French journalist Erwan Chartier, Le Poher staff receive death threats
Berlin, February 14, 2023 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the death threats received by journalist Erwan Chartier and the editorial staff of the Le Poher newspaper and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 31, an unidentified person sent an email to Chartier containing racial slurs and…
CPJ joins calls to establish independent investigative mechanism for accountability in human rights violations in Belarus
CPJ joined 27 human rights and press freedom organizations in a letter on Monday, February 13, 2023, calling for the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism in Belarus. The letter, led by the Oslo-based Human Rights House Foundation, asked the council to create such a mechanism at its next session to…
Russia fails to renew accreditation of longtime Finnish correspondent Arja Paananen
Paris, February 13, 2023 — Russian authorities should not interfere with the renewal of Finnish journalist Arja Paananen’s accreditation and visa and let her work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On February 9, the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had failed to renew Paananen’s accreditation to…
‘Don’t give up’: After fleeing overseas, Hong Kong journalists fight on
When Hong Kong journalist Matthew Leung covered a small protest in the northern English city of Manchester last October, little did he know it would become one of the biggest stories in his career—and unleash a diplomatic storm between China and Britain. His photographs, showing a group of men beating a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester…
CPJ joins civil society letter calling on the European Parliament to support the European Media Freedom Act
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 43 civil society organizations on Thursday, February 9, wrote to the European Parliament to ask them to ensure that the upcoming European Media Freedom Act is as strong as possible. The draft EU law is seeking to strengthen media freedom and pluralism in EU member states. The text of…
Belarusian authorities sentence journalist Andrzej Poczobut to 8 years in prison, detain journalist Anastasia Sharkevich
Paris, February 8, 2023 – Belarusian authorities must immediately release journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Anastasia Sharkevich, and stop retaliating against journalists for their reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, February 6, Sharkevich, who manages the Telegram channel of the independent newspaper Narodnaya Volya, appeared in a video published by a pro-government…
Russian authorities seek 9-year prison term for journalist Maria Ponomarenko, detain RFE/RL columnist Iskander Yasaveyev
Paris, February 7, 2023 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Maria Ponomarenko and columnist Iskander Yasaveyev and stop prosecuting members of the press over their reporting and commentary on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 6, authorities in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, arrested…
Dutch police detain, forcibly remove journalists covering climate protests
Berlin, February 7, 2023 — Dutch authorities should stop harassing, detaining, and removing journalists from protests, and allow them to cover events of public interest without police interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since January 21, Dutch police have detained two journalists and forcibly removed another while they reported on climate protests, according…
Russian court summons Kazakh outlet Arbat.Media over Ukraine war coverage
Paris, February 3, 2023 – Russian authorities must stop their efforts to silence reporting on the country’s invasion of Ukraine and stop harassing foreign outlets covering the conflict, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 24, the Leninsky District Court in the western city of Vladimir summoned the Kazakhstan-based independent news website Arbat.Media…
Ukrainska Pravda journalists receive menacing messages online after report on politician
Paris, February 2, 2023 – Ukrainian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into recent online harassment faced by journalists at the independent news website Ukrainska Pravda, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On January 27, the outlet published a video investigation by reporter Mykhailo Tkach, which claimed that former Prime Minister Yulia…