Iranian radio journalist Sajjad Shahrabi arrested, transferred to prison
Washington, D.C., May 8, 2023—Iranian authorities should immediately release radio journalist Sajjad Shahrabi and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 3, security forces arrested Shahrabi, a reporter and radio host for the state-owned outlet Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), after raiding his father’s house in the…
Indian journalist Sakshi Joshi assaulted, detained while covering women-led protest
New York, May 5, 2023—Indian authorities must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the police harassment, assault, and detention of journalist Sakshi Joshi and hold the officers responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3, police in the capital city of Delhi confronted Joshi…
Nicaraguan police detain journalist William Aragón overnight on false news charge
New York, May 5, 2023—Nicaraguan authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist William Aragón, let him work free from harassment, and cease detaining journalists for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At about 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3, police arrested Aragón at his home in the city of Estelí and…
Iranian journalist Hasan Abbasi detained in undisclosed location
Washington, D.C., May 4, 2023—Iranian authorities should immediately release journalist Hasan Abbasi and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On April 30, security forces arrested Abbasi, a freelance investigative reporter who covers news in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, in Hormozgan province, according to news reports. His detention was a…
French reporter Toufik-de-Planoise charged over protest coverage
Berlin, May 3, 2023—French authorities should drop all criminal charges against journalist Toufik-de-Planoise and ensure that members of the press do not face legal retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 26, police summoned de-Planoise, a reporter with the privately owned local outlets Média 25 and Radio Bip, to…
More journalists detained, allegedly beaten in custody ahead of Turkish elections
Istanbul, May 2, 2023—Turkish authorities should immediately release Sedat Yılmaz, Dicle Müftüoğlu, and all other detained journalists and ensure the country’s security forces are not physically violent toward members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, April 29, police detained Yılmaz, an editor for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency, and…
Journalists barred from covering Zimbabwe’s first lady
Lusaka, May 2, 2023—Zimbabwe’s office of the presidency must ensure that all journalists can freely report on First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s public engagements, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On April 24, Mnangagwa’s security aides barred five journalists from covering her visit to the Museum of African Liberation in Harare, according to media reports, a statement by the Zimbabwean chapter of the regional press freedom group Media…
Pakistani journalist Gohar Wazir abducted, allegedly electrocuted
New York, May 2, 2023—Pakistan authorities must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the abduction and alleged electrocution of journalist Gohar Wazir and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At around 4 p.m. on April 19, five unidentified men abducted Wazir, a reporter for the privately owned Pashto-language…
Nigerian justice minister misrepresents CPJ research on attacks on journalists
New York, April 28, 2023—Nigerian authorities should revise recent statements falsely characterizing CPJ’s research on the press freedom situation in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, April 27, the state-run News Agency of Nigeria reported that Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami described CPJ’s research in a meeting…
At least 4 journalists formally arrested, 1 more detained ahead of Turkey elections
Istanbul, April 28, 2023 — Turkish authorities should immediately release all journalists and media workers imprisoned for their work and stop interfering with the press ahead of the country’s May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, April 25, authorities in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır detained at…