Indian journalist, magazine face criminal complaint for investigative report
New York, August 11, 2016 – Indian authorities should shelve a criminal complaint against the weekly Indian magazine Outlook, its leadership, and freelance journalist Neha Dixit, and ensure the safety of the journalist and Outlook’s staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
New Maldives criminal defamation law threatens press freedom
New York, August 10, 2016–Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom should veto a criminal defamation law the parliament passed yesterday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The legislation threatens to stifle criticism and investigative reporting.
Proposed law on contempt of court threatens press freedom in Singapore
Bangkok, August 5, 2016 – Singaporean lawmakers should scrap proposed legislation on what constitutes contempt of court in news reporting and public commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The draft law’s penalties for violations, including possible prison terms for criticizing the judiciary, threaten to entrench more self-censorship in Singapore’s constrained media environment.
Philippine leader blows hot and cold on press freedom
Newly installed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sent mixed messages on his commitment to upholding press freedom and combating impunity in media murders, a mix of hope and fear that has broadly defined the first months of his leadership. Uncertainty about Duterte’s stance on the media’s watchdog role comes against the backdrop of a “war…
China shuts down internet reporting as Xi’s sensitivity begins to resemble lèse-majesté
On July 1, popular internet portal Tencent, in its original news reporting section, published an article on a speech that President Xi Jinping gave the same day at a conference celebrating the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. One line of the article read, “Xi Jinping outburst an important speech.” To…
China sentences Hong Kong publisher, editor
New York, July 26, 2016-The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the convictions and prison sentences by a mainland Chinese court of Wang Jianmin and Guo Zhongxiao, the publisher and editor, respectively, of two Hong Kong magazines, alongside an editorial assistant and the publisher’s wife.
India refuses to renew visas for three Chinese journalists
New York, July 25, 2016–Authorities in India have refused to renew the visas for three journalists from China’s state-owned Xinhua news agency. The bureau chief Wu Qiang, who is based in Delhi, and his Mumbai-based colleagues Lu Tang and She Yonggang were ordered to leave the country before their visas expire on July 31, according…
Indian authorities shut down media outlets in Jammu and Kashmir
Washington, July 18, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to stop harassing and obstructing the media. Several newspapers in the state have been prevented from publishing for three days, while mobile internet services are shut down, and cable television has been blocked.