Turkish President Erdoğan sues recently arrested journalist Sedef Kabaş
Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – In response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s civil lawsuit seeking damages from journalist Sedef Kabaş and TELE1 television board chair Fırat Sakar, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the complaint to be dropped. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should drop his civil suit against imprisoned…
Helmets and body armor: How Ukraine’s press corps is prepping for possible war
As world leaders launch diplomatic offensives to try to stave off a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian journalists are preparing to cover a conflict that could take a catastrophic toll on their country. Russia’s amassing of troops at its neighbor’s eastern border follows its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 — a…
Belarusian photojournalist Uladz Hrydzin sentenced to 13 days in jail
New York, February 8, 2022 – Belarusian authorities should immediately release journalist Uladz Hrydzin and allow him and the country’s media to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 7, the Frunze district court in the capital Minsk sentenced Hrydzin, a freelance photojournalist who formerly contributed to the…
Myanmar journalist Thurin Kyaw arrested after covering rally in support of junta
Bangkok, February 8, 2022 – Myanmar military authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Thurin Kyaw and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 2, Thurin Kyaw, founder of the independent outlet Media TOP 4, was beaten by unidentified attackers while he covered a rally in support of the ruling military…
Kashmir journalist Fahad Shah arrested over ‘anti-national content’
New Delhi, February 4, 2022 – Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Fahad Shah, drop any investigation into his work, and cease detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Friday evening, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir arrested Shah, editor of the privately owned…
CPJ welcomes Nigerian journalist Luka Binniyat’s release on bail, calls for end to prosecution
Abuja, February 4, 2022 — In response to the release on bail Thursday of Luka Binniyat, a Nigerian freelance reporter for the U.S.-based news outlet The Epoch Times, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the charges against him to be dropped: “While Nigerian journalist Luka Binniyat’s release on bail is…
CPJ joins letter calling for release of journalists, others arbitrarily detained in Cameroon
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday, February 3, joined 26 other civil society organizations in calling on President Paul Biya to release all those arbitrarily detained in Cameroon for acts of free expression, including at least four journalists. The open letter, published during the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, notes that the continent’s…
Opinion: The dilemma facing journalists covering the Beijing Olympics
I don’t envy journalists from around the world who are entering China to cover the Beijing Olympics, held February 4 to 20. Perhaps never in history have the rules of the road for covering the games been so murky and the potential dangers so great for journalists who step over an as-yet-undefined red line that…
Taliban forces detain 2 journalists in undisclosed location
New York, February 1, 2022 — The Taliban must immediately release journalists Waris Hasrat and Aslam Hijab and stop detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, men who identified themselves as members of the Taliban arrested Hijab, a reporter, and Hasrat, manager of political programs and a political…
CPJ joins call for Turkey to release journalist Sedef Kabaş
On February 1, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined the International Press Institute and 25 other international groups in a joint letter calling for Turkish authorities to release journalist Sedef Kabaş immediately. Authorities detained Kabaş, a freelance journalist and former television anchor, on January 22 for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an appearance…