Case
2022
Angolan security forces attack journalists covering evictions in Luanda
On April 13, 2022, military and police officers in the Angolan capital of Luanda prevented reporters Daniel Fernandes and Romão De Jesus from reporting on the demolition of homes to make way for a new airport in the city, according to media reports and both journalists, who spoke to CPJ by phone and message app….
Peruvian President Castillo threatens 2 journalists with criminal defamation suit
On April 12, 2022, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo sent a notarized letter to Rosana Cueva, editor and host of the independent TV news magazine “Panorama,” and to José Ignacio Beteta, editor of the independent news website Vigilante, demanding a retraction of recent reporting, according to reports and Cueva, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app….
Iraqi Asayish forces obstruct 2 media crews covering Erbil protest
On April 26, 2022, forces with the Asayish intelligence agency harassed and obstructed two news crews covering a protest at a U.N. office in the northern Iraqi-Kurdish city of Erbil, according to news reports and journalists who spoke with CPJ. Protesters gathered at the U.N. building to demonstrate against Turkish military operations in the region,…
Namibian journalists investigated for trespassing for drone journalism
On February 12, 2022, at around 5 p.m., Namibian police briefly detained freelance investigative reporters John Grobler and Nrupesh Soni for allegedly trespassing at GoHunt Namibia Safaris’ farm in the Omaheke region, east of Windhoek, the capital, because they used a drone to film elephants on private property, according to the journalists, who spoke to…
Angolan journalists questioned in criminal defamation complaint over gun trafficking report
Two reporters, José Kalembe and Diamantino Sangueve from the Catholic Church-run Radio Ecclésia Huambo, and its director, Father Alberto Java, were questioned by Angolan police on January 6 and 26 as part of a criminal defamation and insult complaint following a report about a local police commandant’s alleged dealings in arms trafficking, according to the…
Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor targeted in criminal investigation of protest
On March 3, 2022, police in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, opened an investigation into Asad Ali Toor for allegedly leading an unauthorized protest earlier that week, according to news reports and Toor, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. On March 4, the Islamabad High Court ordered police not to arrest anyone named in the…
Sri Lankan police harass, question journalists Selvakumar Nilanthan, Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran
On February 9, 2022, officers with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a branch of the Sri Lanka police, questioned Selvakumar Nilanthan, a freelance Tamil journalist and secretary of the Batticaloa District Tamil Journalists Association, for two hours at a police station in the town of Eravur in the eastern Batticaloa district, according to Tamil Guardian,…
Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury faces Digital Security Act proceedings
On May 6, 2021, Shahana Rashid Sanu, a poet and literary writer, filed a complaint against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor of the tabloid Weekly Blitz, at the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal, pointing to eight articles published on its website, which accused Sanu and her sons of engaging in criminal and anti-government activities, according to a…
Authorities investigate 3 Cape Verde journalists after reporting on police killing
Authorities in Cape Verde in January and February 2022 opened investigations into three journalists for “qualified disobedience,” in connection with their reporting on a classified investigation into a police killing, which allegedly involves a minister and, after seven years, produced no suspects, according to the journalists and news reports. On January 26, 2022, Hermínio Silves,…
Bangladeshi journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani harassed following 2020 assault, detention
On September 12, 2020, Mamunur Rashid Nomani, chief news editor of privately owned The Daily Shahnama newspaper and editor of the privately owned news website Barisal Khabar, was severely assaulted and detained by local officials and political operatives in the south-central city of Barisal, according to news reports and Nomani, who spoke to CPJ by…