Russian journalists attacked while covering vote that would keep Putin in power
Since June 21, Russian authorities have attacked, arrested, or harassed at least five journalists in the lead-up to Wednesday’s plebiscite on amendments to the country’s constitution. If the referendum passes, President Vladimir Putin would be able to stay in power through 2036. Early voting on the measure began on June 25. Separately, in neighboring Belarus,…
Abdiqaadir Saleban Aseyr
Abdiqaadir Saleban Aseyr, chief editor of privately owned Horn Cable TV, was arrested on November 18, 2019, in the breakaway region of Somaliland, after police summoned him. Horn Cable TV’s Hargeisa offices were also shut down for three days following his arrest, after authorities accused the station of spreading false news and anti-national propaganda. Though…
Said Khadar
Abdirashid, the chairman and a reporter for the independent newspaper Hubsad, and Said, a reporter for the paper, were arrested on November 30, 2015 on orders of the Somaliland Attorney General, according to reports. Mustafe Mahdi, a lawyer for the two journalists, told CPJ the journalists, who also report for the independent BulshoTV station, were…
Abdirashid Nur Wa’ays
Abdirashid, the chairman and a reporter for the independent newspaper Hubsad, and Said, a reporter for the paper, were arrested on November 30, 2015 on orders of the Somaliland Attorney General, according to reports. Mustafe Mahdi, a lawyer for the two journalists, told CPJ the journalists, who also report for the independent BulshoTV station, were…
Mohamed Adan Dirir
A regional court in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland sentenced journalist Mohamed Adan Dirir, in a one-day trial on October 8, 2017, to 18 months in jail on charges of criminal defamation and publishing false news, and fined him one million Somaliland shillings, the journalist’s lawyer, Mubarik Abdi Ismail, and Abdikarim Saed Salah, owner of…
Ahmed Farah Ilyas
Three unidentified gunmen killed Ahmed, 25, a correspondent for the private, London-based Universal TV, in the town of Las Anod at around 9 p.m., local journalists told CPJ. The assailants fled before police arrived at the scene. Ahmed had worked as a journalist for more than eight years and was the Las Anod representative of the…
CPJ, 192 partner organizations urge UN Secretary General to take action to secure release of jailed journalists amid COVID-19
The #FreeThePress campaign, made up of 193 press freedom and human rights organizations and the more than 11,337 concerned citizens who signed the petition, urges the UN secretary general to take immediate action to secure the release of journalists jailed around the world whose lives are risk due to the spread of COVID-19.
#FreeThePress 2020
#FreeThePress Amid the unprecedented public health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 190 groups joined together to urge world leaders to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists imprisoned for their work. For journalists in jail, freedom has never been more urgent Thousands of people joined the call, with 11,337 signatures on…
CPJ urges Secretary Pompeo to respect press freedom
On Wednesday, CPJ sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on him to support press freedom following a January 24 incident in which Pompeo berated NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelley. Three days after the incident, the State Department barred another NPR reporter from traveling aboard Pompeo’s plane on a State Department…
A concerning plan to establish media courts in Pakistan
Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved an initiative to establish specialized courts aimed at resolving media-related issues, the government announced on Tuesday. CPJ expressed serious concerns about this plan. On Monday, CPJ voiced apprehension over the appeal of Aleksei Pukach, who was convicted of murdering Ukrainian investigative journalist Georgy Gongadze in 2000. The appeal hearings began…