Algerian journalist Abdelhakim Setouane sentenced to 6 months in prison
New York, March 30, 2021 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Abdelhakim Setouane and let him work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, the Sidi M’Hamed Court in Algiers convicted Setouane, director of the independent news website Essafir Broadcast, on charges of defamation, blackmail, and invasion of privacy, according…
Myanmar military arrests 3 Kanbawza Tai News staffers in late night raid
Bangkok, March 26, 2021 – Myanmar’s military authorities must immediately release all detained employees of Kanbawza Tai News, drop any charges against them, and stop jailing reporters for their news coverage, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the night of March 24, police raided the media outlet’s office and two of its employees’…
Russian journalist Mariya Nuykina repeatedly jailed over protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 25, 2021 — Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Mariya Nuykina and should stop prosecuting journalists covering political protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 19, police in the eastern city of Khabarovsk detained Nuykina, a correspondent with the independent newspaper Arsenyevskiye Vesti, while she was…
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier barred from entering Turkey, deported
On March 19, 2021, police in Turkey’s Istanbul Airport barred French freelance journalist Sylvain Mercadier from entering the country, detained him overnight, and deported him back to France, according to news reports, tweets by the journalist, and Mercadier, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Officers took Mercadier into custody soon after his flight…
Guinea journalist Amadou Diouldé Diallo detained in hospital over alleged insults to president
Dakar, March 24, 2021 — Guinean authorities should immediately release journalist Amadou Diouldé Diallo and ensure that the press can work without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 27, police officers arrested Diallo, a sports reporter with Guinea’s public broadcaster Radio Télévision Guinéenne (RTG) and a political commentator on…
Iranian authorities jail journalist Amir Dehbashi in defamation case
Washington, D.C., March 23, 2021 — Iranian authorities must release journalist Amir Dehbashi immediately and cease arresting members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 17, security forces in the southwestern province of Bushehr arrested Dehbashi, a freelance reporter, and took him to a regional prison in the provincial capital, also…
Myanmar military files criminal mutiny charges against The Irrawaddy, detains 2 journalists
Bangkok, March 19, 2021 – Myanmar’s military junta should drop all charges against The Irrawaddy news group, stop using legal threats to intimidate journalists covering ongoing anti-coup protests, and release all journalists in its custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 12, the military government charged The Irrawaddy, a privately owned newspaper, under Article…
RFE/RL contributor Vladyslav Yesypenko arrested, accused of espionage in Crimea
New York, March 18, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 10, Federal Security Service officers in Russian-occupied Crimea detained Yesypenko, a freelance journalist, according to news reports and a lawyer hired by his family, Emil Kurbedinov,…
Belarusian authorities detain reporter Dzianis Ivashyn; prosecute journalists for protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 17, 2021 — Belarusian authorities must stop prosecuting and harassing members of the press, and should allow reporters to cover issues of national significance without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 12, officers of the KGB, the Belarusian security service, in the western city of Hrodna…
Journalist arrested from clinic bed, detained over defamation complaint in Republic of Congo
Dakar, March 16, 2021 — Authorities in the Republic of Congo should immediately release journalist Raymond Malonga and ensure that the press in the country can work without fear of harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 2, security officers in plainclothes arrested Malonga, an editor at the privately owned Sel-Piment newspaper,…