Iraqi freelance journalist Ali al-Mikdam abducted, found beaten
New York, July 13, 2021 — Iraqi authorities should thoroughly and transparently investigate the abduction of freelance journalist Ali al-Mikdam and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the afternoon of July 9, unidentified people abducted al-Mikdam, a freelance reporter and activist, after he accepted an invitation to meet…
Georgian camera operator Aleksandre Lashkarava dies after beating by anti-LGBT demonstrators
Stockholm, July 12, 2021 – In response to the death of TV Pirveli camera operator Aleksandre “Lekso” Lashkarava yesterday in Georgia, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Georgian authorities must thoroughly investigate whether Lekso Lashkarava died as a result of the assault he suffered while covering a demonstration,” said Robert Mahoney, CPJ’s…
Ethiopian journalist Abebe Bayu abducted and assaulted
Last week, unidentified men in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa abducted Ethio Forumjournalist Abebe Bayu at gunpoint, drove him to the city’s outskirts, and warned him to cease criticizing the government. They then seized both of his cell phones and fled the scene. Three days later, Ethio Forum announced on Facebook that it was…
CPJ calls on U.S. to publish list of all websites recently seized in sanctions crackdown
New York, June 29, 2021 – The United States Justice Department should clarify its rationale for seizing dozens of media websites last week, and should publish a list of all websites targeted for allegedly violating sanctions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 22, the Justice Department issued a statement saying that it…
A devastating loss for press freedom in Hong Kong
In recognition of his sustained commitment to press freedom, CPJ will honor Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned founder of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaperand the paper’s parent company, Next Digital, with the 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. However, in deeply troubling developments, the Chinese government has ramped up its efforts to stomp out critical…
Turkish journalist Mustafa Uslu beaten, equipment broken in Kocaeli
Istanbul, June 23, 2021 – Turkish authorities should ensure that the people who beat journalist Mustafa Uslu are held accountable and prosecuted, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, four people in the northwestern province of Kocaeli attacked Uslu, a reporter for the pro-government İhlas News Agency (İHA), while he was covering authorities’ demolition…
Journalist İbrahim Akkuş beaten with pipe in Turkey
Istanbul, June 22, 2021 – Turkish authorities must investigate the recent attack on journalist İbrahim Akkuş, hold the perpetrators to account, and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, three employees of a construction company in the 19 Mayıs District of the northern province of Samsun attacked Akkuş, a reporter for…
At-risk journalists who must flee home countries often find few quick and safe options
In 2018, journalist Mohammad Shubaat was in Daraa, Syria, caught between advancing forces aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the closed borders of Israel and Jordan. Despite the dire threat to Shubaat and many of his colleagues, it would take over a year of intense negotiations with some 20 countries by the Committee to…
Why authoritarian governments force journalists like Belarus’s Raman Pratasevich into public confessions
Forced confessions—sometimes tied to public humiliation—have a long and inglorious history, and were a fundamental component of ancient judicial systems in the East and West. Obtaining a confession, by any means, for centuries was often a key part of achieving a conviction and meting out punishment. At the Salem witch trials, the accused could escape…
Belarus makes it clear they will cross any red line to censor independent voices
In a shocking move, even for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, authorities in Belarus forcibly diverted a jet to Minsk to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich. The next day, Pratasevich appeared in a government video apparently confessing to “organizing mass riots.” In an op-ed for CNN, CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said stressed how…