Maldives acquits two men accused of abducting missing reporter Rilwan
New York, August 3, 2018–A Maldives criminal court yesterday acquitted two men accused of abducting Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, a reporter for the news website Minivan News, who has been missing since August 2014, according to news reports. The court found Alif Rauf and Mohamed Nooradeen not guilty of forcing Rilwan into a car at knife-point,…
Jones Abiri finally in court; Nigeria must release him
New York, August 2, 2018–Nigerian authorities should release without delay Jones Abiri, publisher and editor in chief of the Weekly Source newspaper, and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Nigeria’s state security service, known as the DSS, arrested Abiri on July 21, 2016, and has imprisoned him since.
Journalist detained by Houthis at Yemen checkpoint
Yemeni journalist Eissa Abad was stopped at a checkpoint controlled by the Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, in the town of Rahda, on July 22, 2018, and detained, according to reports. The journalist was stopped while on the way to Aden, where he was due to catch a flight to Lebanon for…
Hong Kong Journalists Association finds press freedom further restricted by ‘one country’ principle
In its annual report, released July 29, the Hong Kong Journalists Association found that press freedom has gone backward as the administrative region seeks to implement legislation to criminalize critical opinions toward China’s “one country” policy and Beijing.
Journalists in Bangladesh attacked and beaten covering local election
New York, August 1, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned violence against journalists covering local elections in the Bangladesh city of Sylhet, and called on authorities to identify and hold the attackers to account. At least four journalists were beaten, allegedly by police and supporters of the ruling Awami League party, according to news…
Journalist abducted in Libya found bound and shot dead
New York, August 1, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of Libyan journalist Musa Abdul Kareem in Sabha, and urged the authorities responsible for the city to immediately investigate the circumstances of his death. Abdul Kareem, a local reporter and photojournalist, was abducted on July 31, and found dead later that day,…
Killing of 3 Russian investigative journalists in Central African Republic must be probed
New York, August 1, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Central African Republic, Russia, and the U.N. to investigate the deaths of three Russian journalists killed while on assignment in CAR.
Congolese police detain journalists, seize equipment at Kinshasa TV studio
Goma, August, 1, 2018–Congolese police raided the privately owned television production studio Kin Lartus, detained at least 10 of the studio’s journalists, and seized equipment, according to Kin Lartus journalists and a local, independent press freedom group. The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged authorities to return confiscated materials and cease its campaign of intimidation…
Journalists covering alleged illegal sand mining attacked in India’s Punjab state
New Delhi, August 1, 2018–The Punjab state government must ensure a thorough and credible investigation into an attack on News18 Punjab journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.