Kyrgyz authorities arrest Uzbek journalist following extradition request
New York, August 11, 2020 – Kyrgyzstan authorities should immediately release Uzbek journalist Bobomurod Abdullaev and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 9, officers with the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security detained Abdullaev, a freelance journalist and Uzbek national, in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, according to…
Hong Kong journalists struggle to carry on as national security law hits Apple Daily
An unnerving wait for the first impact on journalists of Hong Kong’s new National Security Law came to an abrupt end early yesterday when police arrested Next Digital founder and chair Jimmy Lai, along with four company executives and his two sons, while sending more than a hundred police officers on a raid of Apple…
Security forces and demonstrators injure journalists covering protests over Beirut port explosion
New York, August 11, 2020 — Lebanese authorities should immediately investigate recent attacks on journalists by demonstrators and security forces, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 4, an explosion of stored chemicals in Beirut’s port resulted in more than…
Iran shuts down economic newspaper over COVID-19 reporting
Washington, D.C., August 10, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Iranian authorities’ to reverse their decision to shut down the Tehran-based economic daily Jahane Sanat. The Press Supervisory Board of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance revoked the operating license of Jahane Sanat for publishing an interview with a member of Iran’s National Coronavirus…
Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni sentenced to 3 years in prison over protest coverage
New York, August 10, 2020 – In response to an Algerian court’s sentencing of journalist Khaled Drareni to three years in prison today, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Khaled Drareni’s only crime was covering the news. He should not spend one day in jail for doing his job,” said CPJ Middle…
Hong Kong police raid Apple Daily newsroom, arrest founder Jimmy Lai, his sons, and 4 executives
Taipei, August 10, 2020 — Hong Kong police must immediately release all those arrested in connection to today’s raid on Apple Daily publisher Next Digital, and refrain from filing charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This morning, police arrested Jimmy Lai, founder and chair of Next Digital, at his home in…
Kashmir new media policy is “nail in the coffin” for free press
One year after the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s limited governing autonomy, Kashmiri journalists told CPJ Senior Asia Researcher Aliya Iftikhar about new tactics authorities are using to censor the media. Press freedom has deteriorated drastically, with a rise in harassment, ongoing communication restrictions, increased surveillance, and a proposed new media policy that would be a “nail in the coffin” for media in Kashmir….
Azimjon Askarov
On July 25, 2020, journalist Azimjon Askarov died in prison from health complications that his family suspect to be COVID-19. Authorities refused to administer a test to Askarov, who had been sick with a fever for weeks, according to his wife. Askarov, a contributor to independent news websites including Voice of Freedom, was imprisoned in…
Freelancer Vladimir Sevrinovsky on covering COVID-19 in the North Caucasus: ‘The main misinformation I fight is from the state’
Vladimir Sevrinovsky is a Moscow-based freelance journalist and documentary photographer who has covered social and cultural issues in Russia for independent news site Meduza, independent weekly Russkii Reporter, and Kavkaz.Realii, a regional service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, among others. Sevrinovsky’s most recent assignment was to report from Russia’s North Caucasus…
Mohamed Monir’s death of COVID-19 is a warning sign for journalists held in Egypt’s prisons
“I am very sick! I need oxygen therapy. Someone help me! Someone please help me get admitted to the Moneera hospital! I am very sick! Please do something before I completely run out of breath!” The Egyptian journalist Mohamed Monir panted, short of breath, as he made a plea from his home over Facebook Live on July 7….