Turkey’s legal year begins with new terrorism charges, convictions for journalists
In the first week of the legal year when courts open, Turkish courts convicted two journalists on terrorism charges, brought new terrorism charges against two others, and rejected an appeal for the release of 15 journalists and one media worker, who have been in pretrial detention for nearly three months. On Wednesday, September 7, 2022,…
Vietnam sentences blogger Le Anh Hung to 5 years in prison
Bangkok, September 16, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release imprisoned blogger Le Anh Hung and stop harassing journalists on spurious anti-state charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On August 30, the Hanoi People’s Court convicted and sentenced Hung to five years in prison under Article 331 of the penal code, an anti-state…
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…
CPJ condemns 13-year sentence for Belarusian journalist Dzianis Ivashyn
Paris, September 14, 2022 – In response to multiple news reports that a court in Belarus on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Dzianis Ivashyn to 13 years and one month in prison for treason and interfering with law enforcement, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement condemning the court ruling: “CPJ is deeply shocked…
Iranian journalist Mansour Iranpour serving 1-year sentence in Kerman central prison
Washington, D.C., September 14, 2022 — Iranian authorities must release journalist Mansour Iranpour from prison immediately and should cease jailing members of the press for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On January 16, Judge Moslem Salari of Branch 2 of Jiroft city penal court in Iran’s central Kerman province convicted Iranpour on…
Algerian journalist Belkacem Haouam arrested, held in pretrial detention
New York, September 9, 2022—Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Belkacem Haouam and cease detaining journalists for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, September 8, authorities in Algiers, the capital, arrested Haouam, a reporter for the local independent daily newspaper Echorouk, after he responded to a summons for…
Rwandan prosecutors request 22-year prison sentences for 3 Iwacu TV journalists
Nairobi, September 6, 2022—Rwandan authorities should release three Iwacu TV journalists held in detention, ensure they face no further legal harassment, and guarantee that members of the press are not imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Authorities arrested Damascene Mutuyimana, Shadrack Niyonsenga, and Jean Baptiste Nshimiyimana, reporters for the YouTube-based…
CPJ dismayed by 22-year sentence for Russian journalist Ivan Safronov
Paris, September 5, 2022 — In response to a Russian court’s sentencing on Monday of journalist Ivan Safronov to 22 years in prison on trumped-up charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement strongly condemning the decision: “The 22-year prison sentence for Ivan Safronov, guilty of no other crime than doing his job…
Hong Kong judge upholds police request to search Jimmy Lai’s phones
Taipei, September 1, 2022–Hong Kong authorities should drop their efforts to search the cellphones of media owner Jimmy Lai, which would violate basic tenets of press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, August 30, a High Court judge ruled that police could search two phones with journalistic information owned by Lai,…