Seven Somali journalists detained, radio station raided after interview with opposition group
Lusaka, January 28, 2022 – Authorities in Somalia’s south-central Hirshabelle state must stop intimidating and censoring the press through arbitrary arrests and station closures because they disagree with reported content, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Friday afternoon, January 21, 2022, heavily armed police in Beledweyne, a city in Somalia’s Hirshabelle state, raided…
Taliban blocks press conference by Afghanistan Journalists Federation
New York, January 27, 2022 — The Taliban must allow journalists and press groups to work freely and without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, about 60 armed members of the Taliban-controlled Kabul police and the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Taliban’s intelligence agency, blocked a planned press conference by the…
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabaş arrested for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan
Istanbul, January 25, 2022 – Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sedef Kabaş, drop the charge of “insulting the president,” and cancel the fine and ban imposed on TELE1 TV, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 22, 2022, an Istanbul court charged Turkish freelance journalist Sedef Kabaş with insulting President Recep Tayyip…
Omani authorities suspend radio journalist following guest’s on-air critical comments
Omani authorities suspended Kholoud al-Alawi, a journalist at privately owned Hala FM, from her work for at least a month in December 2021, according to BBC Arabic and Beirut-based regional human rights organization the Gulf Center for Human Rights. The Ministry of Information informed the radio station by phone of the suspension on December 1,…
CPJ joins call urging Polish president to veto media bill
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 16 other media and press freedom organizations in a letter calling on Polish President Andrzej Duda to veto an amendment to the country’s broadcast media law. The letter states that the amendment “poses a fundamental threat to media freedom and pluralism in Poland,” and calls it a “direct…
Number of journalists imprisoned around the world sets new record
China remains the world’s worst jailer of journalists; India and Mexico rank among the deadliest New York December 9, 2021–The number of journalists behind bars reached a record high in 2021, with 293 behind bars as political upheaval and media crackdowns reflect increasing intolerance for independent reporting around the world. At the same time, targeted…
How China’s Huawei technology is being used to censor news halfway across the world
When a staffer at the independent media website Iwacu in the central African state of Burundi tried to visit the outlet online in late October, they received an error message instead. “Hum. Nous ne parvenons pas à trouver ce site;” the site could not be found – even though the local media regulator had promised…
CPJ extremely concerned by court order restricting New York Times coverage
Washington, D.C., November 19, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed grave concern over a New York Supreme Court order restricting the New York Times’ coverage of Project Veritas. Yesterday, Judge Charles Wood issued an order blocking the newspaper from publishing materials concerning Project Veritas, a conservative nonprofit that targets groups it perceives…
Iran shutters newspaper that implied supreme leader was responsible for poverty
Washington, D.C., November 8, 2021 — Iranian authorities must immediately reverse their decision to shut down the Tehran-based state-run daily newspaper Kelid, and should allow media outlets to report the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Earlier today, the Press Supervisory Board of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance indefinitely revoked…
Russia expels Dutch newspaper correspondent Tom Vennink
Berlin, November 4, 2021–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Russian authorities today to reverse their decision to revoke Dutch journalist Tom Vennink’s visa and residence permit and allow him to continue his work in Russia. On November 1, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs gave Vennink, Moscow correspondent for Dutch daily newspaper de Volkskrant,…