Kashmir media at a ‘breaking point’ amid rising number of journalist detentions
Sajad Gul’s mother had prepared his favorite dishes as she anxiously awaited his return home. The Kashmiri journalist, who had been granted bail the day before, on January 15, 2022, was to be released following his arrest earlier that month in a criminal conspiracy case, according to a journalist friend who spoke on condition of…
Zimbabwe police detain and charge 2 journalists covering attempted arrest of opposition politician
Lusaka, May 11, 2022 – Zimbabwean authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalists Blessed Mhlanga and Chengeto Chidi, as well as Moses Hakata, and let them work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Saturday, May 7, police arrested both journalists after they photographed officers attempting to detain an opposition lawmaker in…
Azerbaijan journalist Aytan Mammadova threatened at knifepoint
New York, May 11, 2022 – Azerbaijan authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats and a recent attack against journalist Aytan Mammadova and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Around midnight on May 8, an unidentified man grabbed Mammadova in the elevator of her apartment building in the Binagadi district in…
Mexican journalist Luis Enrique Ramírez found killed in Culiacán
Mexico City, May 10, 2022 – Mexican authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the death of journalist Luis Enrique Ramírez, find those responsible, and bring them to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On the morning of May 5, Ramírez’s body was found near a dirt road in the northwestern city of Culiacán,…
Pakistan police assault, detain journalist Jahangir Hayat in Punjab province
New York, May 10, 2022 – Pakistan authorities must conduct a swift and impartial investigation into the police assault of journalist Jahangir Hayat, as well as the detention of Hayat and his family, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On May 1, police officers in the Icchra area…
Ukrainian photojournalist Ihor Hudenko missing in Kharkiv since February
New York, May 10, 2022 – Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Ukrainian photojournalist and blogger Ihor Hudenko should come forward immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Hudenko lost contact with his friends and family while in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on February 26, according to the National Union of Journalists…
Pakistan authorities open criminal inquiry into anchor Sami Abraham
New York, May 9, 2022 – Pakistan authorities must immediately drop their inquiry into journalist Sami Abraham and cease subjecting members of the press to legal harassment in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 6, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency opened an inquiry into Abraham, an anchor with the…
Omani journalist Mukhtar al-Hanai charged over corruption coverage
New York, May 6, 2022 – Oman authorities should drop all charges against journalist Mukhtar al-Hanai and allow the press to work freely and without fear of legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. The public prosecutor’s office in Muscat, the capital, informed al-Hanai, a reporter for the news website Atheer, on March…
How China is stepping up harassment of foreign correspondents
When international journalists rushed to Zhengzhou city in Henan province to cover a deadly flood in July 2021, they were confronted by angry bystanders who accused them of “spreading rumors” and “smearing China.” Many also received harassing messages on social media and intimidating calls, according to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China. This hostility spread after the Henan Communist Youth…
Belarusian journalist Denis Staji found severely beaten in Ukraine
Paris, May 6, 2022 — Ukrainian authorities should thoroughly investigate the recent attack on journalist Denis Staji, find those responsible, and hold them to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Staji’s wife, Viktoryia Lavnikevich, told CPJ via messaging app that she lost contact with him on April 9 while she was in western…