Asia
2022
Myanmar journalist Myo San Soe sentenced to 15 years in prison for terrorism
Bangkok, December 5, 2022 – Myanmar authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Myo San Soe and stop imprisoning members of the press on bogus terrorism charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On November 30, a court inside Pyapon Prison, in the Ayeyarwady region, sentenced Myo San Soe, a freelance reporter who contributed to the local Delta News Agency and Ayeyarwaddy Times, to 15 years in prison on charges…
Taliban bans radio broadcasts of VOA and RFE/RL in Afghanistan
New York, December 1, 2022 – Taliban authorities must cease their intensifying crackdown on the media in Afghanistan and reinstate the radio transmissions of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcasters Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture issued the ban, which went…
Shanghai police detain foreign journalists covering anti-lockdown protests, beat BBC correspondent Edward Lawrence
Taipei, November 28, 2022 — Chinese authorities must immediately stop harassing and detaining journalists and ensure the safety of reporters covering protests against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, police in Shanghai assaulted Edward Lawrence, a journalist for British public broadcaster BBC, while he was covering a…
Police in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir raid homes of seven journalists
On November 19, 2022, police in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir conducted raids in 12 locations including the homes of at least seven journalists — Mohammad Rafi, Gowhar Geelani, Khalid Gul, Rashid Maqbool, Sajjad Kralyari, Qazi Shibli, and Waseem Khalid — according to Indian newspaper The Telegraph and a police statement reviewed by CPJ. The journalists are all…
Myanmar releases journalists Toru Kubota and Than Htike Aung, but dozens remain behind bars
Bangkok, November 18, 2022–In response to news reports that Myanmar on Thursday released Japanese documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota and editor Than Htike Aung of the local Mizzima news website as part of a wider amnesty of 5,774 prisoners, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the release of all jailed journalists in the country:…
CPJ, partners call on Hong Kong leader to secure Jimmy Lai’s release
CPJ and partner organizations write to Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee to request his leadership to cease targeted persecution against Jimmy Lai, the 74-year-old founder of Next Digital Limited and the Apple Daily newspaper, release him from jail, and immediately drop all charges against him.
Armed men beat 2 Afghan journalists, leaving 1 unconscious
New York, November 11, 2022 – Taliban authorities must investigate the beating and harassment of two Afghan journalists and take immediate action to protect members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the evening of October 31, three men armed with guns stopped reporter Niaz Mohammad Khaksar as he walked home…
Canadian broadcaster CBC closes China bureau after visa delays
Taipei, November 3, 2022 – Chinese authorities should not delay the processing of work visas for international journalists, and must allow all media in the country to operate without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, Canada’s public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), announced in an editor’s note it will shutter its Beijing…
Men hold Pakistani journalist Abdul Mujeeb at gunpoint, threaten to kill him
On the night of October 7, 2022, three armed men attacked Abdul Mujeeb, the chief executive officer and editor of Ibex Media Network (IMN), outside his office in the Zulfiqar Abad Jutial neighborhood in the northern area of the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region. One of the men held him at gunpoint, threatening to kill him, while…
CPJ strongly condemns cyberattack on Konde.co in Indonesia
Bangkok, November 1, 2022—Authorities in Indonesia must launch an independent investigation into a cyberattack on the Konde.co news website and identify the perpetrators, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On October 24, Konde.co was hit by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that temporarily brought down the independent local news website, according to news reports and the…