Belarus authorities continue to arrest, detain journalists amid protests
Vilnius, Lithuania, September 21, 2020 — Belarusian authorities should release all reporters detained covering recent protests, and allow them to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 16, the Frunze District Court in Minsk, the capital, tried and convicted two journalists who had covered the protests in the country calling…
Iranian journalist Khosrow Sadeghi Borojeni begins 7-year jail term
Washington, D.C., September 14, 2020 — Iranian authorities should release journalist Khosrow Sadeghi Borojeni immediately and cease arbitrarily jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 9, Borojeni, a freelance columnist, was taken to Tehran’s Evin Prison to begin a seven-year jail term, according to reports by the exile-run…
Iranian journalist Nada Sabouri begins 3.5-year jail term in 2014 protest case
Washington, D.C., September 2, 2020 — Iranian authorities should release journalist Nada Sabouri immediately and cease arbitrarily jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 7, Sabouri, a freelance sports reporter, began a 3.5-year jail term at Tehran’s Evin prison, five years after she was originally sentenced, according to…
Turkish journalist Erkan Akkuş arrested after 4 years in hiding
Istanbul, August 25, 2020 – Turkish authorities should release journalist Erkan Akkuş immediately and cease jailing members of the press for their work and political commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 22, police in the western province of Kocaeli detained Akkuş, former news editor and anchor for the now-shuttered Bugün TV…
Iranian journalist Kayvan Samimi begins 3-year jail term over protest coverage
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2020 — Iranian authorities should release journalist Kayvan Samimi from prison immediately and cease arbitrarily jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Samimi, 72, editor-in-chief of the center-left Iran-e-Farda magazine, began a three-year sentence today in Tehran’s Evin Prison, after his prior conviction on charges of “colluding against…
Vietnamese blogger Truong Duy Nhat’s 10-year jail sentence upheld on appeal
Bangkok, August 17, 2020 – A court in Hanoi upheld Vietnamese blogger Truong Duy Nhat’s 10-year prison sentence in a one-day hearing on August 14, according to news reports and CPJ’s communication with the journalist’s family. “Vietnamese authorities should halt all legal action against Truong Duy Nhat and release him from prison immediately,” said Shawn Crispin,…
At least 4 Egyptian journalists remain in detention since arrests in March and April
As of June 29, 2020, at least four Egyptian journalists who covered the COVID-19 pandemic remain in prison following their arrests in March and April, according to news reports and local journalists and lawyers who spoke to CPJ. On March 15, state security officers arrested Atef Hassaballah el-Sayed, editor-in-chief of local newspaper al-Qarar al-Dawly, at…
At least 5 journalists sentenced to jail in Iran since early June
Since the beginning of June, Iranian authorities have sentenced at least five journalists to prison sentences for their work, according to news reports and social media posts by the journalists. On June 1, Branch 46 of Tehran’s Court of Appeals sentenced Majid Motalebzadeh, editor of the state-run Sedaye Eslahat newspaper, and Hadi Kasaeizadeh, the former…
Algerian journalist Ali Djamel Toubal sentenced to 2 years in prison over Facebook posts
New York, June 22, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed dismay at the one-day trial and sentencing of Algerian journalist Ali Djamel Toubal and called for his immediate release. On June 17, a state prosecutor summoned Toubal, a reporter for the independent daily newspaper Ennahar, to the Mohammadia Court in the city…
Benin appeals court shortens journalist Ignace Sossou’s jail term
New York, May 19, 2020 — In response to today’s decision by a Beninese appeals court to shorten journalist Ignace Sossou’s sentence to six months’ imprisonment and a six-month suspended sentence, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: