Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khilyuk held by Russian forces since early March
Paris, April 6, 2022 — Russian authorities should release Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khilyuk immediately and stop detaining members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Russian soldiers detained Khilyuk in the village of Kozarovychi, north of Kyiv, in early March, according to the Media Initiative Group for Human Rights,…
Ukrainian journalist Konstantin Ryzhenko missing in Kherson
Paris, April 1, 2022 – Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ukrainian journalist Konstantin Ryzhenko must come forward at once, and Russian authorities should stop detaining members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, March 30, Russian soldiers searched in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson…
Mali suspends RFI and France 24, bars local outlets from distributing their content
New York, March 18, 2022 — Malian authorities should reverse the suspension of French broadcasters Radio France Internationale (RFI) and France 24, and swiftly implement accreditation processes that ensure journalists are not barred from working in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, March 16, Mali’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and…
French journalist Olivier Dubois seen in new video 11 months after disappearing in Mali
New York, March 14, 2022 – Those responsible for the kidnapping of French journalist Olivier Dubois in Mali must release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement Monday. In a video recently published online, Dubois says that he was abducted in Mali’s Gao region on April 8, 2021, by the Al-Qaeda…
Russia-Ukraine watch
How the war is affecting press freedom in the region Updated June 16, 2022 Russia’s February 24 full-scale invasion of Ukraine marked a sharp escalation in threats to press freedom in the region and beyond. Journalists in Ukraine have been killed covering the war, while many of their Russian counterparts have fled or faced persecution….
Cameroon Web reporter Paul Chouta assaulted again in Yaounde
New York, March 11, 2022 — Cameroonian authorities should immediately investigate an attack on Paul Chouta, a reporter for the privately owned news website Cameroon Web, and ensure those who assaulted him are held accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday evening, Chouta was watching the UEFA Champions League soccer game between…
‘Completely unclear’: Mushtaq Ahmed’s lawyer seeks answers on how the Bangladeshi writer died in jail
One year after renowned Bangladeshi writer Mushtaq Ahmed died in jail, the circumstances of his death remain murky. While an investigative committee formed by the Home Ministry claimed he died of “natural causes,” his former lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua believes that Ahmed may have died of health issues that arose after alleged torture. In May 2020, the Rapid Action Battalion,…
Northeast Syrian authorities assault Rudaw news crew, suspend network’s licenses
Washington, D.C., February 9, 2022 – Northeast Syrian authorities must reverse their suspension of Rudaw Media Network’s broadcast license and the license of all their employees, stop attacks and harassment of its staff, and allow all journalists to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 2, Asayish security forces…
Opinion: Myanmar’s military junta is killing press freedom
One year since a democracy-suspending coup, press freedom is dying in Myanmar. A military campaign of intimidation, censorship, arrests, and detentions of journalists has more recently graduated to outright killing, an escalation of repression that aims ultimately to stop independent media reporting on the junta’s crimes and abuses. In January, military authorities abducted local news…
Syrian journalist Amer Matar on facing his torturer in court
Syrian journalist Amer Matar was regularly blindfolded, handcuffed, and beaten with cables, whips, and fists during the eight months he was held in a Syrian prison. When a German court sentenced one of his torturers – Syrian army colonel Anwar Raslan – to life in prison earlier this month, Matar finally felt that at least…