Ethiopian authorities arrest at least 15 employees of 2 independent media outlets
New York, July 2, 2021—Ethiopian authorities should immediately release all recently arrested journalists and media workers, and ensure that authorities cease harassing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 1 p.m. on June 30, police raided the office of the independent broadcaster Awlo Media Center in Addis Ababa, the…
Syrian security forces arrest journalist Bassam Safar at Damascus checkpoint
New York, June 30, 2021 – Syrian authorities should disclose their rationale for arresting journalist Bassam Safar, as well as the location where he is being held, or else release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 24, Syrian government security forces arrested Safar, an editor on cultural topics for the…
Hong Kong police arrest former Apple Daily editorial writer Fung Wai-kong at airport
Taipei, June 28, 2021 – Hong Kong authorities should immediately release journalist Fung Wai-kong, drop any charges against him, and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 10 p.m. yesterday, police at Hong Kong International Airport arrested Fung, a former senior editorial writer for…
Syrian Kurdish security forces detain fixer Kamiran Sadoun overnight in Raqqa
On June 16, 2021, officers with the Syrian Democratic Forces’ General Security agency detained Kamiran Sadoun, a fixer for international journalists, for several hours in a jail in the city of Raqqa, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, and a statement by the local press freedom group the Syrian Kurdish…
Photojournalist Ian Willms detained while covering police in Toronto
Washington, D.C., June 24, 2021 — Toronto police should explain why they detained photojournalist Ian Willms and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 1:30 p.m. on June 22, police detained Willms, a freelance photojournalist, after he climbed into a fenced-off area while attempting to photograph officers forcing…
Nicaraguan police detain journalist Miguel Mendoza for alleged treason
New York, June 23, 2021 — Nicaraguan authorities should immediately release journalist Miguel Mendoza, drop the criminal investigation into him, and halt the escalating campaign of harassment against the independent press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 9 p.m. on June 21, officers with the Nicaraguan National Police detained Mendoza and raided…
Hong Kong police arrest Apple Daily editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee under national security law
Taipei, June 23, 2021 – Hong Kong authorities must immediately release journalist Yeung Ching-kee, drop any charges against him, and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This morning, officers from the Hong Kong Police Force’s National Security Department arrested Yeung, the lead editorial writer for…
Hong Kong police arrest 5 Apple Daily executives, raid headquarters
Washington, D.C., June 16, 2021 — In response to the Hong Kong police force’s raid on the office of the independent newspaper Apple Daily and the arrests of five executives today, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The arrests of five executives at the pro-democracy Apple Daily today under Hong Kong’s Orwellian…
Indian journalist Ganji Raghu arrested for alleged rioting
New Delhi, June 9, 2021 — Authorities in the Indian state of Telangana should immediately release journalist Ganji Raghu and drop any criminal investigation into his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 3, masked men in plain clothes grabbed Raghu, a reporter with the news website Tolivelugu, outside his home in…
Botswana police charge Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler staff with criminal trespass
Lusaka, June 2, 2021 – Botswana authorities should immediately drop the criminal charges against two journalists and three media workers at the Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler and cease harassing members of the press and seizing their devices, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The five are expected in court this month in connection to a case dating…