Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of November 8, 2018
Court sentences former Zaman journalist A court in Uşak on November 14 convicted Ali Ünal, a former columnist for the shuttered daily Zaman, of “founding and leading an armed terrorist organization” and sentenced him to 19 years and six months in prison, the news website Diken reported. The court acquitted the journalist of coup-related charges,…
Kashmiri journalists face multiple restrictions, attacks in October
Journalists in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir faced numerous incidents of restrictions and attacks between October 8 and October 30, 2018. During this period, journalists attempted to cover urban local elections in the state, as well as events surrounding the killing of militant commander Manan Wani by the security forces.
Panic buttons, cameras, and a gun under the desk: Local newsrooms update security in wake of Capital Gazette attack
The Capital Gazette shootings in Annapolis in June, in which a gunman killed five staff, forced many newsrooms across the U.S. to reassess the security of their offices. While journalists acknowledged that threats come with the job, the shooting comes in a year of increased hostility toward the press, including pipe bombs being sent care…
Angela Quintal recounts CPJ’s ordeal in Tanzania
Johannesburg, November 13, 2018–“We drove down a dirt road and entered the premises of what appeared to be a safe house, through a large gate. Several men in plain clothes stood in the front yard. At least one appeared to be armed with a rifle. Their animosity was palpable… We were ordered out of the…
CPJ outraged at Tanzania’s treatment of its Africa program team
New York, November 12, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed indignation at statements from Tanzanian authorities and South Africa’s foreign minister justifying the detention of CPJ’s Africa team in Dar es Salaam on November 7. Officials from both countries falsely claimed CPJ’s Africa program coordinator Angela Quintal and sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo were in…
CPJ welcomes Gulnoza Said as Europe and Central Asia program coordinator
New York, November 12, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists is pleased to announce that Gulnoza Said has been named CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. Said will lead efforts to report, monitor, and advocate on press freedom issues in Europe and Central Asia.
Damascus journalist has a million stories but none she can safely report
Joudy Boulos has a million stories she wants to write. But as a Syrian freelance journalist living in Damascus, her ability to report is severely limited by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It is so dangerous that “Joudy Boulos” is a pseudonym the journalist sometimes uses when reporting and to protect her safety.…
CPJ condemns Philippines’ threat to indict critical site Rappler on tax evasion charges
Bangkok, November 12, 2018–The Philippine authorities said on Friday they had grounds to indict news site Rappler, known for its critical coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte, and its founder Maria Ressa for tax evasion and failure to file tax returns, news reports said. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the threat and called on authorities…
CPJ calls on Cameroon to release and drop charges against Mimi Mefo
Abidjan, November 8, 2018–Authorities in Cameroon should immediately release and drop all charges against Mimi Mefo, the head of English news and a presenter for the privately owned Equinoxe television and radio station, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Mefo, who also runs Mimi Mefo Info, her own news website, was arrested and taken…