CPJ condemns ‘harsh’ Jimmy Lai jail sentence in Hong Kong fraud case
Taipei, December 10, 2022 – In response to news reports that a Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced Jimmy Lai, founder of the Next Digital media company and the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, to five years and nine months imprisonment on fraud charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the sentencing and called for Lai’s…
Pakistan authorities detain brother of slain journalist Hayatullah Khan
On November 19, 2022, Pakistan army officials detained Zameer Khan, brother of slain journalist Hayatullah Khan, in the town of Mir Ali, in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a statement by the Pakistan Press Foundation, a local press freedom group, and Ahsan Ahmad Khan, Zameer and Hayatullah Khan’s brother, who spoke with CPJ by…
Indonesia adopts new criminal code that undermines press freedom
New York, December 6, 2022 – In response to news reports that Indonesian lawmakers passed a new criminal code with provisions that restrict press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement Tuesday calling for authorities to rescind the legislation: “President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian legislature must reverse course and revise the country’s new criminal…
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…