The Torch

Since June 21, Russian authorities have attacked, arrested, or harassed at least five journalists in the lead-up to Wednesday’s plebiscite on amendments to the country’s constitution. If the referendum passes, President Vladimir Putin would be able to stay in power through 2036. Early voting on the measure began on June 25. Separately, in neighboring Belarus,…

Following the U.S. State Department’s decision to classify four more Chinese media organizations as “foreign missions” on Monday, CPJ called on the two countries to resolve their differences in negotiations. The organizations join five other Chinese state-funded news agencies that were reclassified as “foreign missions” by the U.S. government in February, a designation typically used…

On Monday, a Philippine court convicted Maria Ressa, founder and editor of the news website Rappler, and Reynaldo Santos, a former researcher at the outlet, on charges of cyber libel. The conviction is the latest episode in a longstanding campaign by President Rodrigo Duterte’s government to silence Ressa and the critical news outlet. CPJ called…

Since protests against police brutality erupted across the U.S. on May 26–sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black civilian, in Minneapolis police custody–there have been over 400 U.S. incidents of press freedom violations reported to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding partner. In a new Op-Ed, CPJ Advocacy…

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding partner, is investigating reports of at least 280 press freedom violations nationwide. The incidents, tracked since May 26, took place as journalists covered protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.  The reported violations include 45 arrests or…

This morning, Minnesota police officers arrested a CNN crew covering protests in Minneapolis while they were live on air, as seen in a video from the broadcaster. The crew was released about an hour later. CPJ issued a statement condemning the arrests. As protests continue in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, CPJ is concerned about the police department’s use of rubber bullets and…

Burundian authorities blocked social media access during the country’s presidential elections on Wednesday, despite the calls from CPJ and 30 partner organizations to #KeepItOn. Burundi’s media landscape has been deteriorating, with the recent detention of four journalists and bans on the BBC and Voice of America. Jorge Miguel Armenta Ávalos, a Mexican journalist who had…

The Kyrgyz Supreme Court upheld journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov’s life sentence, denying his final appeal. Askarov’s health has been steadily deteriorating since being imprisoned in 2010, his family told CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said when she travelled to meet with them and visit Azimjon in prison. The threat…

In the Philippines, the country’s broadcast regulator ordered the ABS-CBN network to stop broadcasting and “cease and desist” operations after its 25-year franchise agreement with Congress expired. In Colombia, the military carried out extensive monitoring of more than 130 individuals, including local and international journalists, according to a new report by the newsweekly Semana. One…

For journalists behind bars, the coronavirus pandemic has now become a matter of life and death. Imprisoned journalists have no control over their surroundings, cannot choose to isolate, and are often denied necessary medical care. Recognizing the urgency of this situation, more than 175 partner organizations have joined CPJ’s #FreeThePress campaign calling for the immediate…