Tanzania cuts live parliamentary coverage, ending vital news source for citizens
On April 19, the live coverage of proceedings in the Tanzanian parliament ended as a government decision to halt the service went into effect. The move, announced by Information Minister Nape Nnauye in January, has led to protests from the opposition party and journalists’ groups, who said they view the decision to stop live broadcasts…
Uganda blocks social media sites for presidential inauguration
Nairobi, May 12, 2016 – Ugandan authorities should immediately restore access to social media websites and refrain from censoring any websites in the future, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Regulators blocked access to Twitter and Facebook, and to the messaging service WhatsApp today, according to press reports.
Mexican newspaper faces harassment
Mexico City, May 12, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the increasing harassment of the Mexican daily newspaper Vanguardia and its staff. In recent weeks, Vanguardia’s website was attacked, police raided its owner’s ranch, a former local official sued the newspaper, and unknown men followed one of its reporters home, according…
Sudanese journalist held without charge for a month after covering protests
New York, May 12, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Sudanese authorities to release Ahmed Zuheir Daoud, a journalist who has been detained for nearly a month without charge. Daoud was arrested on April 13 while reporting on student protests for Al-Midan, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Iman Othman Ali, told CPJ yesterday.
Egyptian court recommends death penalty for three journalists
Washington, May 11, 2016 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned an Egyptian court’s recommendation to sentence three journalists to death. They were convicted of helping to smuggle secret documents to Qatari intelligence officers and the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera. The journalists include two Al-Jazeera employees.
Nigerian military bars journalists from covering court-martial
Nigerian military authorities on Monday May 9, 2016 barred journalists from covering the trial of Patrick Falola and Ibrahim Sani, both army major-generals, who are being tried by a court-martial in the capital Abuja, according to news reports.
Hackers, lawmaker put reporters at risk in Ukraine
New York, May 11, 2016 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the publication of the personal details of thousands of journalists and media workers who have reported from eastern Ukraine. CPJ also denounced a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s praise for that action.
CPJ writes to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding imprisoned Tibetan blogger
May 11, 2016 Xi Jinping President of the People’s Republic of China Zhongnanhai, Xichengqu Beijing The People’s Republic of China Dear President Xi: We at the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, international press-freedom advocacy organization, write to express our concern for Tibetan blogger Lobsang Jamyang, also known as Lomig, and to ask your government…