CPJ calls for release of DRC journalist, US resident Stanis Bujakera
Kinshasa, October 13, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo to allow the provisional release of journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala and drop all legal proceedings against him. “Journalist Stanis Bujakera should never have been arrested or charged, but the least DRC authorities can do is not oppose his request…
Bangladesh national election 2024: Journalist safety guide
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold general elections by January 2024. Amid questions over the potential legitimacy of the elections, clashes are already on the rise both between and within the political parties, and journalists have frequently been caught in the crosshairs. Ahead of the upcoming election, Bangladeshi police have procured large amounts of shotgun bullets,…
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…
Russian blogger Aleksandr Nozdrinov sentenced to 8½ years in prison for ‘fake news’ about army
New York, October 2, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday condemned the 8½-year sentence issued to Russian blogger Aleksandr Nozdrinov and called on Russian authorities to release him immediately and drop all charges against him. On Friday, September 29, a court in the southwestern city of Novokubansk convicted Nozdrinov on charges of spreading false…
Belarus detains journalist Andrei Tolchyn on extremism charges
New York, September 28, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the 72-hour detention of Belarusian journalist Andrei Tolchyn on extremism charges. “Belarusian authorities continue to detain journalists on spurious grounds, with their preferred weapon being extremism charges,” Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator said on Thursday. “Authorities should drop all charges against…
Three Ethiopian journalists beaten and detained while covering protest in Tigray
Nairobi, September 21, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday called on Ethiopian authorities to hold to account security personnel who assaulted at least three journalists and to desist from harassing and detaining members of the press. On September 7, security officers in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray Region, beat and arrested Teshager…
Belarusian authorities label investigative media outlet Belarusian Investigative Center as ‘extremist’
New York, September 20, 2023—Belarusian authorities should stop using the country’s extremism legislation to silence independent reporting and let the media work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. At a closed-door hearing on September 15, the Belarusian Supreme Court labeled the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC), an independent Czech Republic-based investigative media outlet, as…
Four Comoros journalists appeal conviction over publicizing of sexual assault allegations
Dakar, September 20, 2023—Comoros authorities should not oppose the appeal of four journalists convicted for publicizing sexual assault allegations at the country’s public broadcaster, Comoros Radio and Television Office (ORTC), the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On August 31, four Comorian journalists appealed their August 24 convictions for defamation and insult related to the publicizing of sexual misconduct…
Indian journalist Debmalya Bagchi faces criminal investigation after reporting on illicit liquor dens
New Delhi, September 15, 2023—Authorities in the east Indian state of West Bengal should drop their investigation into journalist Debmalya Bagchi and stop harassing him simply for doing his job, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On September 6, police arrested Bagchi, a correspondent for the privately owned newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika (ABP), after…
Pegasus spyware found on exiled Russian journalist’s phone
An investigation revealed that the phone of Galina Timchenko, an exiled Russian journalist who heads independent news website Meduza, was infected by NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance spyware while she was in Germany earlier this year. The infection took place shortly after Russia designated Meduza as an “undesirable” organization – a measure that banned the outlet from operating on Russian territory.