Journalist Alan Weisman arrested, strip-searched while covering anti-pipeline protest in Minnesota
Washington, D.C., June 11, 2021 — Authorities in Minnesota’s Hubbard County should explain their reasoning for detaining and strip-searching journalist Alan Weisman and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 5 p.m. on June 7, an officer with the local sheriff’s department in Hubbard County, Minnesota, arrested Weisman,…
Ugandan authorities detain 2 journalists on criminal libel charges
Nairobi, June 9, 2021— Ugandan authorities should drop the criminal libel charges against journalists Pidson Kareire and Darious Magara, and reform the country’s laws to decriminalize speech, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 27, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Court in Kampala, the capital, charged Kareire and Magara with criminal defamation and…
Indian journalist Ganji Raghu arrested for alleged rioting
New Delhi, June 9, 2021 — Authorities in the Indian state of Telangana should immediately release journalist Ganji Raghu and drop any criminal investigation into his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 3, masked men in plain clothes grabbed Raghu, a reporter with the news website Tolivelugu, outside his home in…
Greek police detain and question Dutch TV crew covering refugees
Berlin, June 8, 2021 — Greek authorities should allow journalists to cover refugee movements and other events of public interest without police interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 29, police in Dikaia, a Greek town near the borders of Bulgaria and Turkey, stopped a reporting team from the Dutch public broadcaster…
Belarus sentences reporter Hlafira Zhuk to jail, authorities continue to harass journalists
Vilnius, Lithuania, June 2, 2021 — Belarusian authorities should release journalist Hlafira Zhuk immediately and cease harassing members of the press over their news coverage, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 31, the Maskouski District Court in Minsk, the capital, sentenced Zhuk, a correspondent for the independent news website Narodnaya Volya, to 30…
Zimbabwe court denies bail to NY Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo, claiming national security threat
New York, June 2, 2021 – Zimbabwe authorities should not contest journalist Jeffrey Moyo’s appeal of a recent ruling denying him bail, and should drop the criminal case against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 31, a court in the city of Bulawayo denied Moyo’s bail request, and ordered him to…
Retired Egyptian journalist Tawfik Ghanem detained on terrorism charges
On May 21, 2021, Egyptian state security forces arrested Tawfik Ghanem, a retired journalist who most recently worked as the Cairo-based regional director of the Turkish news agency Anadolu, according to news reports and one of his lawyers, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. Authorities arrested Ghanem from…
Zimbabwe detains NY Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo over alleged accreditation misrepresentation
New York, May 28, 2021 – Zimbabwean authorities should immediately release New York Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo and drop baseless charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Moyo, who also freelances for Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper and Norway’s Bistandsaktuelt, was arrested on May 26 in the capital, Harare, and charged with…
CPJ calls for immediate release of seriously ill Egyptian journalist Gamal al-Gamal
New York, May 26, 2021 – In response to news reports that Egyptian freelance columnist Gamal al-Gamal’s health has seriously deteriorated during his pretrial detention in Cairo’s Tora Prison, and that he is suspected of having contracted COVID-19, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are extremely concerned by reports of journalist…
Belarusian authorities briefly detain 4 Tut.by journalists; at least 13 staff remain in custody
New York, May 25, 2021 – Belarusian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all employees of the independent news website Tut.by who remain in custody, and cease harassing the outlet’s employees, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, police in Minsk, the capital, arrested Tut.by reporters Anastasiya Prudnikava and Dzianis Burkouski, and social media…