Journalists supportive of ousted Bangladesh leader targeted with arrest, criminal cases
At least four Bangladeshi journalists who produced coverage seen as supportive of recently ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party remain detained following the establishment of an interim government in August. “CPJ is alarmed by the apparently baseless criminal cases lodged against Bangladeshi journalists in retaliation for their work, which is seen…
Belarus’ dangerous push for Serbia to extradite journalist Andrey Gnyot
Editor’s note: On October 31, Belgrade Higher Court released Gnyot from house arrest after the expiration of the one-year legal term for detention. Gnyot left for an unspecified European country on the same day, RFE/RL reported. Belarusian filmmaker Andrey Gnyot is stuck in a legal limbo after a Serbian appeals court announced on September 11 that it had sent his extradition case…
Guinea Bissau president swears at journalist as media freedom declines
Amid political tension in Guinea-Bissau following President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s dissolution of parliament in December, it was only natural for radio journalist Ussumane Mané to ask the West African leader a question that was on everyone’s lips: will there be a presidential election this year? Embaló, a former army general who came to power on…
Yet again, Zambian journalist Thomas Allan Zgambo faces prison over reporting
Zambian journalist Thomas Allan Zgambo is facing up to seven years in prison for his reporting on corruption and poor governance in the southern African nation. It is at least the third time that Zgambo has risked imprisonment for his online journalism, a growing threat for journalists in many African countries. On August 6, Zgambo was arrested on…
In Cameroon, long-running defamation case highlights vexatious suits against journalists
Cameroonian journalist Samuel Bondjock has had to appear in court more than 30 times in almost 30 months to face criminal defamation charges that could put him in jail — even though the country’s media regulator dismissed the complaint against him in 2022. His next appearance in the capital Yaounde is scheduled for August 27,…
CPJ calls for support for Hong Kong journalists amid growing pressure, trial delays
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Hong Kong authorities and news organizations to protect the rights of journalists to report freely and defend their profession at a time the media are facing growing pressure in the city. “There is no journalism without press freedom,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Hong Kong…
Bangladeshi journalists killed in quota protests as reporters attacked, internet blocked
Update: Since publication of this report, CPJ has learned that Md. Shakil Hossen was killed while attending a Dhaka student rally in his personal capacity, not reporting on a Gazipur protest as initial reports indicated. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Bangladesh authorities to investigate the killings of journalists Hasan Mehedi, Md. Shakil…
Russia seeks to arrest, prosecute, fine, and restrict 13 exiled journalists
Russian authorities have targeted more than a dozen exiled journalists over the last month as part of their escalating campaign of transnational repression of independent voices. Authorities sought the arrest of one exiled journalist and added two to their wanted list of suspects sought on criminal charges. More than 95,000 people are named on the…
Azerbaijan extends pretrial detentions of journalists facing currency smuggling charges
Azerbaijani authorities have extended the pretrial detentions of 11 journalists in recent weeks as part of an ongoing crackdown on the country’s few remaining independent media outlets. The journalists are among 13 media workers from four independent outlets charged since November with currency smuggling related to alleged receipt of Western donor funding. The charges have…