2017

  
A Belarusian Interior Ministry official films journalists reporting on a police raid of one of Belsat TV's offices in Minsk, March 31, 2017. (AP/Sergei Grits)

Belarus police raid offices of TV station Belsat, detain cameraman

New York, March 31, 2017–Belarusian authorities should cease harassing Belsat TV and all news media in an effort to censor coverage of opposition protests and should immediately release all journalists detained for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police today raided two of the channel’s offices in the capital Minsk, confiscated the…

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Abdullah Kılıç (Courtesy of Kılıç family)

UPDATE: In Turkey, authorities rule to free journalists, then reverse decision

New York, March 31, 2017– Istanbul’s 25th Court for Serious Crimes ordered the release pending trial of at least 19 journalists jailed in the aftermath of the July 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey, but the decision was reversed after an appeal by the chief prosecutor, and none of the journalists were freed, according to…

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A child poses for a picture with a poster of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, August 6, 2015, as supporters cheered improvements to the Suez Canal.

As Egypt-U.S. relationship moves forward, jailed Egyptian journalists left behind

Among the things Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump are scheduled to discuss during their April 3 meeting in Washington is Egypt’s fight against terrorism. Egypt’s government has broadly interpreted this fight to include jailing dozens of journalists, including photographer Abdelrahman Yaqot, who a few days before el-Sisi arrives in Washington…

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Images of murdered journalists are seen at this protest in front of the government of Veracruz building in Mexico City, February 11, 2016. (Reuters/Edgard Garrido)

Mexican newspaper editor shot and wounded in Veracruz

Mexico City, March 29, 2017–Mexican authorities should credibly and thoroughly investigate today’s shooting of veteran journalist Armando Arrieta Granados, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Arrieta, the editorial director of the daily Veracruz newspaper La Opinión, was shot and gravely wounded as he returned to his residence in the city of Poza Rica.

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Belarusians protest against the government of President Aleksandr Lukashenko in the capital Minsk, March 15, 2017. The sign reads "Lukaeshenko, stop picking the raisins out of the bread." (Reuters/Vasily Fedosenko)

At least eight journalists still jailed for reporting on Belarus protests

New York, March 28, 2017–Belarusian authorities should immediately release all journalists jailed covering protests and should cease obstructing reporters in an effort to keep news of the protests out of media reports, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Iranian editor, social media moderator detained

Security forces arrested Morad Saghafi from his home in Tehran on March 16, 2017, according to the official ILNA news agency, but to date have not made public any charges against him or the reason for his arrest. Saghafi is the editor of Goftegoo Magazine, which focuses on culture and social sciences. In a March…

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Colombian columnist threatened at gunpoint after reporting on corruption

On March 23, 2017, a man arrived at the home of Colombian columnist, anticorruption activist, and law student Daniel Silva Orrego, threatened him with a gun, and told him to stop his investigations into corruption, according to the journalist and news reports.

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President Almazbek Atambayev, pictured at a press conference in 2013. In recent weeks, the Kyrgyz leader verbally assaulted several critical journalists during a speech to foreign ambassadors. (AFP/Vyacheslav Oseldko)

In pivotal election year Kyrgyz media face verbal assaults from president and legal action

In Kyrgyzstan, once Central Asia’s most liberal country, President Almazbek Atambayev is tightening his grip on critical voices, including independent journalists and foreign media.

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Security forces arrest a protester in Moscow, March 26, 2017. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

Journalists detained covering Russia protests

New York, March 27, 2017–Russian security forces should cease harassing and obstructing journalists covering protests and other events, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Russian media reported that at least 11 journalists were detained yesterday while reporting on nationwide protests. All have since been released.

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A military officer watches a television screen showing Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun speaking after he accepted an invitation from parliament to succeed his late father at the Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, December 1, 2016. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

TV news channel suspended in Thailand

Bangkok, March 27, 2017–Thai media regulators should immediately reverse their suspension of the operating license of Voice TV and should allow the media to broadcast and publish freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Media regulators today suspended the channel’s operating license for seven days.

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