The Torch is a weekly newsletter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that brings you the latest press freedom and journalist safety news from around the world. Subscribe here.
Why has no one been held to account for the 2010 murder of Greek investigative journalist Sokratis Giolias?
On September 29, A Safer World For The Truth coalition published findings from an investigation into the murder of Giolias and its strong parallels with the recent killing of Greek reporter Giorgios Karaivaz, killed on April 9, 2021. The report, “Impunity in Europe: the uninvestigated murder of Greek journalist Sokratis Giolias,” highlights a pattern of inaction by Greek authorities that has led to a climate of fear and self-censorship among Greek journalists.
💡“Our investigation makes plain the failure of Greek authorities to thoroughly investigate Sokratis Giolias’ murder, underscoring the stark erosion of press freedom in Greece,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative.
The report offers recommendations for Greece to independently review the two unsolved murder cases and its investigative practices when crimes have been committed against journalists.
⚡️Watch a recording of the press conference marking the report launch.
Also, at the International Journalism Forum, Mong discussed press freedom in Greece based on an international fact-finding mission to Athens by CPJ and other press freedom organizations, during which they met with media professionals, state bodies, and civil society stakeholders.
- Journalist Josh Kruger shot, killed in Philadelphia; CPJ joins group calling for explanation of FBI raid linked to Tucker Carlson interview
- CPJ says Indian police raids on NewsClick office, journalists’ homes are an attack on press freedom
- CPJ calls for Burkina Faso to reverse suspension of Jeune Afrique
- Angolan editor Daniel Frederico faces criminal defamation charges
- Two Nigerian journalists charged with cybercrime over corruption reports
- Niger journalist Samira Sabou arrested by unidentified men
- Russian blogger Aleksandr Nozdrinov sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for “fake news” about army
- Turkey urged to act on death threats against journalist İsmail Arı
- Journalist Oleksandr Pavlov injured in drone attack in Ukraine
- Belarus detains journalist Andrei Tolchyn on extremism charges
- Morocco expels French journalists Quentin Müller and Thérèse Di Campo
It has been five years since Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. A report released by the CIA in November 2018 into the killing found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the journalist’s murder.
Despite campaign promises to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder, the Biden administration has not only failed to support an international, independent, and impartial investigation, instead helping immeasurably in aiding MBS’s rehabilitation on the international stage.
🗯️“Five years after his death, Khashoggi’s warnings of draconian censorship in Saudi Arabia have become nightmarishly real under the leadership of his killer, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman,” reflected CPJ’s MENA Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour.
CPJ’s annual prison census documented 11 journalists jailed in Saudi Arabia for their work as of December 1, 2022.
🎥 Watch Saudi human rights defenders and Khashoggi’s former Washington Post editor discuss Khashoggi’s legacy and current conditions in Saudi Arabia five years after his assassination.
📢CPJ also joined calls for the Biden administration to reverse its current policy and prioritize significant and genuine human rights improvements by the Saudi government. CPJ is part of the Washington Post Press Freedom Partnership, which ran an ad in The Washington Post to reiterate our call for a thorough international investigation to ensure Justice for Jamal.
- Visa discrimination thwarts African journalists and weakens democracy — Sally Hayden, The Irish Times
- The repressive power of artificial intelligence — Freedom House
- Four disabled journalists on how news outlets can support staffers and audience members with disabilities — Hanaa’ Tameez, Nieman Journalism Lab
- Southeast Asia: Why is free speech not a priority? — David Hutt, Deutsche Welle
- Who hired the hitmen to silence Zitácuaro? — Nicholas Casey, The New York Times Magazine
Do you have an Amazon Alexa-enabled device? Enable CPJ's flash briefing skill to stay up to date with the latest press freedom news from around the world.