CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering protests in Bangladesh
On July 29, two students were killed, and 12 others injured when a bus plowed into a passengers waiting at a stop in Dhaka. Since then, daily demonstrations that started in Dhaka have spread throughout Bangladesh. Thousands of students have demonstrated on the streets of Dhaka at major traffic intersections, causing congestion that has nearly…
Bangladesh orders Shahidul Alam held 7 days; more than a dozen journalists attacked
New York, August 6, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Bangladeshi authorities to immediately halt widespread attacks on journalists covering ongoing student protests in Dhaka and to release photographer Shahidul Alam from jail.
Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam detained after post about Dhaka protests
New York, August 5, 2018–A group of men who said they were from the detective branch of Dhaka police today took Shahidul Alam, a photographer, commentator, and the founder of the Bangladeshi multimedia organization Drik and Pathshala Media Institute, from his home, hours after he posted a video to Facebook about protests in the city,…
Maldives acquits two men accused of abducting missing reporter Rilwan
New York, August 3, 2018–A Maldives criminal court yesterday acquitted two men accused of abducting Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, a reporter for the news website Minivan News, who has been missing since August 2014, according to news reports. The court found Alif Rauf and Mohamed Nooradeen not guilty of forcing Rilwan into a car at knife-point,…
Hong Kong Journalists Association finds press freedom further restricted by ‘one country’ principle
In its annual report, released July 29, the Hong Kong Journalists Association found that press freedom has gone backward as the administrative region seeks to implement legislation to criminalize critical opinions toward China’s “one country” policy and Beijing.
Journalists in Bangladesh attacked and beaten covering local election
New York, August 1, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned violence against journalists covering local elections in the Bangladesh city of Sylhet, and called on authorities to identify and hold the attackers to account. At least four journalists were beaten, allegedly by police and supporters of the ruling Awami League party, according to news…
Journalists covering alleged illegal sand mining attacked in India’s Punjab state
New Delhi, August 1, 2018–The Punjab state government must ensure a thorough and credible investigation into an attack on News18 Punjab journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Filipino journalists beaten, arrested while covering labor strike
Bangkok, August 1, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the detention of five Filipino journalists and the attack on at least one reporter by police and private security guards in Bulacan province’s Meycauayan City and called for an independent investigation that brings the perpetrators to justice.
Malaysia withdraws sedition charges against cartoonist Zunar
New York, July 31, 2018–A Kuala Lumpur court yesterday dropped nine sedition charges against Malaysia’s political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, according to news reports. If convicted, Zunar, who was honored with CPJ’s 2015 International Press Freedom Award, could have been jailed for up to 43 years.