Iranian journalists face long prison terms, lashes, and harsh restrictions over protest coverage
Washington, D.C., January 11, 2023 – Iranian authorities must drop all charges filed against journalists in retaliation for their coverage of protests in the country and stop handing down harsh prison sentences to members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Iranian authorities have arrested at least 88 journalists since September 2022,…
Benin journalist Virgile Ahouansè held for 2 days, charged with spreading false news
Dakar, January 10, 2023 — Beninese authorities should drop the false news charges against journalist Virgile Ahouansè and ensure that members of the press do not face legal harassment for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 19, an officer with the police criminal brigade called Ahouansè, news director of the…
South Sudan security forces detain 6 state media employees
Nairobi, January 6, 2023—South Sudanese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all journalists detained this week and ensure the press can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, January 3, agents with the National Security Service detained six journalists with the state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, according to multiple media reports…
Algerian authorities arrest journalist Ihsane el-Kadi, shutter outlets Radio M and Maghreb Emergent
New York, December 27, 2022 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ihsane el-Kadi and allow the local independent broadcaster Radio M and news website Maghreb Emergent to work freely, the Committee to Protect journalists said Tuesday. On December 24, plainclothes police officers arrested el-Kadi, editor-in-chief of both outlets, from his home in…
Kazakh financial police arrest investigative journalist Mikhail Kozachkov
New York, December 19, 2022—Kazakh authorities should release investigative journalist Mikhail Kozachkov immediately and ensure that members of the press are not prosecuted in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, December 18, officers from Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) in the southern city of Almaty arrested Kozachkov, who…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül arrested under new ‘disinformation’ law
Istanbul, December 15, 2022 – Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sinan Aygül and reform the country’s new anti-disinformation law to ensure that it is not used to harass and imprison members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, December 14, authorities in the eastern province of Bitlis arrested Aygül,…
Myanmar journalist Myo San Soe sentenced to 15 years in prison for terrorism
Bangkok, December 5, 2022 – Myanmar authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Myo San Soe and stop imprisoning members of the press on bogus terrorism charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On November 30, a court inside Pyapon Prison, in the Ayeyarwady region, sentenced Myo San Soe, a freelance reporter who contributed to the local Delta News Agency and Ayeyarwaddy Times, to 15 years in prison on charges…
Shanghai police detain foreign journalists covering anti-lockdown protests, beat BBC correspondent Edward Lawrence
Taipei, November 28, 2022 — Chinese authorities must immediately stop harassing and detaining journalists and ensure the safety of reporters covering protests against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, police in Shanghai assaulted Edward Lawrence, a journalist for British public broadcaster BBC, while he was covering a…
Mozambican journalist Arlindo Chissale faces lesser charge after terrorism accusation
At 4 a.m. on October 29, Arlindo Chissale, editor of privately owned outlet Pinnacle News, which specializes in reporting on the insurgency in Cabo Delgado province, was detained by police in Balama, west of the provincial capital of Pemba, and held in police cells for six days, according to media reports, a statement by the Mozambican chapter…
Egyptian authorities arrest journalist Ahmed Fayez for reporting on Alaa Abdelfattah
New York, November 14, 2022 – Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ahmed Fayez and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On November 10, state security forces arrested Fayez, editor-in-chief of state-run newspaper Akhbar El-Barlman, from his home in Cairo, according to news reports and a local…