Venezuelan authorities raid, shutter VPITV broadcaster
Bogotá, January 11, 2021 – Venezuelan authorities should return all equipment confiscated from VPITV and allow it to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 8, authorities raided the Caracas offices of VPITV, an independent online broadcaster, where they confiscated cameras, computers, transmission equipment, and documents, and ordered the station to…
Togolese journalist Carlos Ketohou detained, newspaper barred from publishing
New York, January 7, 2021 –Togolese authorities should permit the L’Indépendant Express newspaper to publish freely, and should ensure that its director, Komlanvi Ketohou, can work without fear of arrest or harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the night of December 29, armed security forces arrested Ketohou at his home in the…
Journalists in Uganda face accreditation hurdles ahead of election, risk criminal sanction
Nairobi, December 23, 2020 — Ugandan authorities should ensure that members of the press can freely cover the country’s national elections on January 14, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 10, the Media Council of Uganda, a statutory body, said that local and foreign journalists would be barred from covering electoral events…
Brazilian court orders The Intercept Brasil, ND+ to modify coverage of court case
Rio de Janeiro, December 23, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a ruling by a Brazilian court requiring two local outlets to modify their reporting in response to a lawsuit. On December 12, Judge Cleni Serly Rauen Vieira, of the Santa Catarina state Court of Justice’s Third Civil Court, ordered independent news…
Turkish news podcasts on notice as regulator licenses Spotify
Spotify, the New York-headquartered audio streaming service, was one of four companies required to apply for a license to broadcast on the internet in Turkey in October, according to local news reports–a sign of Turkey’s strengthening regulatory power over podcasts, including news and commentary. The requirement was announced as Turkish authorities appeared to be ramping up…
Journalists in India face attacks, legal action, and threats
In September and October 2020, lists circulating online allegedly identifying journalists as “anti-Hindu” or as “Indian agents” named dozens of local members of the press, police opened investigations into at least two reporters and one media executive, and authorities attacked at least one journalist during the course of his reporting, according to news reports and…
Journalists jailed for social media “terrorism” highlight content moderation challenges
A journalist in China uploaded a video to YouTube criticizing the Chinese government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Another, in Vietnam, left a state-owned newspaper but continued posting stories they wouldn’t let her cover on Facebook. In Egypt, a freelance photographer streamed an anti-government protest from his balcony on Facebook Live. In Iran,…
Journalists attacked, deported ahead of January elections in Uganda
Nairobi, December 11, 2020 — Ugandan authorities should ensure that journalists can cover the country’s upcoming elections safely and freely and should thoroughly investigate all attacks on the press by members of the public and by security forces, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since early November, police officers and members of the public…
Cuban journalist Luz Escobar barred from leaving home since December 4
Miami, December 10, 2020 – Cuban authorities must allow journalist Luz Escobar to leave her home, and should stop harassing and intimidating members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, security agents standing at her Havana home barred Escobar, a reporter for the independent Cuban news website 14yMedio, from going outside for the…
Iraqi Kurdish security forces raid NRT headquarters, suspend broadcasts
New York, December 8, 2020 – Kurdish Iraqi authorities must reverse their suspension of local broadcaster NRT and allow the outlet to reopen its office and work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Early yesterday morning, security forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political party raided NRT’s headquarters in the northeastern…