Police obstruct journalists covering U.S. protests against police violence
As protests against police violence in the U.S. persisted, CPJ urged law enforcement in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and other cities to respect journalists’ rights and allow them to continue working and reporting the news. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding partner, documented at least 26 assaults, 24 arrests or detentions,…
Some much-needed good news: Journalists released in Turkey and Egypt after years behind bars
Some long-overdue good news. After several painful years behind bars, three journalists imprisoned in Turkey and Egypt are finally free and reunited with their families. On Wednesday, it was announced that Egyptian journalists Solafa Magdy and Hossam el-Sayyad were released, after having been imprisoned since November 2019. Separately, in Turkey, prominent journalist Ahmet Altan was…
Journalists describe ‘trench warfare’ for Polish press
Polish journalists paint a bleak picture, as they share with CPJ the increasing pressure they face from the government, and comparing ongoing protests to buck that pressure to “trench warfare.” Journalists said the government is purposely worsening the business environment in which Poland’s still-vibrant private media operates as a tactic to consolidate power ahead of…
‘I tried to kill myself slowly through hunger strikes’ – Chinese journalist opens up about imprisonment, alleged torture
In a rare interview, Tianwang 64 journalist Wang Jing told CPJ about her alleged torture at the hands of Chinese authorities during her nearly five-year imprisonment for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” She is now seeking asylum in the United States. China is the world’s worst jailer of journalists and authorities continue to harass journalists…
Journalists released in Myanmar, Morocco, and Somalia
This week, CPJ called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow journalists to access detention facilities and Border Patrol activities along the U.S.-Mexico border. D.H.S. and Border Patrol officials have recently barred the press from entering detention facilities, citing privacy and COVID-19 concerns. In Morocco, press freedom advocates and journalists’ families told CPJ…
France knife attack: Exiled Azerbaijani blogger stabbed over a dozen times
Nine years after the brutal murder of journalist Regina Martínez in Veracruz, Mexico, a new investigation from A Safer World For The Truth, in partnership with CPJ, revealed that authorities obstructed justice in her case. CPJ, Reporters Without Borders, and Free Press Unlimited held an online press conference to discuss the investigation, and presented the…
Reporting is not a crime. Period.
Although she never should have been on trial, CPJ welcomed an Iowa court’s acquittal on Wednesday of journalist Andrea Sahouri, who had been charged with two misdemeanors stemming from her coverage of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. About a dozen other journalists face ongoing legal action in the United States in relation to their…
CPJ calls on U.S. and allies to #SanctionMBS in wake of Khashoggi report
Following the release of a damning intelligence report alleging that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CPJ called on the U.S. and allies to sanction the crown prince. CPJ’s Senior Middle East and North Africa Researcher Justin Shilad examined report takeaways, noting that while U.S. President Joe…
How U.S. copyright law is used to censor journalism globally
In a case with disturbing implications for press freedom globally, CPJ’s Senior Africa Researcher Jonathan Rozen’s latest investigation found that web hosting services received emails falsely claiming to be from journalists citing U.S. copyright law, in what appeared to be a move to force news websites to remove a report on Kenya’s gambling industry. The…
Bangladesh court hands down convictions in 2015 murders of blogger and publisher
In Bangladesh, a court sentenced five people to death for their involvement in the 2015 murder of blogger Avijit Roy, and another to life in prison. The court handed down death sentences to members of the same group for the 2015 murder of Roy’s publisher, Faisal Arefin Dipan. CPJ’s senior Asia researcher, Aliya Iftikhar, welcomed…