in Topzawa, Iraqi Kurdistan, Asayish security forces affiliated with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) arrested Roj News journalist Bryar Muhamad Mustafa, according to a report by his employer and a statement by the Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy, a local press freedom group.
CPJ Insider: September 2019 edition
Putting First Amendment values in the spotlight CPJ has partnered with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Los Angeles Times to produce LA Press Freedom Week, five days of programming that will engage the public and the journalistic community in and around Los Angeles in a conversation about today’s challenges to press freedom and…
Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan top CPJ’s 10 most censored list
Authoritarian nations double-down on censorship New York, September 10, 2019—Eritrea is the world’s most censored country, according to a report released today by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The list of 10 Most Censored Countries is based on CPJ’s research into the censorship tactics used by authoritarian governments, ranging from imprisonment and repressive laws to…
Police hold 2 journalists for 13 days without charge in Equatorial Guinea
On August 27, 2019, police in Bata, in central Equatorial Guinea, arrested and detained presenter Milanio Ncogo and reporter Ruben Dario Bacale, both employees of the privately owned broadcaster Asonga TV, and held them without charge until September 8, according to Ncogo, who spoke to CPJ over messaging app.
Montenegro authorities should not contest journalist Jovo Martinović’s appeal
Berlin, September 9, 2019 — A court in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, on September 12 will begin hearing investigative reporter Jovo Martinović’s appeal of his January conviction on charges of drug trafficking and criminal association, for which he was sentenced for 18 months in prison, according to a statement by a group of press freedom…
Press freedom on ‘brink of extinction’ in Iraqi Kurdistan, journalists say
“Ever since I started working as a journalist nine years ago, I have been under constant pressure from my family, my tribe, and my community to give up journalism. Friends have been asked by security forces to sever ties with me,” said freelance journalist Guhdar Zebari, when he met with CPJ in the empty lobby…