Benin’s parliament should expunge criminal defamation from the media bill
Abuja, Nigeria, December 23, 2014–Benin Republic’s parliament is set to vote on a media bill that threatens to jail journalists for insulting the president or other government officials, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on parliament to scrap any measures in the bill that could send journalists to prison for doing…
Belarus adopts restrictive media law amendments, blocks websites
New York, December 23, 2014–The Belarusian parliament adopted amendments to a restrictive media law last week, and President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed them on December 20, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the broad and vaguely worded provisions of the law, which extend restrictions on the traditional press to the…
Slideshow: Journalists killed in 2014
In 2014, at least 60 journalists and 11 media workers were killed in relation to their work, according to CPJ research. Local and international journalists died covering conflicts, including in Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine, while many others were murdered reporting on corruption and organized crime in their own countries. Here, CPJ remembers some of the…
Colombian official convicted of ‘psychological torture’ of journalist
Bogotá, Colombia, December 22, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the conviction of a former high-ranking Colombian intelligence official who on December 19 was sentenced to 11 years in prison for carrying out a campaign of aggression and death threats against investigative journalist Claudia Julieta Duque, according to news reports.
In Kenya, press curbed as government seeks to fight terrorism
The Kenyan press is being caught in the crossfire as authorities seek to strengthen defenses against terrorists. On December 19, Kenya’s president signed into law a security bill that has the power to stop the press covering terror attacks. The government has also recently criticized the media over allegations that special units are carrying out…
CPJ hails approval of broadcast law in Uruguay
New York, December 22, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the passage of a new broadcast law in Uruguay today, which has strong guarantees for freedom of expression and forbids censorship. The law, which was introduced in May 2013 by President José Mujica, is aimed at regulating radio and television with the goal of creating…
In Cuba, case for harassing press has collapsed
Throughout the years, the Cuban government has justified the imprisonment of independent journalists on charges that they were acting against the State’s sovereignty at the behest of the United States. During the so-called Black Spring in March 2003, when the government then led by President Fidel Castro launched a massive crackdown against dissidents while the…
China is world’s worst jailer of the press; global tally second worst on record
CPJ RELEASES ANNUAL PRISON CENSUS New York, December 17, 2014–In the wake of a broad crackdown on free expression since President Xi Jinping took office, China is the world’s worst jailer of journalists, with 44 behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its annual report on imprisoned journalists released today.