At least 8 journalists detained amid renewed unrest in Ethiopia
Nairobi, April 14, 2023–Ethiopian authorities should cease arbitrarily detaining journalists during times of political tension and investigate allegations that security officers attacked members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Between April 3 and April 13, security personnel in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, arrested at least six journalists and allegedly assaulted two…
Bangladeshi journalist Ayub Meahzi attacked, thrown off building
New York, April 11, 2023—Bangladeshi authorities must swiftly and impartially investigate the attack of freelance journalist Ayub Meahzi, hold all perpetrators to account, and ensure the journalist’s safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 4, a group of around 10 men associated with a local criminal group beat…
Ethiopian authorities detain journalists Getenet Ashagre and Aragaw Sisay
Nairobi, April 3, 2023—Ethiopian authorities should immediately release journalists Getenet Ahagre and Aragaw Sisay, and stop detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On the morning of March 26, federal police officers in Addis Ababa arrested Aragaw, founder and chief editor of the privately owned YouTube-based news outlet Roha News,…
Burkina Faso indefinitely suspends France 24 over Al-Qaeda interview
New York, March 28, 2023 – Authorities in Burkina Faso on Monday indefinitely suspended French public broadcaster France 24 over an interview with the head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, according to news reports and the suspension announcement, which accused the outlet of acting as a communication agency for terrorism and legitimizing hate speech. …
French journalist Olivier Dubois freed after nearly two years in captivity
French journalist Olivier Dubois was freed nearly two years after he was abducted by a militant group in Mali. “It’s amazing for me to be here, to be free,” Dubois said while thanking Nigerien authorities for their role in his release. He is now reunited with his family in France. Dubois, a freelancer, went missing…
CPJ welcomes release of French journalist Olivier Dubois after nearly 2 years of captivity in Mali
Nairobi, March 20, 2023—In response to news reports that French journalist Olivier Dubois has been freed nearly two years after he was abducted by a militant group in Mali, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are elated that journalist Olivier Dubois is finally free and able to return home to his…
Alan García Aguilar
García, founder and editor of the Facebook-based news outlet Escenario Calentano, was abducted along with two associates, Jesús Pintor Alegre and Fernando Moreno Villegas, in Arcelia town in the southern state of Guerrero in late December 2022, according to news reports. The abduction was characteristic of those carried out by criminal gangs in Mexico. Moreno and…
Journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah found jailed in Pakistan after going missing in Malaysia
On August 23, 2022, freelance Pakistani journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah went missing in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, according to news reports. Shah had lived in Malaysia as a registered refugee since 2011, according to his wife Syeda, who spoke with CPJ. Syeda, who asked to be identified by her first name, said…
‘Like going to the war front’: Nigerian journalists offer tips for covering 2023 elections
In the early hours of February 1, unknown gunmen set fire to an office of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission and a police station in the country’s southeastern Anambra state. Days earlier, gunmen had attacked and killed soldiers and policemen at checkpoints along a road that connects nearby Enugu and Ebonyi states. The incidents underscored…
Mexican journalist Alan García’s whereabouts unknown after December abduction
Mexico City, February 6, 2023 – Mexican authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the abduction of two journalists and a media worker in the southern state of Guerrero, and account for the whereabouts of missing journalist Alan García Aguilar, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. A criminal gang in the Guerrero…