Congo reporter Anicet Moleka faces arrest for criminal defamation, radio station banned
Kinshasa, October 13, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately withdraw a criminal defamation complaint and arrest warrant for reporter Anicet Moleka, lift the illegal ban on his radio station, and desist from harassing the media for critical reporting ahead of December’s elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On October 6,…
CPJ joins call for India to release detained journalists, stop using counterterror law against media
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday joined 11 rights organizations in calling on the Indian government to immediately release all journalists arrested in politically motivated cases and to cease targeting critics under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, pending its amendment in line with international human rights standards. Read the full statement:
Tipping the scales: Journalists’ lawyers face retaliation around the globe
The smears began the day Christian Ulate began representing jailed Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora: tweets accusing the lawyer of being a leftist or questioning his legal credentials. He began to fear he was being surveilled. Ulate had taken over the case in August 2022 from two other lawyers, Romeo Montoya García and Mario Castañeda,…
Bangladeshi student journalist Mosharrof Shah attacked on university campus
New York, October 6, 2023—Bangladesh authorities must immediately and impartially investigate the attack on journalist Mosharrof Shah and hold the perpetrators accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At around 11:30 a.m. on September 24, around 15 to 20 men severely beat Shah, a correspondent for the privately owned daily newspaper Prothom Alo, on…
CPJ condemns charging, detention of DRC journalist Stanis Bujakera
New York, September 22, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the charging and ongoing detention of journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala and calls on Congolese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him. On September 8, police officers arrested Bujakera, a reporter for the privately owned Jeune Afrique news website and Reuters, as well as deputy director…
French intelligence agents search home, detain journalist Ariane Lavrilleux over leaks investigation
Berlin, September 20, 2023—France’s domestic intelligence agency should immediately release freelance journalist Ariane Lavrilleux from custody, drop all criminal investigations against her, and refrain from questioning her about her sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, September 19, police officers with the General Directorate for Internal Security, accompanied by an investigating…
Two Somali journalists arrested for reporting on police, 1 remains in custody
Nairobi, August 23, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on Somali authorities to unconditionally release journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul and stop intimidating media covering the security sector. On August 17, four plain-clothed security personnel arrested Mohamed, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster Kaab TV, at Mogadishu University, where he studies part-time,…
‘This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated’: Police raid on Kansas newspaper alarms media, press freedom groups
A police raid on a small-town Kansas newspaper, the Marion County Record, has sent shockwaves through the local community and raised national alarm among press freedom and civil rights groups about its potential to undermine press freedom in the United States. The search warrant, which was signed on Friday and alleges identity theft and unlawful…
‘An accumulation of lies’: Right-wing group La Resistencia stokes anti-press fervor in Peru
Journalist Gustavo Gorriti remembers the days — just a few years ago — when people on the streets of Lima approached him to congratulate him for exposing corrupt government officials, drug trafficking mafias, and human rights abusers. A few even asked him to pose for selfies. These days, though, motorists shout insults at him from…
CPJ urges Bangladeshi authorities to lift shutdown on 2 social media platforms
New York, July 12, 2023 – Two Bangladeshi social media outlets shuttered by authorities must be allowed to operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday, amid mounting indications of a pre-election campaign to silence critical voices. On Sunday, June 25, the Chittagong district administration in southeast Bangladesh sealed the offices of the privately…