Algerian communications minister threatens to withdraw accreditation of France 24 over protest coverage
New York, March 16, 2021 – Algerian authorities should refrain from threatening news outlets over their coverage, and should ensure that French public broadcaster France 24 can operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 13, Communications Minister Ammar Belhimer issued a statement describing France 24’s coverage of protests and marches the…
Journalist arrested from clinic bed, detained over defamation complaint in Republic of Congo
Dakar, March 16, 2021 — Authorities in the Republic of Congo should immediately release journalist Raymond Malonga and ensure that the press in the country can work without fear of harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 2, security officers in plainclothes arrested Malonga, an editor at the privately owned Sel-Piment newspaper,…
Exiled Azerbaijani blogger Mahammad Mirzali stabbed at least 16 times in knife attack in France
New York, March 16, 2021 – French authorities should thoroughly investigate the brutal knife attack on exiled Azerbaijani video blogger Mahammad Mirzali, find the perpetrators, and ensure that they are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 14, Mirzali, who runs the Made in Azerbaijan YouTube video blog, was walking in downtown Nantes, the city in…
Guinea-Bissau editor António Aly Silva abducted and beaten
Lisbon, March 16, 2021 — Authorities in Guinea-Bissau should thoroughly investigate the attack on journalist António Aly Silva and ensure those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 2 p.m. on March 9, in Bissau, the capital, four men in plain clothes abducted Silva at gunpoint, drove him…
Brazilian sports blogger faces 5-month prison sentence over 2016 defamation case
Rio de Janeiro, March 11, 2021 – Brazilian authorities should not arrest sports blogger Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado, and should reform the country’s defamation laws to ensure members of the press do not face imprisonment for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 23, the 26th Criminal Court of São…
Turkish journalist Levent Gültekin beaten by a mob
Istanbul, March 9, 2021 – Turkish authorities must investigate the mob assault on journalist Levent Gültekin and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Gültekin, a columnist for online newspaper Diken and a commentator on Halk TV, both outlets critical of the Turkish government, was attacked by a large group of people…
Russian journalist Aleksey Mironov interrogated, charged over Navalny protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 9, 2021 — Russian authorities should drop all charges against journalist Aleksey Mironov and allow the press to cover protests and other political events without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 5, police in Cheboksary, the capital of the central Russian autonomous republic of Chuvashia, detained Mironov, a…
Chinese police repeatedly harass journalist Lu Yuyu since his release from prison
Taipei, March 9, 2021—Chinese authorities must stop harassing formerly imprisoned journalist Lu Yuyu, founder of Not News, and allow him to live where he wishes and travel freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Chinese national security officers in Guangzhou city broke into Lu’s apartment today and forced him to leave the city, Lu…
Myanmar military raids newsrooms, revokes 5 media outlets’ licenses
Bangkok, March 9, 2021 – Myanmar’s military authorities must immediately cease using media license cancellations as a means of censorship, refrain from raiding newsrooms, and stop arresting journalists for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, state broadcaster MRTV announced that the country’s military government had rescinded the operating licenses of…
Tajikistan RFE/RL correspondents assaulted while covering rising gas prices
New York, March 8, 2021 – Tajikistan authorities should conduct a thorough investigation into the attack on journalists Shahlo Abdulloeva and Mullorajab Yusufzoda, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 4, an unidentified security guard at a gas station in Dushanbe, the capital, assaulted Abdulloeva (known as…