Roberto Toledo is fourth Mexican journalist killed in less than four weeks
Mexico City, February 2, 2022 – Mexican authorities must immediately and transparently investigate the killing of Roberto Toledo and determine whether he was killed in retaliation for his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Toledo, a camera operator and video editor for news website Monitor Michoacán, was shot and killed on January 31,…
Kyrgyzstan authorities investigate Kaktus.media for alleged ‘war propaganda’
Stockholm, February 2, 2022 – Kyrgyzstan authorities should drop their criminal investigation into independent news website Kaktus.media and allow all media outlets to operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, the prosecutor general’s office announced a criminal investigation into Kaktus.media over its publication of an article, originally published by a Tajik…
New Russian immigration laws require regular medical tests, fingerprinting
New York, February 2, 2022 – Russian authorities should ensure that international journalists can work freely and safely and are not singled-out by new medical regulations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On December 29, 2021, new amendments to two laws – “On legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation” and “On…
Yemen Houthi forces raid, shutter radio broadcasters
New York, February 2, 2022 – Yemen’s Houthi rebels must stop harassing and shuttering media outlets, and should allow all broadcasters to operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. On January 25, Houthi forces raided and shuttered at least five radio stations in Sanaa, the capital, according to the Media Freedom Observatory…
Proposed penal code amendment could have ‘catastrophic effect’ on independent journalism in Cuba
Miami, February 1, 2022 – Cuba’s National Assembly should reject a proposed amendment to the penal code that risks criminalizing funding for independent journalists and media organizations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 20, Cuba’s Supreme Tribunal proposed a bill amending the penal code to prohibit Cuban citizens from receiving foreign funding,…
Taliban forces detain 2 journalists in undisclosed location
New York, February 1, 2022 — The Taliban must immediately release journalists Waris Hasrat and Aslam Hijab and stop detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, men who identified themselves as members of the Taliban arrested Hijab, a reporter, and Hasrat, manager of political programs and a political…
CPJ calls on authorities in Botswana to reject bill on warrantless surveillance
New York, January 31, 2022–Botswana authorities should retract or reform a bill that could help police and other investigators intercept journalists’ communications without oversight, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. The Criminal Procedure and Evidence (Controlled Investigation) Bill was published in the government gazette on January 12, according to a press release by local…
Indian government suspends MediaOne TV for unspecified ‘security reasons’
New Delhi, January 31, 2022 – Indian authorities should allow the Malayalam-language news channel MediaOne TV to operate freely, and should not suspend broadcasters over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At about 12:30 p.m. on Monday, MediaOne TV ceased broadcasting after it received a suspension notice via email, according to the…
Proposed internet bill in Myanmar imposes 3-year prison sentences for VPN use
Bangkok, January 31, 2022 – Myanmar authorities should scrap proposed cybersecurity legislation that would severely threaten press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. In a letter dated January 13, Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, controlled by the country’s military since the February 2021 coup, stated that a decision had been made to…
Armed men attack Ghana broadcaster Radio Ada FM over coverage of mining deal
Abuja, January 31, 2022 — Ghanaian authorities should swiftly identify and hold to account the people behind the recent attack on the Radio Ada FM broadcaster, and ensure that journalists can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At about 11:30 a.m. on January 13, ten masked men forced open a studio door…