More journalists are behind bars than ever before, and the murder of journalists goes unpunished in more than 80% of cases. In addition to physical attacks, authorities use criminal prosecutions and detention to target press freedom. Journalists face charges such as defamation, incitement, sedition, dissemination of fake news, endangering national security and violation of cybercrime laws.
A growing number of governments treat journalists as ideological enemies of the state.
At CFJ our initiatives not only advocate for journalists who have been prosecuted, convicted and detained, but tackle the root cause of censorship and diminishing press freedom – unjust laws and authoritarian governments that threaten press freedom.
Did you know
The formidable Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa was awarded the Justice for Journalists Award by Meryl Streep at our inaugural Albie Awards in 2022 for her reporting exposing government corruption and human rights violations in the Philippines. Maria is a client of Amal Clooney and in January 2023 was acquitted of multiple tax evasion charges. She described the case as a “pattern of harassment.”
A 2021 contribution from the Google News Initiative (GNI) to TrialWatch will focus on championing press freedom. The contribution will support TrialWatch’s efforts to secure justice for journalists around the world who have been unjustly prosecuted and imprisoned.
Did you know
Recipient of multiple awards including the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Gwen Ifill Award for ‘extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom’, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press‘ Freedom of the Press Award, and the American Society of International Law’s Champion of the International Rule of Law’ award, CFJ Co-Founder Amal Clooney has successfully freed clients even in the most challenging legal landscapes. This includes Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, detained in Myanmar following their coverage of the genocide of Rohingya Muslims, Al Jazeera’s former bureau chief for Egypt, Mohamed Fahmy, and former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed.