CPJ joins letter calling for release of Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 27 other free speech and human rights organizations in an open letter urging Vietnamese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Pham Doan Trang. The letter is timed to coincide with the start of her trial on November 4; Trang has been held in pretrial detention for over…
Myanmar prison release falls short with over 20 journalists still behind bars
Bangkok, October 25, 2021 – Myanmar’s military junta should immediately follow up its recent release of at least 15 jailed journalists by freeing all those still wrongfully held in detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 18, the country’s military government announced the release of over 5,600 prisoners in an amnesty on…
China’s Olympic press freedom pledges: Worthless in 2008, absent in 2022
Prospects for free-wheeling media coverage of the February Beijing Winter Olympics seem increasingly dim, not least because of the attitude of the International Olympic Committee. On October 13, John Coates, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, dismissed out of hand calls from CPJ, human rights groups, and US lawmakers to pressure Beijing over its…
Houthis detain journalist Youness Abdelsalam in Yemen since August
New York, October 13, 2021 – The Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, must release journalist Youness Abdelsalam immediately and stop abducting and threatening members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Houthi forces detained Abdelsalam in the capital Sanaa in central Yemen on August 4 and have been holding him…
Russian journalist Igor Kuznetsov detained, charged with inciting mass disturbances in Telegram chats
Stockholm, October 4, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Igor Kuznetsov and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 16, police in Tomsk, in western Siberia, arrested Kuznetsov, a local freelance correspondent for the independent news outlet RusNews, and searched his home, where they confiscated three…
Cambodia sentences journalist Youn Chhiv to 1 year in prison
Bangkok, October 1, 2021 – Cambodian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Youn Chhiv, and stop imprisoning members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Koh Kong Provincial Court convicted Youn Chhiv, owner of the news website Koh Kong Hot News, of incitement to cause a felony, according to…
São Paulo police arrest Brazilian sports blogger Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado in defamation case
New York, September 29, 2021 — Brazilian authorities should release sports blogger Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado and stop using defamation laws to harass and imprison journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday morning, São Paulo state civil police officers arrested Prado, who covers sports and politics on his blog Blog do Paulinho,…
Iraqi Kurdish court extends journalist Omed Baroshky’s prison sentence by 1 year
New York, September 23, 2021 — In response to an Erbil court’s ruling today to extend the imprisonment of Iraqi Kurdish journalist Omed Baroshky by one year, the Committee to Protect Journalists has called on authorities drop the charges against him and end harassment of reporters. “Today’s sentencing of freelance journalist Omed Baroshky to an…
Angolan editor Carlos Alberto sentenced to fine, 2 years in prison over coverage of land deal
New York, September 17, 2021 – Angolan authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Carlos Alberto against his prison sentence and fine, and should stop pursuing criminal defamation cases against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 13, the Luanda Provincial Court convicted Alberto, editor of the online…
Algerian journalist Mohamed Mouloudj detained on charges of terrorism and spreading false news
New York, September 15, 2021 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release reporter Mohamed Mouloudj and ensure that members of the press can work in the country without fear of imprisonment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 12, police officers in the northern city of Tizi Ouzou arrested Mouloudj, a reporter…