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…
Seven Somali journalists detained, radio station raided after interview with opposition group
Lusaka, January 28, 2022 – Authorities in Somalia’s south-central Hirshabelle state must stop intimidating and censoring the press through arbitrary arrests and station closures because they disagree with reported content, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Friday afternoon, January 21, 2022, heavily armed police in Beledweyne, a city in Somalia’s Hirshabelle state, raided…
Taliban blocks press conference by Afghanistan Journalists Federation
New York, January 27, 2022 — The Taliban must allow journalists and press groups to work freely and without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, about 60 armed members of the Taliban-controlled Kabul police and the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Taliban’s intelligence agency, blocked a planned press conference by the…
Indian journalist Rana Ayyub receives rape, death threats
New Delhi, January 27, 2022 – Indian authorities must immediately conduct a swift and thorough investigation into threats made to Mumbai-based Washington Post columnist and freelance journalist Rana Ayyub, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Ayyub, who has long been a victim of online trolling and threats, told CPJ that she began receiving an…
Brazil mayor endangers journalist Giovani Grizotti by publicizing picture in video
Rio de Janeiro, January 26, 2022 – Local authorities in the southern Brazilian city of Bagé should stop harassing and attempting to censor investigative journalist Giovani Grizotti and allow the press to do their job without retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On January 13, Bagé mayor Divaldo Lara and communications officer Roberta…
Greek journalists summoned over criminal investigation into corruption reporting
Berlin, January 26, 2022 – Greek authorities should drop their investigations into journalists Kostas Vaxevanis and Ioanna Papadakou and ensure that members of the press do not face criminal charges over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Prosecutors with the Special High Court in Athens recently summoned Vaxevanis, publisher and reporter with…