CPJ, 28 others urge UN to prioritize human rights in Bahrain
On September 23, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 28 human rights organizations during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in urging all member states to address human rights concerns in Bahrain, including the ongoing arbitrary detention of journalists, human rights defenders, scholars, bloggers, and opposition leaders. The letter included the case…
Egypt violates own law by adding 2 years to Alaa Abdelfattah’s prison term
Washington, D.C., September 24, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to release Alaa Abdelfattah, a prominent Egyptian-British blogger and writer, upon completion of his five-year prison sentence this Sunday, September 29. Abdelfattah was arrested on September 28, 2019, and in December 2021, he was sentenced to five years in prison, starting from…
CPJ announces $1M initiative to protect climate journalists
Nearly one-third of the funds have been raised New York, September 23, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today announced the Climate Crisis Journalist Protection Initiative, which will ensure that journalists reporting on climate issues are able to do so freely and safely. The initiative will provide climate journalists with assistance, safety training,…
In post-election Venezuela, journalist jailings reach record high, media goes underground
Shortly after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in July, security agents arrested journalist Ana Carolina Guaita and then contacted her family to make a deal. They offered to release Guaita if her mother, Xiomara Barreto, who worked on the opposition campaign to defeat President Nicolás Maduro, turned herself in. Barreto, who is in hiding, rejected the…
Crimean journalist faces continued harassment in jail, rights group, attorney say
Berlin, September 13, 2024—Ahead of Crimean journalist Remzi Bekirov’s next expected hearing on October 2, CPJ expressed concern at reports that Russian prison authorities are harassing him with strict scrutiny and placements in solitary confinement. Bekirov, who is an ethnic Crimean Tatar from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied region of Crimea, was a correspondent for independent Russian news…
CPJ, others reject 7-year prison sentence for Brazilian journalist over blog
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the 10 other members of Brazil’s Coalition in Defense of Journalism in condemning the August 12 sentencing of journalist Ricardo Antunes to seven years in prison for slander, libel, and defamation after he published five blog posts about a businessman. The posts dealt with an investigation into an alleged…
CPJ, others: China criminalizing journalism in Hong Kong with Stand News verdict
Taipei, September 2, 2024—Hong Kong authorities are criminalizing normal journalistic work with the “openly political” conviction of two editors from the shuttered news portal Stand News for subversion, the Committee to Protect Journalists and four other rights groups said. By weaponizing the legal system against journalists, China has ruthlessly reneged on guarantees given to Hong…
Russian journalist Sergey Mikhaylov sentenced to 8 years in prison
New York, August 30, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing Friday of Russian journalist Sergey Mikhaylov to eight years in prison on “fake news” charges and calls on Russian authorities to release him immediately. “The sentencing of journalist Sergey Mikhaylov to eight years in prison on what Russian authorities label as ‘fake…
CPJ condemns Hong Kong’s conviction of 2 Stand News editors for sedition
Taipei, August 29, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Thursday’s conviction by a Hong Kong court of former Stand News editors Patrick Lam and Chung Pui-kuen on charges of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and calls on authorities to stop using anti-state charges against journalists. “The guilty verdict is another nail in the coffin…
Myanmar’s Dawei Watch reporters sentenced to 20 years and life in prison
Mae Sot, Thailand, August 28, 2024 – Myanmar authorities should immediately release journalists Aung San Oo and Myo Myint Oo, who were sentenced to 20 years and life in prison respectively, and stop using terrorism charges to harass the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. A military court inside Myeik Prison sentenced the…