CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the political crisis in Venezuela
UPDATED: This safety advisory was updated on February 20, 2019. In response to disputed election results, Venezuelans from both sides have taken to the streets in recent weeks, according to news reports. The crisis began following the inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro to his second term on January 10, after an electoral process characterized by…
Raids, media shutdowns and internet disruptions amid Venezuela crisis
Miami, January 25, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Venezuelan authorities to stop blocking news outlets and to ensure that access to the internet is available amid the country’s political crisis and widespread protests.
Mexican reporter found killed in Baja California Sur
Mexico City, January 22, 2019 – Mexican authorities should immediately undertake a transparent and exhaustive investigation into the murder of community radio station director Rafael Murúa Manríquez, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Venezuela denies entry to Danish freelance reporter
On January 9, 2019, Venezuelan security agents detained Danish freelance reporter Kristoffer Toft when he tried to enter the country on a tourist visa at Maiquetía airport in La Guaira, in northern Venezuela, the reporter told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Officials interrogated Toft and conducted a Google search of his name before denying him…
Prominent journalist Chamorro flees Nicaragua after threats, newsroom raid
Miami, January 22, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed grave concern about news that Carlos Fernando Chamorro, one of Nicaragua’s most prominent independent journalists, has fled the country. Chamorro announced on Twitter on January 20 that he fled to Costa Rica due to threats against him from the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
CPJ joins letter expressing concern about proposed cyberspace law in Venezuela
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 30 regional and international rights organizations expressing concern about a proposed law in Venezuela that would expand the powers of the government to control and monitor internet use without institutional checks.
For local female journalists in US, rape threats, stalkers, harassment can come with the beat
In 2016, the FBI told a local TV journalist that she wasn’t safe sleeping in her own home. Her TV station, which covers a major American city, hired an off-duty police officer to guard the parking lot when she arrived at work. Even for a journalist covering organized crime, such measures may seem extreme–but her…
CPJ concerned about US detention of Iranian TV journalist
New York, January 17, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the detention of Marzieh Hashemi, a TV anchor and documentary filmmaker for the English-language service of Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, and called on the U.S. Department of Justice to disclose the reason for her arrest.
Honduras court upholds journalist’s 10-year prison sentence for defamation
New York, January 15, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the Honduran Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a 2016 ruling sentencing journalist David Romero Ellner to 10 years in prison on criminal defamation charges.
In Canada, police block media from covering break up of indigenous pipeline protest
New York, January 8, 2019–The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) yesterday blocked reporters from covering a pipeline protest near Houston, British Columbia, where police were due to dismantle camps set up by indigenous activists, according to reports.