CPJ calls for OSCE to swiftly fill press freedom representative vacancy
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined seven other press freedom organizations in calling on the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to swiftly appoint a new representative on Freedom of the Media. The incumbent representative, Dunja Mijatović, has been an outspoken defender of press freedom, but she is…
Venezuela suspends CNN en Español broadcasts
New York, February 15, 2017–Venezuela’s state telecommunications regulator Conatel today ordered transmissions of CNN en Español to be suspended in the country, according to reports. A statement from the regulator said that Conatel was initiating administrative proceedings against the Spanish-language channel of CNN, which it said distorted the truth and “attack[ed] the peace and democratic…
Two radio journalists shot and killed during live broadcast in the Dominican Republic
New York, February 15, 2017 — Authorities in the Dominican Republic should establish a motive in the murder of radio journalists Luis Manuel Medina and Leónidas Martínez and prosecute all those responsible, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The two radio journalists were shot and killed yesterday during a Facebook Live broadcast at the…
O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo ordered to remove reports about Brazil’s First Lady
São Paulo, February 15, 2017–A judge ordered two of Brazil’s biggest national dailies, Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo, to remove stories from their websites about a court case of a hacker convicted of attempted blackmail of Brazil’s first lady, Marcela Temer, according to reports in both papers.
Mob attacks Lebanese TV station
New York, February 15, 2017–Lebanese authorities should immediately investigate yesterday’s attack on the independent TV channel Al-Jadeed, bring those responsible to justice, and take steps to ensure the safety of journalists operating in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Journalist who alleged corruption beaten in India
A group of assailants in the southeastern Indian town of Chirala on February 5, 2017, beat M Nagarjuna Reddy, a reporter with the Telugu-language monthly magazine Basa, according to his employer, press reports, video, and a memorandum the journalist filed with the Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission in Hyderabad, the state capital, on February 14.
CPJ calls on Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to safeguard journalists
CPJ writes to Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to seek ways to work with his new administration to improve the climate for the media in Somalia, and in particular to ensure that those who murder journalists are brought to swift and fair justice.
CPJ to release special report on journalists’ safety
New York, February 14, 2017– The Committee to Protect Journalists will launch its special report, “The Best Defense: Threats to journalists’ safety demand fresh approach,” on February 21, 2017. The report finds that more work remains to be done to improve journalists’ safety at a time of unprecedented threats, including the spread of violent non-state…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of February 12
Publisher closes magazine for cartoon lampooning Moses The publisher of the cartoon magazine GırGır announced today that he was closing down the magazine after its publication of a cartoon depicting Moses irritating his followers wandering in the desert by talking too much and bragging about parting the Red Sea sparked outrage on social media, including…
CPJ calls on Venezuela to stop obstructing the foreign press
São Paulo, February 13, 2017–Two Brazilian journalists investigating a continent-wide corruption ring were detained over the weekend in Venezuela, according to press reports. Separately, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced at a rally that he wanted CNN out of the country and accused the network of spreading “fake news,” other outlets reported.