Zimbabwe journalist Elizabeth Mashiri detained, charged for filming police clash with vendors
Lusaka, Zambia, August 30, 2021—Zimbabwean authorities must drop all charges against journalist Elizabeth Mashiri, stop arbitrarily arresting journalists, and allow them to work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17, police in Gweru, the capital of Midlands Province, arrested Mashiri, an assistant editor and Midlands bureau chief for privately owned…
Sri Lankan journalist Keerthi Ratnayake detained under anti-terror act
Washington, D.C., August 27, 2021–Police in Sri Lanka should immediately release journalist Keerthi Ratnayake and halt further investigations into him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ratnayake, a former army intelligence officer and regular freelance contributor to the London-based, Sri Lanka-focused news website Lanka-e-News, was summoned to the Kollupitiya Police Station in Colombo in western…
Nicaraguan authorities charge journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro with financial crimes
Guatemala City, August 27, 2021 — Nicaraguan authorities should immediately drop criminal charges against journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro and stop using the country’s justice system to harass and silence the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 24, the Nicaraguan attorney general’s office published an official statement announcing criminal charges against Chamorro,…
Taliban fighters beat and whip journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 26, 2021– The Taliban must immediately cease using violence against journalists and allow them to cover the critical news from Afghanistan freely and without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday at approximately 10:30 a.m., Taliban fighters assaulted Ziar Khan Yaad, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster TOLO News,…
Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan hospitalized after her health declines in prison
Taipei, August 26, 2021 – Chinese authorities must release imprisoned journalist Zhang Zhan immediately and ensure that she receives proper medical care, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Zhang, an independent video journalist, was arrested last May and sentenced to four years in prison in December for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after she…
Sri Lanka police repeatedly interrogate journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran
Washington, D.C., August 25, 2021 — Police in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, should stop harassing journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran and let him work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 23, officers from the Batticaloa police superintendent’s Special Crime Branch interrogated Sasikaran, a freelance Tamil journalist who is also the treasurer…
Russian authorities add Dozhd, IStories to ‘foreign agents’ register
Stockholm, August 25, 2021 – Russian authorities should cease labeling news outlets as “foreign agents,” and should let all independent media companies work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 20, the Justice Ministry added Dozhd, the country’s biggest independent TV channel, and IStories fonds, the Latvia-based publisher of independent investigative news…
Mexican journalist Jacinto Romero shot and killed in Veracruz
Mexico City, August 24, 2021 – Mexican authorities must immediately and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Jacinto Romero Flores, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 10:45 a.m. on August 19, unidentified attackers in a vehicle shot and killed Romero, a reporter for radio broadcaster Ori Stereo FM, while he was driving…
Chinese authorities detain, indict 11 people for contributing to The Epoch Times
Taipei, August 24, 2021 – Chinese authorities should immediately release all people detained for their alleged work with the U.S.-based outlet The Epoch Times, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 25, the Beijing Dongcheng People’s Procuratorate indicted 11 people for allegedly sending photos and reporting to The Epoch Times about the government’s…
Taliban raids homes of 2 more journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2021 – The Taliban must immediately cease raiding the homes of journalists and allow the media to operate freely and openly without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17 and 20, Taliban militants raided the homes of at least two members of the…