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Category: Legal

  • Clever Start Up Company Uses Congress’ Insider Trading To Cash In

    Members of Congress are so good at beating the average stock market returns that clever investors have now started watching their trades to find out which stocks to invest in. This is what happens when insider trading isn’t punished. Independent newspaper publisher Rick Outzen joins Mike Papantonio to talk about what’s happening. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by […]

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  • CPJ calls for immediate release of Chinese journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin

    Taipei, June 14, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Chinese court’s decision on Friday to sentence journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin to five years in prison on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.”

    The Intermediate People’s Court in the southern city of Guangzhou handed down the sentence to Huang, who is well known for her reporting on sexual abuse in China, after nearly 1,000 days in detention, Huang’s friends told CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation. They said that Huang planned to appeal the verdict.

    “The harsh and unjust sentencing of journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin shows how insecure the Chinese government is when it comes to factual reporting,” said Iris Hsu, CPJ’s China representative. “Chinese authorities must drop all charges against Huang and release her immediately.”

    Police detained Huang and her friend labor activist Wang Jianbing on September 19, 2021, while they were on their way to the Guangzhou airport, according to news reports and the duo’s friends told CPJ.

    Wang also received a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence on Friday for inciting subversion, those sources said.

    At the time of their arrest, Huang was on her way to Shenzhen and on to Britain, where she was due to start a master’s degree, those sources said.

    Huang and Wang have been held incommunicado since their arrest.

    According to the indictment, published on X, formerly Twitter, by the pair’s supporters when the trial started on September 22, 2023, the prosecution accused Huang of publishing distorted and inflammatory articles to attack the Chinese government, publicly attacking and smearing Chinese authorities while attending a foreign virtual media conference, participating in courses that contain subversive content, and organizing online courses that incited dissatisfaction in the country. 

    CPJ emailed the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau for comment but did not receive any reply.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

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  • Biden Freezes & Democrats Freakout

    America’s Lawyer E101: Young Americans appear more disillusioned with the political process than ever, and they are sick and tired of the elderly leadership we have in this country – we’ll explain how that’s happening. Congressional stock trading has gotten so bad that investment bankers are now watching Congress to find out which stocks they […]

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  • CPJ calls for end to trial of 11 anti-corruption journalists in Kyrgyzstan

    Stockholm, June 13, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kyrgyz authorities to immediately drop all charges against 11 current and former Temirov Live staff, ahead of an unprecedented trial due to open on Friday, and end the harassment of the independent press.

    “Even as Kyrgyzstan continues its rapid descent into authoritarianism under President Sadyr Japarov, issuing prison sentences for 11 journalists would mark a terrible watershed in a country historically seen as Central Asia’s ‘island of democracy,’” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Kyrgyz authorities’ international reputation will be in tatters if the current and former staff of investigative outlet Temirov Live are convicted on evidently trumped-up charges.”

    At a preliminary hearing on June 7, judges at the Lenin District Court, in the capital, Bishkek, rejected motions to dismiss the case against Temirov Live director Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, the investigative outlet’s current staff Aike Beishekeyeva, Akyl Orozbekov, Sapar Akunbekov, and Azamat Ishenbekov, and its former journalists Aktilek Kaparov, Tynystan Asypbekov, Joodar Buzumov, Saipidin Sultanaliev, Maksat Tajibek uulu, and Jumabek Turdaliev, and set the first session of the case for June 14, according to reports and Temirov Live founder Bolot Temirov, who spoke to CPJ from exile. The court also extended the pre-trial detention of Tajibek kyzy, Kaparov, Beishekeyeva, and Ishenbekov, those sources said.

    The 11 current and former Temirov Live employees were arrested in January on charges of inciting mass unrest, which could see them jailed for up to eight years under Article 278 of Kyrgyzstan’s criminal code. Seven of the journalists were subsequently released into house arrest or under travel bans pending trial.

    A local partner of global investigative network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Temirov Live is known for its anti-corruption investigations into senior government officials and has more than 280,000 subscribers on its YouTube channels. In November 2022, authorities deported Kyrgyzstan-born Temirov to Russia and banned him from entering the country for five years, after convicting the journalist of using forged documents to obtain a passport, in a case widely regarded as retaliation for his reporting.

    Since Japarov came to power in 2020, Kyrgyz authorities have launched an unprecedented crackdown on independent reporting in a country previously seen as a regional haven for the free press.

    In January, security services raided privately owned news website 24.kg and opened a criminal case citing “propaganda of war.” In February, a court shuttered Kloop, another OCCRP investigative partner. In April, Japarov ratified a Russian-style “foreign agents” law that could be used to target media outlets and press freedom groups.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

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  • CPJ welcomes convictions for murder of Dutch journalist Peter de Vries

    Berlin, June 13, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the decision by a Dutch court to convict three men for the assassination of veteran crime reporter Peter R. de Vries in 2021 and calls for full justice to be delivered.

    “We welcome the Dutch court’s conviction of three perpetrators for the murder of crime reporter Peter de Vries in 2021,” Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative in Berlin, said on Thursday. “While the verdict is an important step towards ending impunity in this case, Dutch authorities should keep up their efforts to ensure real justice is achieved by identifying those who ordered the murder and pursuing their prosecution.”

    On June 12, a court in the capital Amsterdam sentenced three men for their involvement in the shooting of de Vries — shooter Delano G. and getaway driver Kamil E. were each given 28 years in prison, while the organizer of the attack, Krystian M., received a sentence of more than 26 years. Full names of suspects were not released to comply with Dutch privacy regulations.

    Three other unidentified men were convicted of complicity in the murder, receiving sentences ranging from 10 to 14 years.

    It was unclear at the time of publication whether the convicted men would appeal the verdict.

    De Vries was gunned down on July 6, 2021, outside a television studio in Amsterdam, where he had just finished appearing on a talk show, and died nine days later in the hospital. Authorities believe he was targeted for his role as an adviser and spokesperson for a witness in the trial of a drug kingpin rather than for his reporting. The witness’s brother and lawyer were both murdered.

    CPJ’s emails requesting comment from the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and the de Vries family did not receive any replies.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

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  • Pakistan province enacts harsh defamation law, Supreme Court presses legal action against 34 media outlets 

    New York, June 11, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm on Tuesday that Pakistan’s east Punjab province hastily enacted a defamation law that is likely to greatly restrict press freedom, and the country’s Supreme Court issued notices to 34 media outlets in connection with their programming.

    On Saturday, June 8, acting Punjab governor and speaker of the provincial assembly Malik Ahmad Khan, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party member, approved a defamation law passed on May 20 despite concerns from journalists, human rights organizations, and opposition lawmakers, according to news reports.

    The law, which is being challenged by journalists and press bodies in the Lahore High Court, replaces Punjab’s Defamation Ordinance, 2002 and loosely defines “defamation” and “broadcasting” to include social media platforms. 

    Separately, on June 5, Pakistan’s Supreme Court issued show-cause notices to 34 news channels, asking them to explain, within two weeks, why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for airing press conferences by two parliamentarians who criticized the judiciary, according to multiple news reports.

    The court issued the order while hearing a contempt case against the two parliamentarians, who questioned senior judges alleging the ISI– Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency– was interfering in judicial matters.

    “Pakistan’s Punjab government must swiftly repeal the recently enacted defamation law and ensure that any such legislation does not impinge on press freedom,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “The media must also be allowed to broadcast key political speeches and developments without interference or fear of reprisal.”

    Under Punjab’s new defamation law, claimants may initiate legal action “without proof of actual damage or loss.” Penalties range from three million rupees (US $10,792) to punitive damages 10 times that amount. Tribunals may also order defendants to tender an unconditional apology or issue a directive to suspend or block the social media account or website where the alleged defamatory content was disseminated. 

    Pakistan has intermittently blocked access to X, formerly Twitter, since February.

    The law also mandates special tribunals, whose members will be appointed by the Punjab government in consultation with the chief justice of the Lahore High Court to adjudicate offenses within 180 days. 

    According to Farieha Aziz, a freelance journalist and co-founder of the digital rights organization Bolo Bhi, the appointment procedure represented a conflict of interest because those who select tribunal members can also be complainants.

    The law further authorizes the tribunal to pass a preliminary decree against a defendant if they do not obtain a leave to defend, or permission to defend themselves against the accusations, at the outset of trial. Moreover, the law bars commenting on pending proceedings, which Aziz called a “gag order.”

    “If a public official has brought a case under the law, it is in public interest to know,” Aziz said.

    Defamation claims filed by a “constitutional office” holder such as the prime minister, Supreme Court and Lahore High Court judges, and army chiefs, will be tried through a separate procedure, raising concerns surrounding violations of constitutional rights.

    Pakistan’s political environment remains volatile after February elections– widely described as flawed– led to the formation of a coalition government of the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party, with the former taking power in Punjab.

    Punjab governor Sardar Saleem Haider, a PPP member who was abroad when the defamation law was enacted, earlier stated on June 5 that the provincial government would address the concerns of journalists and other stakeholders, suggesting the legislation would be sent back to the assembly for further consultation.

    Punjab information minister Azma Zahid Bokhari did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for comment.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Pulitzer-winning Mississippi Today appeals order to turn over confidential source material

    Washington, D.C., June 11, 2024—A county judge’s order to Mississippi Today newspaper to turn over privileged documents in relation to a defamation lawsuit by the state’s former governor, Phil Bryant, against the nonprofit and three of its employees is a threat to press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

    Mississippi Today appealed on June 6 to Mississippi Supreme Court to overturn the May 20 order in a precedent-setting case for the First Amendment protection reporters’ privilege in the southern state.  

    “We are outraged by former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant’s attempt to discredit Mississippi Today’s Pulitzer-prize winning reporting that revealed his corrupt practices,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “It is dangerous and deeply disturbing that Bryant’s team is seeking to compel Mississippi Today to turn over troves of its privileged documents, including reporting materials.” 

    The defamation lawsuit relates to the outlet’s 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Backchannel” investigation into a $77 million welfare scandal that revealed how Bryant used his office to benefit his family and friends. 

    Bryant sued Mississippi Today and its CEO Mary Margaret White in July 2023, arguing that the series defamed him, and added editor-in-chief Adam Ganucheau and reporter Anna Wolfe as defendants in May 2024, according to an editor’s note on the outlet’s website.

    In last month’s ruling, the judge gave Mississippi Today a deadline of June 6 to turn over its internal documents, which could include source material, the news platform Semafor reported.

    In his editor’s note, Ganucheau wrote that Bryant had “attempted to use this lawsuit to as a vehicle to go back in time and obtain unconditional access to all of our internal documents, including notes and interviews with sources regarding ‘The Backchannel’ — despite never raising questions about the original investigation and long missing deadlines to challenge it in court.”

    Defamation, whose purpose is to protect an individual’s reputation from false statements, is being weaponized globally to shield powerful individuals from criticism. Legal attacks on journalists — often dubbed lawfare — are often effective in compromising their safety, silencing public interest reporting, and eroding trust in the press.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

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  • Legal Experts SHOCKED That Judge Cannon Still Has A Job

    Judge Aileen Cannon has officially been on the documents case for a year, and legal experts are saying that they are shocked she still has a job. These experts have been so repulsed by the behavior of Judge Cannon that they now believe she’s no longer fit to serve on the bench at all. And […]

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  • Indian journalists with The Caravan face retaliatory police investigation 

    June 10, 2024, New Delhi—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on Delhi Police to drop its retaliatory investigation into three journalists from The Caravan magazine and instead prosecute those who assaulted them during the 2020 Delhi riots.

    Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh, and an unnamed female colleague, who were attacked almost four years ago, discovered this month that the police had also opened an investigation into them on suspicion of promoting communal enmity and outraging the modesty of a woman, The Caravan reported.

    On August 11, 2020, a mob attacked the journalists in northeast Delhi while they were reporting on the Delhi riots, the capital’s worst communal violence in decades, in which more than 50 people died, mostly Muslims. For about 90 minutes, the attackers slapped and kicked the journalists, used communal slurs, made death threats, and sexually harassed the woman, until they were rescued by the police, The Caravan said. The journalists filed complaints later that day, it said.

    But The Caravan has since found out that the police first lodged a First Information Report (FIR) — a document opening an investigation — against the journalists on August 14 based on a complaint by an unnamed woman. An hour later on August 14, the police then registered the three journalists’ FIR, based on their complaints filed three days earlier.

    “The police has informed us that our FIR is being considered a ‘counter FIR,’” The Caravan said, adding that it had not been given a certified copy of the FIR against its staff because of its “sensitive nature.”

    “The Delhi Police’s actions against The Caravan journalists, based on a secret document that has not even been shared with them, are deeply troubling. This is a clear attempt to retaliate against journalists who were themselves the victims of a violent mob. The opacity surrounding the entire process is unacceptable,” said Kunal Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “The Delhi Police must ensure a genuine, unbiased investigation into the attack on these journalists, instead of targeting them for doing their work by reporting on terrible sectarian bloodshed. Transparency and justice are paramount to uphold press freedom and democratic values in India.”

    The journalists did not find out about the case against them until June 3 when the police sent a notice to Singh’s former residence asking him to help with an investigation into the three journalists, which he did, according to multiple news reports.

    “The allegations in the FIR are absolutely false and fabricated,” The Caravan said, adding that it had not been informed of any police action to follow up on its journalists’ complaint.

    Joy Tirkey, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Northeast Delhi, did not respond to CPJ’s email requesting comment.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • OSHA Investigates Teen Death At Poultry Plant & Lawmakers Receive Death threats Over TikTok Ban

    The Department of Labor and OSHA are conducting an investigation into the death of a 16-year old at a poultry processing plant. Also, as lawmakers in Washington ban TikTok in the United States, angry constituents are lobbing death threats at them. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so […]

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  • CPJ, others call on Slovakia’s Parliament to reject public broadcasting bill

    Berlin, June 10, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists joined seven international press freedom organizations in urging Slovak members of parliament on Monday to reject the proposed public service broadcasting bill scheduled for parliamentary review next week.

    The statement says that despite modifications, the bill still allows the government to politicize the public broadcaster, which would fatally compromise its independence. Therefore, it is contrary to the European Media Freedom Act’s provisions on the independence of public media.

    Referring to the recent shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico in the background of a polarized society, the statement says that the “need for pluralistic and independent public media, that can facilitate debate across the political spectrum in a time of crisis, has never been greater.”

    Read the full statement:

    Slovakia PSM bill june 24.docxDownload


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Company Behind Baltimore Bridge Collapse Has Shady History & New Law Limits Social Media For Kids

    New reports have revealed that the company that operated the vessel that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore have a history of punishing whistleblowers who point out safety violations by the company. Then, the state of Florida has passed a major new law that limits social media use for children, banning popular apps […]

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  • Parents Left Irate As Judge Gives Child Predator Leniency & Biden Task Force Targets Price Gouging

    Parents in Connecticut are absolutely irate after an elementary school teacher was spared a jail sentence, even after the former teacher was accused of sexually assaulting students. Also, President Biden is taking on the issue of corporate price gouging, and consumers desperately need some relief. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by […]

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  • “Toward Nakba as a Legal Concept”: Meet the Palestinian Lawyer Censored by Columbia and Harvard


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  • “Toward Nakba as a Legal Concept”: Meet the Palestinian Lawyer Censored by Columbia and Harvard

    Rabea

    The website of the Columbia Law Review was taken down by its board of directors on Monday after student editors refused a request from the board to halt the publication of an academic article written by Palestinian human rights lawyer Rabea Eghbariah titled “Toward Nakba as a Legal Concept.” The article argues for the Nakba to be developed as a unique legal framework, related to but distinct from other processes defined under modern international law, including apartheid and genocide. This is not the first time that Eghbariah’s legal scholarship has been censored by an Ivy League institution. The Harvard Law Review last year refused to publish a similar, shorter article it had solicited from Eghbariah even after it was initially accepted, fully edited and fact-checked. Eghbariah calls the abrupt rejection of his work “offensive,” “unprofessional” and “discriminatory,” and says “it is really unfortunate to see how this is playing out and the extent to which the board of directors is willing to go to shut down and silence Palestinian scholarship. … What are they afraid of? Of Palestinians narrating their own reality, speaking their own truth?”


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  • Political Polling In 2024 Is Useless

    America’s Lawyer E100: Universities across the country have joined forces with Big Pharma to make sure that you can’t afford your prescription drugs – we’ll explain how that’s happening. A new study has found that the chemicals in vaping liquid are causing an enormous amount of health problems that could result in permanent damage to […]

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  • Haitian judiciary appoints new judge in the murder case of journalist Garry Tesse

    Miami, June 3, 2024– The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Haiti’s Superior Council of the Judiciary, the country’s judiciary oversight body, to provide judge Jean Michelet Séide with the necessary resources and protections to conclude his investigation into the October 2022 murder of radio journalist Garry Tesse. 

    Last month, the council appointed Séide to take over the case from judge Robert Jourdain, who requested to be removed due to threats he received. Séide has requested protection from the council due to the sensitivity of several cases he is handling, including the Tesse murder, according to local news site Van Béf Info. 

    Despite the appointment of a new judge, the case remains in the hands of local prosecutor Ronald Richemond, who is accused by a key witness of involvement in the murder. 

    Under Haitian law the judge has exclusive control over the investigation, including collecting evidence and summoning witnesses to testify. But it’s the prosecutor who handles the trial phase. 

    Several weeks before Tesse was found dead in the southern city of Les Cayes, the journalist had gone on his show on Radio Le Bon FM to accuse Richemond, a political appointee, of plotting to have him killed. 

    “Haiti’s Superior Council of the Judiciary must guarantee that judge Jean Michelet Séide can investigate the circumstances around Tesse’s murder without fear for his own safety,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator Katherine Jacobsen in Washington, D.C. “A transparent and fair investigation into Tesse’s killing would be an important step in ending impunity in this and other cases, and help bolster the rule of law in Haiti at a critical time.” 

    Jacobsen added that CPJ “welcomes the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Garry Conille, and encourages him to review the handling of the case by the Ministry of Justice.”

    Richemond has not responded to CPJ’s repeated requests for comment in relation to the case. The prosecutor issued a video statement on Facebook three days after Tesse’s body was found in which he rejected the accusations of his involvement in the killing.  

    The killing of the 39-year-old journalist sparked outrage and street protests. But the investigation into his death has languished, leading his family and friends to accuse the local government of a cover-up. His brother, Vano Tesse, told CPJ that the family is waiting to meet with the new judge and is hopeful that Richemond will be replaced. “We believe that justice will prevail,” he said. 

    Haiti has slid into virtual lawlessness and gang rule following the assassination of the country’s president Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The case exemplifies a long-running problem in Haiti’s justice system, which has a low conviction rate as investigations are impeded by a toxic mix of corruption, political influence, cumbersome bureaucracy and fear of reprisals against the judiciary. At least six Haitian journalists have been murdered in direct reprisal for their work since Moïse’s assassination. CPJ has also documented half a dozen kidnappings of journalists in recent months.

    Haiti was ranked as the world’s third-worst nation in CPJ’s 2023 Global Impunity Index, which ranks the countries where killers of journalists are most likely to go unpunished.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Minnesota Makes Book Bans ILLEGAL As Republican States Embrace Censorship

    The state of Minnesota has officially made book bans illegal after Democratic Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that prohibits the banning of books from public libraries based on content, opinions, or subject matter. This ban on book bans comes as Republican-controlled states continue to remove books from school and public libraries because they disagree […]

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  • CPJ calls on Lesotho not to treat reporting on banned music groups as criminal offense

    Lusaka, May 31, 2024—Lesotho authorities should withdraw statements equating media interviews with outlawed music groups to criminal offenses and provide guarantees that journalists will not face arrest for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.  

    During a May 21 press briefing, deputy police commissioner and then-acting head of the police force Mahlape Morai said it was a criminal offense for journalists to publish interviews with Famo music groups, according to a recording of the press briefing reviewed by CPJ, news reports and a statement by the Lesotho chapter of regional press freedom group Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).

    The announcement was in response to the Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs, and Police, Lebona Fabian Lephema, declaring 12 Famo music groups “unlawful” and banning them on May 10, according to media reports and a copy of the government notice reviewed by CPJ.  

    Famo music groups are known for their popular accordion-based style of music, but the groups have also been accused of acting like rival gangs and engaging in criminal activities, including murder.

    Morai clarified during the May 21 press briefing that media outlets may interview members of the group, but “sharing that interview with the nation” would be promoting “something illegal” and “committing a crime.”

    Speaking to CPJ via messaging app, Morai denied saying the media should not cover the Famo groups, and said she only spoke out against promoting them. “In my own words, I said whatever you do, make sure you do not encourage or promote the illegal activities that are done by the Famo,” Morai told CPJ.

    “Giving voice to diverse viewpoints is essential to the media’s professional duty, and Lesotho police have no business dictating who journalists may or may not interview,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo, in Nairobi. “Lesotho authorities must retract statements equating interviewing the outlawed Famo music groups to a crime and desist from any attempts to censor the press.”

    CPJ was unable to confirm which section of the law Morai would enforce. Under Lesotho’s 1984 Internal Security Act — which empowers the home affairs minister to outlaw groups accused of subversive activity and outline penalties for supporting such groups — those convicted of soliciting financial or other support for these groups could face between five and 20 years imprisonment and fines up to 100,000 maloti (US$5,340).

    Police Commissioner Borotho Matsoso, who was appointed on May 23, told CPJ on May 28 that he was not in a position to give an interview and requested that he be reached the following week. Lephema did not respond to CPJ’s repeated calls and messages with questions about the case.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

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  • Russian authorities prosecute, fine Meduza journalists

    Berlin, May 30, 2024—Russian authorities must end the prosecution and harassment of journalists connected with the Latvia-based independent news site Meduza and those who share its content, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

    On May 2, the Cheryomushki district court in the Russian capital Moscow initiated administrative proceedings against Galina Timchenko, head of Meduza, on charges of participating in the activities of an “undesirable organization,” according to news reports and Timchenko, who spoke to CPJ from exile.  

    On January 26, 2023, the Russian prosecutor general’s office declared Meduza “undesirable” effectively banning it and stating that its activities “pose a threat to the foundations of the Russian Federation’s constitutional order and national security.”

    On May 17, a magistrate’s court in Moscow initiated identical administrative proceedings against Meduza’s exiled correspondent and investigative journalist Svetlana Reiter, according to media reports.

    On May 21, the Leninsky district court of the Russian-occupied capital Sevastopol in Ukraine’s Crimea fined exiled Meduza journalist Anastasia Zhvik 10,000 rubles (USD$111) under Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code for participating in an “undesirable organization”, according to news reports.

    On May 23, the Yakutsk city court in Russia’s Siberia fined journalist Vitaliy Obedin for his association with an “undesirable organization” after Obedin shared a Meduza article on his personal Telegram channel “BO!-kanal,” according to news reports and Obedin, who spoke to CPJ.

    “The persistent prosecution of exiled independent media and journalists demonstrates how afraid Russian authorities are of critical reporting,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Meduza head Galina Timchenko and Russian journalists who continue covering Russia from exile are providing a vital service for the Russian public, which deserves to have access to truthful information beyond the propaganda that pervades the country’s state-owned media outlets.”

    Founded and operating from Latvia, Meduza was the first independent media outlet to be designated a foreign agent by Russian authorities, and its site was blocked inside the country during the first week of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Timchenko told CPJ. She said the court decision was not unexpected.

    “Cases have already been brought against my journalists,” said Timchenko, who is also CPJ’s 2022 Gwen Ifill International Press Freedom Award recipient.

    In the first four months of 2024, Russian courts received 19 cases involving independent media outlets that the prosecutor general’s office had classified as undesirable, according to independent news outlet Mediazona. At least three of these cases targeted Meduza journalists, including Reiter, Zhvik, and frequent contributor Dmitry Kuznets.

    A hearing is scheduled for Reiter’s case on June 4, according to reports. If convicted, she could face a fine up to 15,000 rubles (US$169) as a first-time offender, according to Article 20.33 of the Russian administrative code. 

    On April 25, the Nikulinsky district court in Moscow fined Kuznets 10,000 rubles (US$113) for participating in the activities of an “undesirable organization” because of his involvement in “What Happened?” podcast. On April 23, a similar charge was brought against Zhvik in the Leninsky district court of Crimea.

    On December 23, 2022, Zhvik was designated as a “foreign agent.” Additionally, in 2022 and 2023, she was fined twice under Article 20.3.3 Part 1 of the Administrative Code for discrediting the Russian army due to her anti-war posts on Instagram. 

    “Waiting is a rather heavy feeling,” said Timchenko. “Their next step will be a criminal case against me and a wanted notice, since I’m not going to leave Meduza.” A court hearing for Timchenko has yet to be scheduled. 

    According to the Russian Criminal Code, law enforcement can initiate criminal proceedings under Article 284.1for individuals who have previously faced administrative penalties within a year for repeated “participation” in the activities of an “undesirable organization.” 

    Obedin told CPJ that he faces eight separate administrative cases in connection with his reposting of Meduza articles on his Telegram channel in 2020 and 2021. The court found him guilty in four cases, imposing a fine of 5,000 rubles (US$56) for each case, and a hearing on the remaining four is scheduled for June 3, he told CPJ. The Russian prosecutor general’s office declared Meduza’s activities “undesirable” in January 2023.

    Obedin said that he intends to contest these rulings through an appeals process after Aleksandr Khinstein, the chairman of the Russian State Duma’s information policy committee, said that those who previously shared materials from Meduza will not be subject to fines following its designation as undesirable. 

    Organizations that receive an “undesirable” classification are banned from operating in Russia, and anyone who participates in them or helps organize their activities faces up to six years of imprisonment and administrative fines. The designation also makes it a crime to distribute the outlet’s content, such as sharing it online, or to donate to it.

    CPJ emailed requests for comment to the Yakutsk city court and Moscow’s Cheryomushki district court but did not receive any replies.

    Editor’s note: The photo credits of this alert have been updated.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Online Predator Group Coerces Kids Into Self Mutilation & Government Tries To Escape PFAS Liability

    An online group of thugs calling themselves 7-6-4 has been blackmailing children and teenagers into committing acts of self harm and then forcing them to post the videos online. Also, the federal government is trying to escape liability for contaminating entire neighborhoods with dangerous chemicals for decades. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated […]

    The post Online Predator Group Coerces Kids Into Self Mutilation & Government Tries To Escape PFAS Liability appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Boeing Gets Busted Violating Sweetheart Deal With Justice Department

    The Department of Justice says that Boeing has violated a non-prosecution deal that they gave them years ago because the company has refused to make changes to help save lives. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

    The post Boeing Gets Busted Violating Sweetheart Deal With Justice Department appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Johnson & Johnson Hit With Fraud Case For Trying To Evade Talc Powder Liability

    Johnson & Johnson has been hit with a new lawsuit accusing them of fraudulently using bankruptcy to avoid paying the victims who got cancer from their deadly products. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

    The post Johnson & Johnson Hit With Fraud Case For Trying To Evade Talc Powder Liability appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Dems Repeat Disastrous Mistake Of 2016

    America’s Lawyer E99: Boeing is in even more trouble after the DOJ said that the company violated a settlement agreement to avoid criminal charges. Cancer-causing micro plastics have now been found in 100% of the reproductive organs of men who were part of a recent study. And Democrats are making the same mistakes they made […]

    The post Dems Repeat Disastrous Mistake Of 2016 appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Tyson Busted Using Asylum Seekers For Cheap Labor & State Reps Fail The Working Class

    Tyson Foods recently announced that they want to hire 40,000 migrants to work at their factories in America, instead of hiring American workers. Plus, a new study has found that only a handful of legislators in all 50 states actually come from working class families. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated by a […]

    The post Tyson Busted Using Asylum Seekers For Cheap Labor & State Reps Fail The Working Class appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Missouri Republicans Block Legislation Banning Child Marriage

    Republicans in the state of Missouri failed to pass legislation that would have banned child marriage after several Republicans in a House Committee held it up over concerns for “parents’ rights.” And since the session ended this past Friday, it will take another year before the state has the chance to ban the marriage between […]

    The post Missouri Republicans Block Legislation Banning Child Marriage appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • CPJ, others urge UK to repeal harsh media law passed after phone hacking scandal

    The Committee to Protect Journalists and nine other organizations representing news media titles, journalists, and campaign groups, urged U.K. authorities on Tuesday to urgently repeal Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which could force publishers to pay the costs of people who sue them — even if the outlet wins.

    Section 40, which has never been brought into force, was drawn up following the Leveson Inquiry into British media ethics in 2012 after journalists were found to have hacked the phones of celebrities and a murdered schoolgirl.

    CPJ and others called on the U.K. to repeal Section 40, as promised in 2023 via provisions in the Media Bill, as it risks forcing news publishers to sign up to state-backed regulation.

    Read the full statement below:

    Joint Statement On S40 RepealDownload


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Giuliani Flips Out After He Gets Indicted During His Birthday Party

    Rudy Giuliani has been “hiding” from process servers in Arizona that have been trying to serve him with his indictment for weeks, but they finally caught up with him at his 80th birthday party. According to reports, Giuliani was served with his indictment in the middle of his party, leaving his attendees shocked and angry. […]

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    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • Bob Menendez Paints Wife As Criminal Mastermind In New Court Filings

    Disgraced Democratic Senator Bob Menendez is planning on throwing his own wife under the bus during his criminal trial, according to recent court filings. Menendez’s lawyers want to paint the wife – Nadine – as a master manipulator who managed to con one of the most powerful men in the Senate. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: […]

    The post Bob Menendez Paints Wife As Criminal Mastermind In New Court Filings appeared first on The Ring of Fire Network.

    This post was originally published on The Ring of Fire.

  • CPJ welcomes UK High Court decision to hear Julian Assange appeal

    Washington, D.C., May 20, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the U.K. High Court’s Monday decision to allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal his extradition case.

    “We are heartened that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be allowed to appeal his extradition to the United States,” said CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg, in New York. “Assange’s prosecution in the United States would have disastrous implications for press freedom. It is time for the United States Department of Justice to drop its harmful charges against Assange.”

    If extradited and convicted in the U.S., Assange’s lawyers have said that he faces up to 175 years in prison under the Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, although U.S. prosecutors have said the sentence would be much shorter.

    Last week, CPJ and partners sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Justice Department to drop charges against the Wikileaks founder.


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.