Asia

  
Government Technology Agency staff demonstrate Singapore's new contact-tracing smartphone app called TraceTogether, as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus on March 20, 2020. Bill Marczak, an expert in cellphone surveillance technology, told CPJ about the implications for journalists as governments ramp up their capacity to monitor citizens in a time of crisis. (AFP/Catherine Lai)

Expert Bill Marczak: What journalists should know about coronavirus cellphone tracking

Governments all over the world have been considering cellphone surveillance to help track and contain the spread of the coronavirus.

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Police officers are seen in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 26, 2020. The Thai government has imposed a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and has restricted the press. (AP/Sakchai Lalit)

Thailand declares state of emergency, imposes press restrictions

Bangkok, March 26, 2020 — Thailand should uphold press freedom and refrain from harassing and restricting reporters while emergency rule is imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Dhaka Tribune journalist Ariful Islam receives medical help at Kurigram General Hospital on March 15, 2020. He was arrested and beaten by local authorities and police on March 13. (Dhaka Tribune)

Journalist Ariful Islam freed after arrest, beating, and conviction in Bangladesh

In the evening of March 13, 2020, men in paramilitary uniforms accompanied by local administrative officials in Kurigram District, in northern Bangladesh, raided the home of Ariful Islam, the area’s correspondent for the English-language Dhaka Tribune daily, and arrested him after allegedly finding illegal drugs in the house, according to news reports.

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A police officer stands at a barricade in New Delhi, India, on March 23, 2020. Police in New Delhi and Hyderabad recently assaulted journalists for allegedly violating the cities' lockdowns. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)

Journalists assaulted by police amid coronavirus lockdown in India

New Delhi, March 24, 2020 – Authorities in India must stop assaulting journalists and allow them to do their work freely and without restrictions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A journalist is seen filming a conference in Beijing, China, on January 26, 2020. The Chinese government recently ordered the dismissal of local staffers at several U.S. news outlets in Beijing. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Beijing dismisses Chinese news assistants working for U.S. bureaus

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2020 — The Chinese government should immediately reverse the dismissals of Chinese employees working for U.S. news organizations in Beijing, and stop creating obstacles to news gathering by foreign outlets in China, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang speaks during the daily press briefing in Beijing on March 18, 2020. China's Foreign Ministry recently announced it would take action to expel more than a dozen U.S. journalists. (AFP/Greg Baker)

China expels at least 13 US journalists in retaliatory move

Taipei, March 18, 2020 — Chinese authorities should immediately suspend efforts to expel American journalists, cease retaliatory measures against U.S. media operations, and resolve differences with the United States through negotiations rather than attacks on the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is seen in Beijing on December 13, 2019. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that U.S. journalists at three major outlets would have their press credentials cancelled. (Reuters/Jason Lee)

China revokes press credentials of US reporters at three major outlets

Washington, D.C., March 17, 2020 — In response to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs notice that it will revoke the press credentials of U.S. citizens working as journalists for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post whose visas expire by the end of the year, the Committee to Protect…

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Military representatives are seen in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on March 10, 2020. The Myanmar military is suing Ye Ni, Burmese-language editor of the independent news website The Irrawaddy, for criminal defamation. (AP/Aung Shine Oo)

Myanmar military sues Irrawaddy editor Ye Ni over Rakhine conflict report

Bangkok, March 17, 2020 — The Myanmar military should immediately drop its criminal defamation complaint against editor Ye Ni and stop using legal threats to stifle reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The Geo News office is seen in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 11, 2018. Pakistan's media regulator recently restricted the broadcaster's accessibility on cable providers throughout the country. (Reuters/Akhtar Soomro)

Pakistan broadcast regulator cuts distribution of Geo News after CEO’s arrest

Washington, D.C., March 13, 2020 — Pakistan authorities should immediately lift restrictions placed on Geo News and allow it to broadcast freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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People read newspapers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 30, 2019. Journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol recently went missing after he was named in a criminal defamation suit. (Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)

Journalist missing in Bangladesh following defamation suit

Washington, D.C., March 13, 2020 — Bangladesh authorities should spare no effort to locate missing journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol, and should not allow a criminal defamation case to proceed against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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