Azerbaijani blogger sentenced to prison for alleging abuse
New York, March 3, 2017–Azerbaijani authorities should immediately release blogger and press freedom advocate Mehman Huseynov, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A court in Baku today sentenced Huseynov to two years in prison on defamation charges for alleging that police beat him, according to his lawyer and media reports. CPJ called on prosecutors…
Brazilian photographers shot covering police action
Two Brazilian photographers were shot while covering a February 23, 2017, confrontation between police and civilians in a region of São Paulo notorious for its high concentration of drug sales and use, according to the photographers and the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI).
Coalition calls for charges to be dropped against Standing Rock journalists
CPJ and a coalition of other organizations request that the Morton County State’s Attorney’s Office drop the charges against journalists arrested during protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline or justify the arrests of reporters in the course of their work.
Egyptian parliamentary leaders file criminal complaint against editor
New York, March 1, 2017–Egyptian lawmakers should immediately withdraw their criminal complaint against Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Maqal newspaper, and should stop harassing and threatening journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Independent Cuban journalist detained, accused of fomenting enemy propaganda
Independent Cuban journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro was arrested February 20, 2017 and detained for about 36 hours while traveling to cover a meeting between Cuban dissidents and the head of the Organization of American States (OAS), according to press reports. The editor of digital magazine La Hora de Cuba said police charged him with fomenting…
CPJ requests information on jailed Cameroonian journalists
March 1, 2017 Issa Tchiroma Bakary Minister of Communication Hotel de Ville Yaoundé Via fax: +237 222 23 30 22; Your Excellency, We at the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent press freedom advocacy organization, are concerned about compounding reports of measures to restrict the media in Cameroon, and request clarification regarding the reported imprisonment…
Russian security forces raid journalist Zoya Svetova’s home
New York, February 28, 2017–Russian authorities should cease harassing journalists and allow them to work unimpeded, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security forces today searched the Moscow home of prominent journalist and human rights defender Zoya Svetova, according to press reports and Svetova’s lawyers.
Fox TV-Turkey taken off the air in Azerbaijan
Broadcasts of Turkish broadcaster Fox TV-Turkey ceased in Azerbaijan late the night of February 22, 2017, hours after a presenter mocked President Ilham Aliyev’s appointment of his wife as the country’s first vice-president, Azerbaijani and Turkish media reported.
Delhi police, student activists beat journalists
Police and student activists beat at least eight journalists covering fighting between rival student groups at Delhi University’s Ramjas College on February 22, 2017, according to media reports and journalists speaking to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Defamation suit in Thailand restricts BBC reporter’s freedom of movement
Bangkok, February 28, 2017–A court in Thailand has seized the passport of BBC reporter Jonathan Head in response to a criminal defamation suit filed by a Thai lawyer over a news report on alleged fraud committed on the tourist island of Phuket. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the restrictions on the reporter’s freedom of…