Jailed Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo to face cybercrime charge in court
New York, February 12, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Nigerian authorities to drop all charges against Agba Jalingo, the publisher of the privately owned news website CrossRiverWatch, and set him free. Jalingo is set to appear at a federal high court in Calabar city tomorrow on amended charges, including cybercrime…
CPJ calls on Canadian police to let journalists work freely at indigenous protest sites
New York, February 7, 2020—In response to news reports that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) yesterday obstructed journalists trying to cover police operations at indigenous protest camps in British Columbia, the Committee to Protect Journalists today issued the following statement:
Burundi court sentences Iwacu journalists to 2.5 years in prison
Nairobi, January 30, 2020 — Burundi authorities should not contest the appeal of four journalists from Iwacu convicted today and should stop filing state security charges against reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Kashmiri journalists, news outlets still offline after India partially restores internet
New York, January 28, 2020—Internet access was partially restored in most of Jammu and Kashmir on January 25, but service remained slow and social media platforms and many local news websites remain blocked, The New York Times and other outlets reported. In a statement circulated to CPJ and news outlets, the Kashmir Press Club said…
Saudi crown prince’s alleged hacking of Bezos raises press freedom concerns
Washington, January 22, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined U.N. human rights experts in calling for an investigation into the alleged hacking of The Washington Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The U.N. experts called the alleged hacking “an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia.”
Qatar changes penal code to include ‘false news’ law
New York, January 21, 2020—Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani amended Article 136 of the country’s penal code to make the publication or sharing of “false news” punishable by up to five years in prison or a 100,000 Qatari riyal fine (US$27,473), according to the Beirut-based Gulf Center for Human Rights. Details of the law,…
Police raid Cairo offices of Turkish Anadolu News Agency, arrest at least 4
Washington, D.C., January 15, 2020 — Egyptian authorities yesterday arrested at least four people at the Anadolu News Agency office in Cairo on allegations of spreading false news and operating without a license, according to a report by the agency and other news reports.
India should restore internet in Kashmir as court orders shutdown review
New York, January 10, 2020–The Indian Supreme Court ordered a review of the legal process used to implement the ongoing shutdown in Indian-controlled Kashmir today. The ruling affirmed that freedom of speech “using the medium of internet is constitutionally protected.”