Turkish court orders service providers to block access to news sites
Istanbul, August 6, 2019–An Ankara court on July 16 ordered Turkish internet service providers to block access in Turkey to 136 web addresses, independent news website Bianet reported today. The blocked addresses include the websites of news outlets Bianet, ETHA news agency, Halkın Sesi TV, Özgür Gelecek, osp.org, geziyisavunuyoruz.org, Gazete Fersude, Yeni Demokratik Gençlik, Umut…
CPJ calls on India to ensure access to internet and communications services in Kashmir
New York, August 5, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed alarm at reports of a communication blackout and the arrest of a journalist in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state amid an escalating political crisis.
Chihuahua daily El Monitor de Parral suspends print edition after firebombing
Mexico City, August 1, 2019 — Mexican authorities must immediately investigate an attack on the newspaper El Monitor de Parral in the northern state of Chihuahua and provide its employees with adequate protection, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
From conflict zones to courtrooms, Myanmar’s journalists are under fire
Hopes for greater press freedom when Myanmar moved to quasi-democratic rule were quickly quashed with the jailing in 2017 of two Reuters reporters. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have their freedom again, but journalists and press freedom activists who met with CPJ’s Senior Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin in Yangon in June said that…
Banned from broadcasting since 2018, BBC closes bureau in Burundi
On July 16, 2019, the British Broadcasting Corporation said it had closed its bureau in Burundi, more than one year after its transmissions had been banned in the country, according to a report by the broadcaster and a BBC statement sent to CPJ.
Kazakhstan government-backed security certificate raises censorship, surveillance concerns
New York, July 22, 2019 — Telecommunications providers in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan, have requested internet users to install a security certificate issued by government authorities onto their personal devices, which could compromise their digital security, according to a report by the BBC and Adil Nurmakov, a political scientist and digital media expert based in Nur-Sultan,…
Pakistani broadcaster Geo News blocked amid prime minister’s visit to Washington
New York, July 21, 2019 — Pakistan’s most popular news channel, the privately owned Geo News broadcaster, has been forced off the air or had its channel number abruptly changed in many parts of the country, according to reports on social media and the broadcaster’s managing director, Azhar Abbas, who spoke to CPJ via messaging…
CPJ joins letter urging MTN Group to end participation in internet shutdowns in Sudan
The Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday joined 22 other organizations in signing a joint letter to executives at South African telecommunications company MTN Group, calling on them to end their roles in Sudan’s internet shutdowns.
In era of reform, Ethiopia still reverts to old tactics to censor press
On June 22, Ethiopia was plunged into an internet blackout following what the government described as a failed attempted coup in the Amhara region. In the aftermath at least two journalists were detained under the country’s repressive anti-terror law, part of an uptick in arrests that CPJ has noted in the country since May.