2021

Taipei, August 26, 2021 – Chinese authorities must release imprisoned journalist Zhang Zhan immediately and ensure that she receives proper medical care, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Zhang, an independent video journalist, was arrested last May and sentenced to four years in prison in December for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after she…

Washington, D.C., August 25, 2021 — Police in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, should stop harassing journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran and let him work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 23, officers from the Batticaloa police superintendent’s Special Crime Branch interrogated Sasikaran, a freelance Tamil journalist who is also the treasurer…

Last week’s indictment of businessman Yorgen Fenech marked a critical step in the quest for accountability in the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.   According to news reports, Malta’s attorney general has called for a life sentence plus an additional 20 to 30 years behind bars for Fenech, the alleged mastermind of…

Stockholm, August 25, 2021 – Russian authorities should cease labeling news outlets as “foreign agents,” and should let all independent media companies work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 20, the Justice Ministry added Dozhd, the country’s biggest independent TV channel, and IStories fonds, the Latvia-based publisher of independent investigative news…

Mexico City, August 24, 2021 – Mexican authorities must immediately and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Jacinto Romero Flores, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 10:45 a.m. on August 19, unidentified attackers in a vehicle shot and killed Romero, a reporter for radio broadcaster Ori Stereo FM, while he was driving…

Taipei, August 24, 2021 – Chinese authorities should immediately release all people detained for their alleged work with the U.S.-based outlet The Epoch Times, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 25, the Beijing Dongcheng People’s Procuratorate indicted 11 people for allegedly sending photos and reporting to The Epoch Times about the government’s…

Washington, D.C., August 24, 2021 – The Taliban must immediately cease raiding the homes of journalists and allow the media to operate freely and openly without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17 and 20, Taliban militants raided the homes of at least two members of the…

New York, August 24, 2021–The Committee to Protect Journalists is pleased to announce that Arlene Getz will be CPJ’s new editorial director, where she will lead the organization’s editorial team and oversee news, data, and multimedia production. “Arlene’s extensive experience in reporting and editing international news will help CPJ meet the unprecedented and growing challenges…

New York, August 23, 2021– As the G-7 leading industrial nations prepare to hold an emergency virtual summit to address the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists today joined more than 50 civil society organizations in calling on G-7 leaders to prioritize and take immediate action to guarantee safe harbor to Afghan…

Bangkok, August 23, 2021 – Myanmar authorities should immediately release journalists Htet Htet Khine and Sithu Aung Myint and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 15, military authorities in Yangon arrested Htet Htet Khine, a freelance producer for BBC Media Action, and Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist…