Asia

  
A Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) rally in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 13, 2018. A Pakistani reporter was detained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 28, 2019, after covering PTM demonstrations. (Reuters/Akhtar Soomro)

Pakistani reporter Gohar Wazir detained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after covering Pashtun demonstrations

Washington, D.C., May 28, 2019–Pakistani authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Gohar Wazir, a reporter with private satellite TV station Khyber News, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The Federal Parliament of Nepal is seen in Kathmandu on September 20, 2015. The body is currently considering measures that could restrict freedom of speech in the country. (Reuters/Navesh Chitrakar)

Nepal government proposes bills that endanger press freedom

May 23, 2019, New York — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about measures proposed by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli’s government in the Federal Parliament of Nepal that threaten press freedom, and urged legislators and the government to amend the proposals in accordance with civil society and media recommendations.

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Election officials open a seal on a voting machine at a counting centre in Srinagar in May 2019. CPJ met with journalists across India to discuss the safety challenges of covering India's elections. (AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

Results of India’s election climate for journalist safety are in

Journalists across India are at risk of physical and digital attack in retaliation for their reporting. And during election campaigns, these dangers can increase. As the country went to the polls in recent weeks, CPJ’s India correspondent Kunal Majumder traveled to Guwahati, Imphal, Agartala, Raipur, Bijapur, and Hyderabad to present CPJ’s election safety kit to…

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Taiwan's digital minister, Audrey Tang, in an interview with CPJ, compares disinformation to a virus and proactive counter-messaging to a vaccine. (CPJ/Steven Butler)

Q&A: Taiwan’s digital minister on combatting disinformation without censorship

Audrey Tang prefers precise language. During an interview, Taiwan’s minister without portfolio – Tang’s name card simply says “digital minister” – makes a swift correction when we mention the term “fake news.” The preferred term is “disinformation” because, Tang says, it has a legal definition in Taiwan: “That is to say, intentional, harmful untruth, and…

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Nanda, a broadcast reporter with the local privately owned Channel Mandalay, has been detained since May 15. (CPJ via Channel Mandalay's Facebook page, used with permission)

Myanmar reporter detained without charge since May 15

Bangkok, May 22, 2019 — Myanmar authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Nanda, a broadcast reporter with the local privately owned Channel Mandalay TV news station, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Journalists pictured in the Manila offices of Rappler, in January 2018. The outlet is one of four Philippine media groups smeared in a campaign that alleges they are in the pay of the CIA. (Reuters/Dondi Tawatao)

Rappler-CIA plot claim is attempt to cut funding, Philippine journalists say

First were the politically motivated state charges that funding provided to the news website Rappler by a U.S. philanthropic foundation represented a violation of constitutional provisions barring foreign control or ownership of Philippine media.

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Voters queue to cast their vote outside a polling station during the final phase of general election in Chandigarh, India on May 19, 2019. Journalists report online harassment and disinformation during the campaign. (REUTERS/Ajay Verma)

Journalists fighting fake news during Indian election face threats, abuse

The six-week-long voting period in India’s national and provincial elections concluded this week, with results expected on Thursday, according to news reports. For journalists, the campaign has brought a familiar deluge of online abuse.

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Army officers are seen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 31, 2019. The Sri Lankan army recently reinstated an officer suspected in multiple attacks against journalists. (AP/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan army reinstates official suspected in Lasantha murder, other attacks

New York, May 15, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed alarm that a Sri Lankan military intelligence official–who, according to news reports and court documents, is linked to attacks on at least three journalists–was restored to active duty.

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Polices are seen in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 24, 2017. Journalist Aung Marm Oo went into hiding earlier this month as police seek his arrest. (Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun)

Myanmar journalist Aung Marm Oo in hiding as police seek his arrest

Bangkok, May 13, 2019 — Myanmar authorities should immediately cease harassing and threatening to arrest Aung Marm Oo, editor-in-chief of the privately owned Rakhine state-based news agency Development Media Group, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Demonstrators protest a proposed extradition bill in Hong Kong on April 28, 2019. CPJ has called for the bill to be withdrawn or modified. (Reuters/Tyrone Siu)

CPJ calls for withdrawal or modification of Hong Kong extradition bill

Hong Kong, May 13, 2019 — The Hong Kong government should withdraw a proposed bill amending its extradition law that potentially exposes journalists and others in Hong Kong to criminal trial in mainland Chinese courts, or modify the bill to include additional safeguards to prevent arbitrary rendition, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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