Hong Kong court denies bail to Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai in fraud case
Taipei, December 3, 2020 – Magistrate Victor So Wai Tak of the West Kowloon Courts in Hong Kong today denied bail to media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai on a charge of fraud, according to news reports. He is expected to remain in jail until a court hearing on April 16, 2021, according to the reports. Lai and senior…
CPJ welcomes European Democracy Action Plan, calls for EU member state support
Brussels, December 3, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes important measures to strengthen media freedom and pluralism in the European Democracy Action Plan published by the European Commission today. The plan says the Commission will issue a recommendation on the safety of journalists and establish a structured dialogue with member states regarding its implementation, according…
Egypt extends pretrial detention of photographer Sayed Abd Ellah by filing new terrorism charge
New York, November 30, 2020 – Yesterday, the Egyptian state prosecutor’s office charged imprisoned Egyptian freelance photographer Sayed Abd Ellah with membership in a terrorist group and extended his pretrial detention by 15 days, according to a family member who spoke with CPJ via messaging app on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal,…
Jamii Forums founder Maxence Melo convicted on obstruction charge, released in Tanzania
Nairobi, November 19, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the conviction of Maxence Melo, founder of the Tanzanian online discussion platform Jamii Forums, on charges of obstruction. On November 17, the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court acquitted Melo on charges of operating a website that was not registered in Tanzania, but…
Indian Supreme Court to hold bail hearing on case of imprisoned journalist Siddique Kappan
New York, November 17, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Uttar Pradesh authorities to not oppose bail for imprisoned journalist Siddique Kappan and to grant him access to his lawyers immediately. Yesterday, the Indian Supreme Court set a hearing for November 20 for a bail petition for Kappan, according to The Telegraph. Kappan,…
Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov sentenced to 16 years on treason charges
New York, November 16, 2020 – The Grave Crimes Court in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, today sentenced Polad Aslanov, the chief editor of the independent news websites Xeberman and Press-az, to 16 years in jail on the charge of high treason, his wife Gulmira Aslanova told the Committee to Protect Journalists via messaging app and the…
EU should withdraw draft resolution that threatens encryption
November 10, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern after the Council of the European Union proposed a draft resolution last week calling for national authorities across the EU to have access to encrypted messages as part of criminal investigations into terrorism and organized crime. Journalists rely on encryption to evade surveillance and protect their…
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono rearrested, charged with contempt of court
New York, November 3, 2020 – Zimbabwean police arrested journalist Hopewell Chin’ono at his home in Harare, the capital, earlier today and charged him with contempt of court for an October 28 tweet citing judges’ alleged criticism of Zimbabwean Chief Justice Luke Malaba, according to a Twitter post by Rose Hanzi, executive director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. According…
CPJ welcomes repeal of criminal libel in Sierra Leone, urges further reform
Abuja, Nigeria, October 30, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed Sierra Leone’s repeal of its criminal libel laws, and called for further reforms to ensure that journalists can work freely. On October 28, President Julius Maada Bio signed a law revising the country’s 1965 Public Order Act to remove measures that criminalized…
Head of USAGM removes firewall regulation aimed to protect editorial independence
Washington, D.C., October 27, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a move by the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media to eliminate a regulation designed to protect editorial independence for the agency’s networks, including Voice of America. USAGM CEO Michael Pack said in a statement late yesterday that the regulation would be…