ANNUAL REPORT 2016 COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 | 1 DEAR CPJ SUPPORTER, As you flip through these pages, you have been forced into exile. In March, countries reminds us that journalists will read stories about journalists we began publishing a “Turkey today are not only in peril when from all over the world who have Crackdown Chronicle” to document they are reporting from a war zone, faced reprisal for their reporting. the attacks against and detentions but also when people forget that One of those stories is that of Can of journalists, as well as other press journalists are observers and instead Dündar, a Turkish editor and CPJ’s freedom violations, in the country. treat them like targets. 2016 International Press Freedom We continue to call on the Turkish It is for these reasons that we at Awardee who was imprisoned and government to halt its crackdown on CPJ do what we do. By defending has since faced legal action, official the press and seek meetings with journalists, we defend freedom harassment, and even violence government officials so we can tell of expression, human rights, and simply for reporting news about them, face to face, that democracy democracy. We believe that people his own country. does not exist without a free press. everywhere, all over the world, In mid-2015, Dündar, chief editor It’s not just governments that pose should have access to the of the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, a threat to journalists. In Bangladesh, information they need so they can published a story that alleged for instance, bloggers are killed make informed decisions and hold Turkey’s intelligence service had sent simply for criticizing religion. They their governments accountable. The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide and weapons to Syrian rebel groups. The are hacked to death during the day, defends the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. CPJ takes But we must be stronger, louder, next month, Turkish President Recep with machetes and knives. They are action wherever journalists are censored, attacked, imprisoned, or killed for their and better at what we do. So we Tayyip Erdogan said, “The individual fearing for their lives and are fleeing work. Our advocacy helps to ensure the free flow of news and commentary. are forming a new Emergencies who has reported this as an exclusive as fast as they can. We know that Response Team, which will help story will pay a high price.” because we have helped them run. us ensure that journalists stay That November, Dündar was arrested Our Journalist Assistance team has safe, whether broadcasting from a with his colleague and accused of provided support to several secular war zone like Syria or uploading a disclosing state secrets, espionage, bloggers who have gone into exile sensitive story in China. You can and aiding a terrorist group. They after receiving threats in reprisal for read more about our new initiative were held for three months−until their work. inside this report. Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled And in Ukraine, journalists and news CPJ has worked to uphold press that their detention violated their outlets have been under threat since freedom for 35 years. We have rights. When their trial began, CPJ the Russian annexation of Crimea relied on the generous support of was there. In May, Dündar was that tore the region apart in 2014. our friends every step of the way. sentenced to prison, but was freed We have conducted two missions to Thank you for standing up for press pending appeal. Kiev and spoken to and supported freedom and the right of journalists Dündar happened to be outside journalists there. But we are not everywhere to report the news. of Turkey during the July 15 coup always successful at protecting our attempt. In August, the journalist said colleagues. On July 20, we learned he would not return to Turkey until that Pavel Sheremet, CPJ’s 1998 the government had lifted the state International Press Freedom Award of emergency. He also resigned from winner, died when a bomb blew Cumhuriyet because, he said, Turkey up the car he was driving in Kiev. was exploiting the failed coup so as Investigators say they are seeking to Joel Simon to eliminate its opponents. determine if journalism is the primary Executive Director motive in his murder. The crackdown on the Turkish media is sweeping. Dozens have been Turkey, Bangladesh, Ukraine—the jailed, and even more, like Dündar, climate for press freedom in these 2016: CONFRONTING THreatS COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 | 3 SYRIA FIVE YEARS AFTER THE FIRST JOURNALIST WAS KILLED COVERING THE SYRIAN CONFLICT, CPJ CONTINUES TO DOCUMENT THE DEVASTATING SWITZERLAND TOLL THE WAR HAS TAKEN ON THE PRESS. (P. 15) AFTER YEARS OF ADVOCACY BY CPJ AND OTHER GROUPS, THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE IN AUGUST CREATED A PRESS FREEDOM COMPLAINT MECHANISM. AZERBAIJAN CPJ WELCOMED THE RELEASE OF UNITED STATES AZERBAIJANI INVESTIGATIVE ADVOCACY BY CPJ AND OTHER GROUPS REPORTER KHADIJA ISMAYILOVA, LED THE PENTAGON TO UPDATE ITS LAW WHO WAS JAILED IN DECEMBER 2014. OF WAR MANUAL. CHINA CPJ PUBLISHED BLOGS TURKEY IRAN ON CENSORSHIP AT WEIBO AFTER A SINCE MARCH, CPJ HAS PUBLISHED A WASHINGTON POST FORMER WEIBO “CRACKDOWN CHRONICLE” DETAILING REPORTER JASON EMPLOYEE GAVE CPJ PRESS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS. THE REZAIAN WAS FREED DOCUMENTS THAT ABUSES CONTINUE. (P. 13) FROM PRISON IN IRAN. SHED LIGHT ON HOW HE WAS THE LONGEST HELD U.S. JOURNALIST THE SITE FILTERS NEWS. CUBA IMPRISONED IN THE CPJ RELEASED A SPECIAL COUNTRY. REPORT ON CUBA, WHERE A NEW BREED OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM HAS TRANSFORMED THE MEDIA GAMBIA LANDSCAPE. (P. 9) IN THIS TINY WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY, JOURNALISTS ARE SILENCED AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES ABOUND. (P. 7) IRAQ CPJ PUBLISHED AN INTERACTIVE MAP PROFILING THE INDIA JOURNALISTS AND COLOMBIA MEDIA WORKERS KILLED CPJ PUBLISHED A REPORT BY ISLAMIC STATE. URGING INDIA TO FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, A PROSECUTE KILLERS OF COLOMBIAN JOURNALIST WAITED UGANDA JOURNALISTS AND FOR JUSTICE. THIS YEAR, TWO INVESTIGATE ANTI-PRESS SUSPECTS WERE CONVICTED IN CPJ TRAVELED TO KAMPALA IN ATTACKS. (P. 11) THE ATTACK ON HER. (P. 19) FEBRUARY, WHERE WE SPOKE TO JOURNALISTS ABOUT THE CLIMATE FOR PRESS FREEDOM. ANNUAL REPORT 2016 TaBLE OF CONTENTS EMERGENCIES 5 AFRICA: GAMBIA 7 AMERICAS: CUBA 9 ASIA: INDIA 11 EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA: TURKEY 13 MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA: SYRIA 15 TECHNOLOGY: SECUREDROP 17 CAMPAIGN AGAINST IMPUNITY: COLOMBIA 19 CPJ HAS ITS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK WITH STAFF IN WASHINGTON THE PRICE OF JOURNALISM 21 AND SAN FRANCISCO. WE ALSO HAVE CONTRIBUTORS IN ABUJA, BANGKOK, BEIRUT, INTERNATIONAL PRESS FREEDOM AWARDS 23 BOGOTÁ, ISTANBUL, LIVERPOOL, MEXICO CITY, NAIROBI, NEW DELHI, AND SÃO PAULO. SUPPORTERS 25 FINANCIAL REPORT 27 CPJ BOARD AND STAFF 28 EMERGENCIES COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 | 5 CONFRONTING EMERGENCIES Ahmed Abd al-Qader is the co-founder and “Ahmed is an inspiring person and a dedicated director of the Syrian journalist collective Eye on journalist,” Schilit said. “It is for journalists like the Homeland, in the Turkish city of Urfa. Eye on him that CPJ’s Journalist Assistance program the Homeland is one of several independent media was created, and it is because of journalists like outlets that established operations in Turkey him that we are so proud to do this work.” once the conflict began in Syria. For 15 years, CPJ has provided financial and In November 2015, CPJ provided Abd al-Qader other support to journalists like Abd al-Qader. with a relocation grant after his brother, Ibrahim, But as the media landscape—and, with it, was killed by members of the extremist group the dangers and risks to journalists—has Islamic State. The following March, we supported changed so dramatically in recent years, we Abd al-Qader again after he was attacked by two have decided we will do more to meet this men outside his home. The journalist escaped challenge. We plan to merge our work in but said he believed the assailants were part of journalist assistance and safety to form an Islamic State and feared they were trying to stab Emergencies Response Team, whose members him to death, just as they had killed his brother. will provide comprehensive, life-saving support to journalists working in hostile Then, in June, Abd al-Qader was shot several environments. We have also hired a Journalist times by gunmen believed to be affiliated with the Safety Specialist, who will expand our ability to Islamic State. The journalist’s jaw was shattered, respond in emergency situations. but he survived. CPJ’s Journalist Assistance program provided part of the costs of his surgery, We know our support matters. In September and JA Coordinator Nicole Schilit worked with 2016, Abd al-Qader sent us a note. “Let me send partner organizations to coordinate payment for this message to all employees in CPJ for all the his medical care and relocation with his family. help [they] have been providing to us. What you are doing is a great work. It makes us feel In July, Abd al-Qader had an interview with that there are good people who feel what we the French embassy in Ankara. They received feel and feel the size of danger that surrounds visas and Schilit helped coordinate support to us. ... We at Eye on the Homeland thank you for A Pakistani cameraman shoots video in front of a pay for their move. The family is now in France. standing with us.” bullet-riddled wall at a Peshawar school attacked by the Taliban. CPJ has created an Emergencies Response Team to aid journalists on the front lines of unrest.