CPJ urges Bangladesh’s president to return Digital Security Act to Parliament for revision
The CPJ expresses concern about the Digital Security Act that was passed on September 18 by the Parliament of Bangladesh, and urges President Abdul Hamid to return it to Parliament for review. CPJ is concerned that the legislation, if allowed to become law, would violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press, and would create extensive legal dangers for journalists in the normal course of carrying out their professional activities.
Malian radio station suspended for 11 days for alleged incitement to revolt
Bamako’s governor, Colonel Déberekoua Soara, indefinitely suspended Renouveau FM, a privately owned radio station in Bamako, Mali’s capital, on August 1, 2018. The station was accused by Soara of alleged incitement to hatred and revolt on a popular current affairs show, the broadcaster’s director, Sidi Mohamed Dicko, told CPJ. The station was back on the…
Ugandan police arrest at least 8 journalists covering opposition MP Bobi Wine
Nairobi, September 20, 2018–Police in Uganda detained at least eight journalists covering the return of opposition MP Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, from the U.S, according to media reports and local journalists. The arrests are the latest incident of Ugandan security personnel assaulting, harassing, or arresting journalists covering political tension in the past…
Press Behind Bars: Undermining Justice and Democracy
Journalists are being imprisoned at record numbers around the world. They are regularly threatened, attacked, and killed, which undermines not only their own fundamental human rights, but also the public’s right to receive and impart information. The past two years have seen record numbers of journalists imprisoned for their work, yet there has been little…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of September 14, 2018
Court finds journalists guilty of making propaganda for terrorists A court on September 19 found the directors of the shuttered socialist television channel Hayatın Sesi TV guilty of making propaganda for terrorist organisations, the daily Evrensel reported.
Freelance reporter covering environmental activist’s murder trial threatened in Honduras
New York, September 19, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Honduran authorities to investigate threats against freelance journalist Nina Lakhani–who is in Honduras to cover the high-profile trial of eight men charged in the 2016 murder of indigenous environmental leader Berta Cáceres–and to ensure journalists are able to report safely from the country.
Vietnam jails journalist for four years over coverage of evictions
Bangkok, September 19, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned the sentencing of Vietnamese journalist Do Cong Duong and called for his immediate and unconditional release. A court in the northern province of Bac Ninh sentenced Duong on September 17 to four years in prison for disturbing public order, which is a criminal offense…
Italian police search journalist’s home, seize electronic devices
Berlin, September 19, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned an Italian prosecutor’s order to search the home of Salvo Palazzolo, a journalist for the daily newspaper La Repubblica, and seize the journalist’s electronic devices. On September 13, Italian police in Palermo, Sicily, seized Palazzolo’s mobile phone, tablet computer, and three hard drives during the…
Saudi airstrike hits Yemeni radio station
New York, September 17, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition’s airstrike on a Yemeni radio station yesterday. The airstrike against the Ansar Allah-controlled Al-Maraweah Radio Broadcasting Center, located in Al-Maraweah District in Hodeida Governorate, killed three employees as well as a civilian in the vicinity of the building, according…
Abuja court dismisses case against Nigerian journalist Jones Abiri
New York, September 17, 2018–An Abuja magistrate’s court today struck out a case against Jones Abiri, publisher and editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Weekly Source, Samuel Ogala, a lawyer who represents Abiri, told CPJ. The court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction over the state where the alleged wrongdoing took place, Ogala said. Abiri, who…