UK / Europe & Central Asia

  
A man stands before a wall of newspapers.

CPJ, 44 groups urge UK judge to quit after upholding Jimmy Lai’s conviction

British judge David Neuberger, who was part of a Hong Kong court panel that denied an appeal from media publisher Jimmy Lai and six pro-democracy campaigners, should “do the right thing and reconsider” his position in the Chinese-ruled city, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 44 groups said in a Monday letter. The letter said…

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, pictured in a prison van in the U.K. on May 1, 2019. The U.S. has disclosed charges under the Espionage Act against Assange. (Photo: AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)

CPJ welcomes reports that Assange will be released in plea deal

New York, June 24, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes reports that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be freed from prison in a plea deal with the United States Justice Department. “Julian Assange faced a prosecution that had grave implications for journalists and press freedom worldwide,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “While we welcome the…

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Lord Justice Brian Leveson unveils his report in London in 2012, following his far-reaching inquiry into the ethics of British newspapers.

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,…

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Supporters of Julian Assange celebrate the verdict, outside of the Royal Court of Justice, on the day of an extradition hearing of the WikiLeaks founder, in London, Britain, May 20.

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 CEO Jodie Ginsberg, in New York. “Assange’s…

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in London on May 1, 2019. Assange was recently indicted in the United States under the Espionage Act, the first such case conducted against a publisher. (Photo: AP/Matt Dunham)

CPJ, partners urge the US DOJ to drop charges against Assange

The Committee to Protect Journalists led a coalition of civil society organizations urging the United States Department of Justice to drop charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently being held in the U.K. pending a hearing on May 20 that could determine whether Assange is extradited to the U.S. In 2019, U.S. prosecutors…

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Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, speaks to the media, following a ruling on whether Julian Assange can appeal against extradition from Britain to the United States, in London, Britain, March 26, 2024.

CPJ welcomes UK High Court’s delay on Assange extradition, calls on US to drop charges

Washington, D.C., March 26, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the British High Court’s Tuesday ruling, which could allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to contest his extradition to the United States. According to the court’s decision, the U.S. government has three weeks to give assurances that Assange will be able to rely on First Amendment…

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A police officer outside the UK prime minister's office, 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, in 2022.

CPJ, media leaders demand UK police act on online abuse of women journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists and more than 100 journalists and media leaders sent an open letter to senior British police officers and lawmakers on Friday, International Women’s Day, calling on them to break the cycle of online violence and abuse against women working in journalism, which risks sidelining them from the profession, and to…

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Why extradition of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange to US would be cataclysmic for press freedom

The Australian founder of the website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been fighting extradition to the U.S. from the U.K. since 2019 on charges that could strike a blow to press freedom globally. Here is CPJ’s briefing on the legal battle to extradite Assange, the charges he would face in the U.S., and why his prosecution…

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A photograph taken on August 10, 2023 shows the logo of the Police Service of Northern Ireland at the entrance of the headquarters in Belfast.

CPJ, others renew support for journalists in UK surveillance investigation

Berlin, February 28, 2024—As a court hearing opened on Wednesday into complaints that two British journalists were targeted by UK authorities with covert surveillance, the Committee to Protect Journalists, together with four other press freedom groups, renewed their support for the investigation. The investigation stems from complaints filed by investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry…

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A placard depicts WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange outside the British high court on February 20, 2024 -- the day Assange's lawyers began his final appeal against his extradition to the United States. (Reuters/Isabel Infantes)

CPJ warns Assange extradition would be blow to press freedom

Washington, D.C., February 20, 2024—As the two-day hearing of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s appeal against extradition from Britain to the United States opened in London on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists warned that extraditing Assange would set a dangerous precedent for media freedom. “Assange’s lengthy legal battle could come to an end if the…

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