South Sudanese journalist Woja Emmanuel abducted by unidentified men
Nairobi, March 11, 2022 — South Sudanese authorities should conduct a swift and credible investigation into the recent abduction of journalist Woja Emmanuel, and ensure those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At about 9 a.m. on March 2, a man approached Woja, an editor and news anchor with…
“The Russian media is dead”
Russian authorities passed new restrictive legislation and blocked local and international media outlets and social media platforms in order to censor information about the war. The move plunges Russia into “an information dark age,” said CPJ Executive Director Robert Mahoney. A local journalist told Mahoney, “The Russian media is dead.” Watch Brian Stelter’s interview with…
Russian forces in Ukraine detain and harass journalists; authorities clamp down on Russian media
Paris, March 10, 2022 – Russian authorities must halt their campaign to stifle the domestic press, and the country’s armed forces should immediately cease harassing journalists covering the invasion of Ukraine, and ensure that the media can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. This week, Russian forces in Ukraine have…
Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor targeted in criminal investigation of protest
On March 3, 2022, police in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, opened an investigation into Asad Ali Toor for allegedly leading an unauthorized protest earlier that week, according to news reports and Toor, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. On March 4, the Islamabad High Court ordered police not to arrest anyone named in the…
Sri Lankan police harass, question journalists Selvakumar Nilanthan, Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran
On February 9, 2022, officers with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a branch of the Sri Lanka police, questioned Selvakumar Nilanthan, a freelance Tamil journalist and secretary of the Batticaloa District Tamil Journalists Association, for two hours at a police station in the town of Eravur in the eastern Batticaloa district, according to Tamil Guardian,…
CPJ calls on Ukraine to exempt journalists from compulsory military service
New York, March 7, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on Ukrainian authorities to exempt journalists from the general mobilization of all Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60. “Ukrainian authorities must allow the country’s journalists to continue covering the war and defending the truth, and exempt them from compulsory military…
Poland charges Spanish freelance reporter with spying for Russia
UPDATE, October 18, 2024: Polish authorities accused Pablo González, also known as Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov, a Spanish-Russian citizen, of being an agent for Russia’s intelligence services. Since his arrest in February 2022, he had been held in pre-trial detention and was released to Russia in August 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange. Recent reports…
Peruvian journalist Gastón Medina receives death threat note, bullet at his outlet
Bogotá, March 2, 2022 – Peruvian authorities must thoroughly investigate a death threat against TV journalist Gastón Medina, bring those responsible to justice, and guarantee his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 23, Medina, the owner and news director of the independent Cadena Sur television station in the southern city of…
Ukrainian camera operator Yevhenii Sakun killed in Russian shelling of Kyiv TV tower
New York, March 2, 2022 – In response to reports that Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Sakun was killed on Tuesday, March 1, when Russian forces shelled a television tower in Kyiv, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Sakun, who was…
Russia blocks Ekho Moskvy and Dozhd TV, restricts social media access
Washington, D.C., March 1, 2021 — Russian authorities should allow Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow), Dozhd TV, and all other news outlets to work freely, and should refrain from restricting access to social media platforms, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since last week, Russian authorities have slowed and restricted access to Facebook and…