Indonesian journalists face wave of harassment and intimidation
Bangkok, July 21, 2022 – Indonesian authorities should investigate a series of incidents of harassment and intimidation against local journalists, identify and bring the relevant perpetrators to justice, and work to better protect media members and their ability to report without fear of reprisal or violence, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “A recent…
Italian police seize and search journalist Francesco Pesante’s phone in leak investigation
Berlin, July 14, 2022 – Italian authorities should drop any investigation into journalist Francesco Pesante and refrain from harassing members of the press in leak investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 21, police in the southern town of Foggia summoned Pesante, managing director of the news website L’Immediato, to appear for…
Nigeria’s Foundation for Investigative Journalism receives threatening messages
On May 15 and June 3, 2022, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), a privately owned Nigerian investigative news website, received threatening messages to the outlet’s official WhatsApp contact number from an unknown number with an Italian country code, according to a June 3 FIJ report and Damilola Ayeni, an editor with the outlet, who…
Tajikistan authorities detain, question relatives of exiled journalist Anora Sarkorova
Stockholm, June 29, 2022 – Tajikistan authorities must stop harassing relatives of exiled independent journalist Anora Sarkorova, and should allow members of the press to cover sensitive issues freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the morning of Monday, June 27, officers from the Tajik Interior Ministry’s Department for Combatting Organized Crime detained…
CPJ joins letter calling on Romanian authorities to hasten investigation into harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan
In a joint letter addressed to Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other government officials on Tuesday, June 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven international press freedom organizations expressed their deep concerns over delays in the investigation into harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan. Since January, Șercan has received threatening emails and social media messages, and…
Chinese reporter Zhang Weihan recounts police harassment, detention in Tangshan
Taipei, June 21, 2022 – Chinese authorities should thoroughly investigate the alleged police attack on journalist Zhang Weihan and ensure that the press can work freely and without fear of harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Zhang said in a video that on June 12, police in the northeastern city of Tangshan detained…
Bulgarian TV crew attacked with stones while investigating pollution at Serbian mine
Berlin, June 21, 2022 – Serbian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the recent attack on a TV crew for the Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT, and ensure that reporters covering environmental issues can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 14, a group of six or seven men in the Serbian…
M23 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo loot radio station; reporter Austère Mavilika receives threats
Kinshasa, June 16, 2022 — The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern on Thursday that journalists in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have faced undue safety threats while on the front lines of the conflict between government forces and the M23 armed rebel group. On the morning of June 13, M23 rebels took control of…
Seeking ‘answers and accountability’: Reporters cover Uvalde shooting amid police obstruction
False narratives, threats of arrest, and a biker group blocking access. These are just a few of the challenges journalists have faced while covering the aftermath of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Threats to press freedom are hardly the main story in Uvalde, where police failed to stop the…
Italian police search newsroom and journalist’s home, surveil news crew in leak investigation
Berlin, June 13, 2022 – Italian authorities should stop harassing journalists and refrain from actions that could endanger the confidentiality of their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 24, agents of the Italian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (Direzione Investigativa Antimafia) raided and searched the newsroom of public broadcaster RAI3’s investigative program “Report,”…