Asia
2015
In Pakistan, second journalist shot dead in a month
New York, November 23, 2015–Local television reporter Hafeez Ur Rehman was killed Sunday morning while riding a motorcycle in Kohat, the provincial capital of a district in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to media reports. Rehman, a television reporter, is the second journalist this month to be shot dead in Pakistan’s tribal regions.
Vietnamese bloggers held for over 18 months in pre-trial detention
Bangkok, November 19, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Vietnam to immediately release Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, who have been held in pre-trial detention since May 5, 2014 on anti-state charges over articles posted on their news site and aggregator Ba Sam and other blogging sites. Vinh’s health has…
Radio reporter murdered in the Philippines
Bangkok, November 4, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing of Jose Bernardo, a radio reporter who was shot and killed on Saturday in the capital of the Philippines, according to news reports. Authorities must impartially investigate the murder and bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice, CPJ said today.
Pakistan must pursue killers of Zaman Mehsud and bring them to justice
New York, November 3, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistan to investigate the killing of local journalist Zaman Mehsud who, according to reports, was shot dead in the Tank district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province today.
In India, politics of beef and rising intolerance threaten press freedom
The violence over the tightening of laws banning the consumption of beef in parts of India and debate over the reach of a right-wing Hindu agenda are having an impact on press freedom. An editor who wrote about the benefits of beef was fired last week, journalists have received death threats from extremist groups, and…
Two British journalists convicted in Indonesia over visa violations
New York, November 3, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the conviction of British filmmakers Neil Bonner and Rebecca Prosser who, according to reports, were sentenced to two and a half month in prison in Indonesia today. The conviction represents a failure of the government to reverse its long-standing anti-media policies.
In Bangladesh, publisher stabbed to death and three injured in attacks
New York, November 2, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns two separate attacks in Dhaka on Saturday that, according to reports, killed and injured, respectively, two publishers who had produced books by the murdered Bangladeshi-American publisher Avijit Roy. Two writers were also injured in one of the attacks.
In China, harsh penalties for ‘false news’ make it harder for reporters to work
China’s journalists and bloggers, already under threat of persecution, face new risks from November 1, when amendments to the country’s criminal law come into effect. Under the amendment, passed in August by legislative body the National People’s Congress, those convicted of spreading false news about disasters or epidemics will face harsh penalties.
Journalist arrested in restive Chhattisgarh state in India
On September 29, 2015, police in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh arrested a journalist on what his colleagues said were fabricated charges in connection with his reporting on human rights abuses by local authorities, according to news reports.