Police detain camera operator Nazım Fayık while covering protest in Ankara, Turkey
On July 5, 2021, police disrupted a protest near a prison in Ankara, Turkey, and detained at least one journalist, according to news reports and video of the detention shared on social media. Police detained Nazım Fayık, a camera operator with the leftist pro-Kurdish website and TV broadcaster Artı Gerçek, along with five demonstrators at…
Myanmar military rearrests journalist Aung Mya Than
Bangkok, July 14, 2021 – Myanmar authorities should immediately release journalist Aung Mya Than and drop any pending charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 11 p.m. on July 10, military authorities arrested Aung Mya Than, a reporter with the local Ayeyarwady Times, at his home in the town of Maubin,…
Independent journalist Le Van Dung arrested in Vietnam after weeks in hiding
Bangkok, July 12, 2021 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Le Van Dung and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 30, police arrested Dung, a freelance journalist who runs Chan Hung Nuoc Viet, a Facebook and YouTube-based outlet that covers politics, social issues, and alleged corruption,…
Belarusian authorities raid news outlets, detain journalists amid nationwide crackdown
New York, July 8, 2021 – Belarusian authorities must release all journalists held in custody for their work and drop all investigations into independent news outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Starting this morning, authorities raided at least three news outlets and arrested at least seven journalists nationwide amid a crackdown on the…
Eswatini police detain, abuse 2 reporters from South African outlet New Frame
Lusaka, Zambia, July 8, 2021 – Eswatini authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the recent arrests and abuse in custody of journalists Magnificent Mndebele and Cebelihle Mbuyisa, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 9 a.m. on July 4, soldiers on the MR3 highway near…
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…