CPJ joins call to reject draft EU regulation for online terrorist content
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined dozens of civil society organizations today in urging the European Parliament to reject a draft regulation on terrorist content online when it is proposed for a vote in April. The letter, which was sent to every member of parliament, notes that the draft would allow national authorities to order…
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier barred from entering Turkey, deported
On March 19, 2021, police in Turkey’s Istanbul Airport barred French freelance journalist Sylvain Mercadier from entering the country, detained him overnight, and deported him back to France, according to news reports, tweets by the journalist, and Mercadier, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Officers took Mercadier into custody soon after his flight…
Kazakhstan adopts new accreditation requirements that journalists fear will promote censorship
New York, March 23, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should revise new amendments to the country’s journalist accreditation policies to ensure they do not restrict the freedom of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 11, the Ministry of Information and Social Development adopted amendments to the 2013 Rules of Accreditation of…
Kyrgyz journalists on the online ‘fake farms’ that threaten to kill them
“At first, they appeared on my Instagram, then they showed up on my Facebook and YouTube accounts,” Ali Toktakunov told CPJ in a phone interview. The investigative Kyrgyz journalist and founder of Ali Toktakunov’s Media Hub, a foundation for investigative journalism, says he is a frequent target of trolls or fake social media accounts that…
RFE/RL contributor Vladislav Yesypenko arrested, accused of espionage in Crimea
New York, March 18, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Vladislav Yesypenko and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 10, Federal Security Service officers in Russian-occupied Crimea detained Yesypenko, a freelance journalist, according to news reports and a lawyer hired by his family, Emil Kurbedinov,…
Turkish social media law consolidates news censorship under ‘right to be forgotten’
In late 2020, a Turkish court ruled that the leftist daily Evrensel should remove a news report alleging that a presidential advisor forged their high school diploma. Evrensel complied, Erdi Tütmez, news editor for the outlet told CPJ by email in January; the report was no longer available when CPJ reviewed the site, though it…
Belarusian authorities detain reporter Dzianis Ivashyn; prosecute journalists for protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 17, 2021 — Belarusian authorities must stop prosecuting and harassing members of the press, and should allow reporters to cover issues of national significance without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 12, officers of the KGB, the Belarusian security service, in the western city of Hrodna…
Exiled Azerbaijani blogger Mahammad Mirzali stabbed at least 16 times in knife attack in France
New York, March 16, 2021 – French authorities should thoroughly investigate the brutal knife attack on exiled Azerbaijani video blogger Mahammad Mirzali, find the perpetrators, and ensure that they are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 14, Mirzali, who runs the Made in Azerbaijan YouTube video blog, was walking in downtown Nantes, the city in…
Election disinformation happens all over the world. These journalists are combating it.
With multiple federal investigations underway into the January 6 Capitol riot, concerns still abound about the spread of disinformation around the U.S. election. But the U.S. is not alone in confronting the phenomenon. Disinformation is happening all over the world – especially during high stakes events like national votes. “It’s language agnostic, it’s region agnostic,…
Turkish journalist Levent Gültekin beaten by a mob
Istanbul, March 9, 2021 – Turkish authorities must investigate the mob assault on journalist Levent Gültekin and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Gültekin, a columnist for online newspaper Diken and a commentator on Halk TV, both outlets critical of the Turkish government, was attacked by a large group of people…