Jammu and Kashmir authorities detain journalist and editor Qazi Shibli
New Delhi, August 1, 2020 — Jammu and Kashmir police must immediately release Qazi Shibli, editor of news website The Kashmiriyat, from custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Shibli was detained at the Shergarh police station in Srinagar yesterday after questioning by the police’s cybercrime division, according to news reports and a member…
Chinese journalist Lu Yuyu describes abuse and mistreatment over 4 years in prison
Covering protests in China is a difficult and dangerous task, as Lu Yuyu, the founder of the blog Not News, knows firsthand. Lu ran the outlet with his partner, Li Tingyu, with the goal of evading censorship and publishing information about protests throughout the country. Not News covered demonstrations against land grabs, wage disputes, pollution,…
Bangladeshi journalists face physical attacks, legal cases, and detention amid COVID-19 pandemic
Between March 10, 2020, and May 21, 2020, authorities detained at least six journalists in Bangladesh and opened investigations into at least nine more under the country’s Digital Security Act, according to news reports and CPJ interviews with journalists. At least seven other journalists were assaulted by both the authorities and political figures, according to…
Journalist Matiullah Jan abducted in Pakistan 1 day before Supreme Court hearing
New York, July 21, 2020 – Pakistan authorities should conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the disappearance of journalist Matiullah Jan and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This morning, several unidentified men intercepted Jan’s car in Islamabad’s G-6 Sector, forced him into another vehicle, and drove away, according to…
#HoldTheLine Coalition calls for criminal tax charge to be dropped as Maria Ressa returns to court
The #HoldTheLine Coalition demands the Philippines authorities drop a barrage of bogus tax and foreign ownership cases against internationally celebrated journalist Maria Ressa and Rappler – the news organisation she founded. “The prosecution of baseless financial charges and cases represents an attempt to use tax law and foreign ownership regulations as another weapon to criminalise…
Prospects bleak for recovery of US media presence in China
The slugfest between China and the U.S. over the treatment of media workers in each country appears to have paused. Rather than expel each other’s journalists, as they did a few months ago, each side in early July imposed registration and reporting requirements on those remaining—still many more Chinese in the U.S. than Americans in…
Nepal TV operators refuse to air Indian news channels following critical reports
From July 9 to 13, 2020, at least eight Nepalese cable and satellite operators stopped airing broadcasts from about 20 Indian news channels, following reports perceived to be critical of Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, according to news reports. The vice-chair of Nepalese cable company Max TV, Dhruba Sharma, said that on July…
Pakistani journalists beaten, detained in Balochistan prison without charge for 2 days
On June 19, 2020, agents with the Pakistani Balochistan Levies force, a law enforcement agency under the direction of the Balochistan district administration, detained and beat Saeed Ali Achakzai, a reporter with the privately owned TV channel Samaa TV, and Abdul Mateen Achakzai, a reporter for privately owned broadcaster Khyber TV, according to both journalists,…
Hong Kong denies work permit to New York Times correspondent Chris Buckley
Taipei, July 15, 2020 – In response to the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s denial of New York Times reporter Chris Buckley’s work permit, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Barring a New York Times journalist from working in Hong Kong violates the fundamental promise of press freedom given repeatedly to the Hong…
Indian police arrest journalist Sharjeel Usmani in Uttar Pradesh
New Delhi, July 15, 2020 — Uttar Pradesh authorities must immediately release Sharjeel Usmani and drop any charges filed against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 8, anti-terror police officers in Azamgarh, a city in Uttar Pradesh state, arrested Usmani, a freelance reporter and writer at the news collective Maktoob, while…