Cameroonian journalist Sainclair Mezing expelled from Gabon ahead of elections
Dakar, August 25, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the expulsion of Cameroonian reporter Sainclair Mezing from Gabon and urges authorities to allow journalists to freely report on the country’s elections scheduled for Saturday, August 26. “Gabonese authorities must allow all journalists who wish to cover this weekend’s elections to do so without obstruction or…
Russia fails to renew Dutch and Finnish journalists’ visas and accreditation
New York, August 18, 2023—Russian authorities should renew the visas and media accreditation of Dutch journalist Eva Hartog and Finnish journalist Anna-Lena Laurén and let them work freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, August 16, Politico Europe and Dutch weekly De Groene Amsterdammer reported that Russian authorities refused…
Syria revokes accreditation of 2 BBC journalists
Beirut, July 10, 2023 – Syria’s Ministry of Information must reverse its decision to revoke the accreditation of two BBC journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On July 8, the ministry said it had canceled the accreditation of two local journalists working for the BBC over “false” and “politicized” reporting, according to a…
Ukraine journalists say opaque accreditation process hampers war coverage
Paris, June 9, 2023—Ukrainian authorities should ensure that journalists covering the war are not pressured over their reporting and must set clear and transparent qualifications for press accreditation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since March, officers with Ukraine’s SBU security service have repeatedly questioned journalists seeking accreditation from the country’s military and others…
World Health Organization denies entry to 2 Taiwanese journalists
Taipei, May 23, 2023—The World Health Organization should ensure that all journalists can freely cover the organization’s annual gathering and should not allow the press accreditation process to be used as a political tool, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, May 22, United Nations officials pulled reporters Judy Tseng and Tien Hsi-ju…
Georgian parliament suspends accreditation of 6 pro-opposition journalists
Stockholm, April 14, 2023 – Georgia’s parliament should revoke its decision to suspend the accreditations of six journalists from critical news outlets and reform recently adopted accreditation regulations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Between April 3 and April 6, Georgia’s parliament suspended for one month the accreditations of three reporters and three camera…
China should improve overseas media accreditation, access following restrictive political meetings
Taipei, March 14, 2023 – Chinese authorities should allow international media to cover events and political gatherings without restrictions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday, after several accredited journalists reported being denied access or having access restricted to the first major political meetings since China relaxed its zero-COVID policy. The state-run China Daily…
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…
Journalists tell CPJ how Tunisia’s tough new constitution curbs their access to information
When a CPJ researcher sat down with Lotfi Hajji, Tunisia bureau chief of Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera at a coffee shop in Tunis in July, we noticed that a man sitting directly behind us was recording our conversation on his phone. When we stood up to take a selfie with him in the background, the man…
Commonwealth Secretariat denies entry to at least 2 journalists seeking to cover summit in Rwanda; others left in limbo
Durban, June 17, 2022 — The Commonwealth Secretariat should ensure that all journalists can freely cover the upcoming summit in Rwanda, and should not allow the press accreditation process to be used as a political tool, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which brings together the leaders of…