2021
Nicaraguan police raid La Prensa offices, detain publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann
Guatemala City, August 16, 2021 – Nicaraguan authorities must stop harassing the La Prensa newspaper, allow its staff to enter their offices and report freely, and unconditionally release publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 11 a.m. on August 13, riot police officers raided the independent newspaper’s office in…
Belarusian court bans Tut.by and affiliated news website Zerkalo.io as ‘extremist’
Stockholm, August 16, 2021 – Belarus authorities should refrain from contesting the appeal of news website Zerkalo.io against its designation as “extremist,” and cease using the country’s anti-extremism laws to stifle independent reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 18, authorities raided the offices of the independent news website Tut.by, interrogated about…
Russia refuses to renew visa for BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford
Stockholm, August 16, 2021 – Russian authorities should extend the visa of BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford and allow foreign correspondents to work in the country freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In a broadcast on the evening of August 12, Russian state news channel Rossiya 24 reported that the country’s Foreign Ministry would…
Cambodian authorities force reporters to delete photos, video of protest
Bangkok, August 16, 2021 – Cambodian authorities should return all items confiscated from reporters An Vichet and Lors Lib Lib, and ensure they can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 13, police officers obstructed both journalists while they were covering a protest by villagers against the demolition of homes in…
Indian journalist Manish Kumar Singh found dead in Bihar state
New Delhi, August 13, 2021 – Authorities in India’s eastern Bihar state must fully investigate the death of journalist Manish Kumar Singh, determine whether he was killed in relation to his work, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Singh, a reporter with the Hindi-language privately…
Iranian journalists remain vulnerable in exile, says formerly imprisoned columnist Nejat Bahrami
By CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program The revelation of a plot by Iranian intelligence agents to kidnap and extradite Brooklyn-based Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad shocked the world last month. Another Iranian journalist, Nejat Bahrami, experienced the nightmare of life in Iranian custody that Alinejad appears to have escaped. Last year he served five…
CPJ testifies to US Congress on threats to press freedom in Morocco
Today, at a hearing on “Human Rights and Freedom of Expression in Morocco” held by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress, CPJ Middle East and Northern Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour presented testimony on the threats to press freedom and journalists’ safety in Morocco. Mansour’s testimony focused on Morocco’s record of…
When Burundian journalist Jean Bigirimana disappeared, his colleagues tried to solve the case
Five years ago, Abbas Mbazumutima led a team of journalists from the independent Burundian news outlet Iwacu in investigating a story no reporter should ever have to write — about the July 22, 2016 disappearance of their colleague, reporter Jean Bigirimana, who went missing shortly after receiving a call from an intelligence source. The Iwacu…
UK court allows expanded US appeal for Assange extradition
Washington, D.C., August 12, 2021 — In response to Britain’s High Court decision yesterday to allow the United States government to expand its appeal to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The ongoing drive by the United States to extradite Julian Assange and prosecute him under the…
Belarusian journalist Syarhey Hardzievich jailed for insulting president, police
Stockholm, August 12, 2021 – Belarusian authorities should immediately release journalist Syarhey Hardzievich and cease jailing independent reporters in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 2, the Ivanavskiy District Court in the country’s southwestern Brest region convicted Hardzievich, a correspondent with the independent regional news website Pershy Region,…