CPJ welcomes Indian Supreme Court decision protecting online speech
Manila, March 24, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the judgment by the Indian Supreme Court today that struck down as unconstitutional Section 66A of the country’s Information Technology Act. Section 66A criminalized, among other types of speech, the transmission of “grossly offensive” information, as well as information for the purpose of causing “annoyance” or…
Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy
What to make of Singapore’s first and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who died Monday morning in the city-state? Under the banner of the People’s Action Party, Lee held government power for three decades. After stepping away from the prime minister’s office in 1990, he held positions of senior minister and later “minister mentor”…
South African police repeatedly force journalists to delete photos
South Africa is synonymous with crime in the eyes of many–as evidenced by the recent mugging of a TV crew live on camera–but for the press, a more sinister threat to freedom lies in the growing number of cases where it is the police, in flagrant denial of their orders, who intimidate and threaten journalists,…
Turkish parliament passes restrictive Internet bill
New York, March 20, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed at the passage of a bill late Thursday by Turkish Parliament. The bill will allow Turkish cabinet members to ban websites deemed harmful to national security without a court order and will allow the country’s telecommunications authority to impose hefty fines on websites that…
In blocking websites, France abandons role as guardian of free speech
Attempts by the French government this week to use vague legislation to block five websites for “condoning terrorism” would be troubling anywhere, but it is especially tragic coming from the country that gave us the champion of free speech and tolerance, Voltaire.
Investigative journalist Carmen Aristegui fired from Mexican radio station
She exposed government corruption with investigative reporting that made international headlines, helped launch the Mexicoleaks whistleblower website, and was voted second most powerful woman in the country last year by Forbes Mexico, but Carmen Aristegui, one of the country’s most popular radio journalists, has been fired from MVS Radio after demanding that the privately owned…
How CPJ is working to ensure journalists can protect themselves
Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Internet Advocacy team was in Valencia, Spain, for the first Circumvention Tech Festival: a mashup of journalists, activists, technologists, and human rights defenders united by a desire to fight censorship and surveillance. More than 500 registered participants from 40 countries shared their skills, strategies, and experiences in combating…
Je suis Charlie sentiment fades amid calls to tame free speech
Je suis Charlie. Two months after that phrase was used around the world to show solidarity with the victims of the January 7 attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, flowers are still left at the site of the killings on Rue Nicolas Appert in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. The street has reopened to…
Ban of India’s Daughter and other films silences debate on key issues
What do Delhi, Beijing, and Villiers-sur-Marne have in common, but Ouagadougou does not? The first three recently banned access to films their governments deemed inappropriate. But a film festival in the fourth, the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa, is stepping up security to show an acclaimed but controversial movie about Islamic militancy in…
CPJ calls on Sri Lanka to improve press freedom
Dear President Sirisena, As your government’s post-election 100-day agenda nears completion the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international press freedom organization, recognizes your early endeavors in keeping promises to ensure media freedom. CPJ would like to request a meeting with you and your government to discuss the problems that persist for the country’s media.