Belarusian journalist Pavel Mazheika sentenced to 6 years in prison
New York, July 26, 2023—In response to a Belarusian court sentencing journalist Pavel Mazheika to six years in prison on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The sentencing of Pavel Mazheika to six years’ imprisonment once again exposes how Belarusian authorities use charges of extremism to jail independent journalists,”…
CPJ condemns trials of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi
Washington, D.C., July 24, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the continuation of the closed-door trials of journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who were among the first journalists to report on the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. “CPJ stands in solidarity with Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe…
Iranian journalist Seyed Mostafa Jaffari arrested on false news charges
Washington, D.C., July 24, 2023 — Iranian authorities must release journalist Seyed Mostafa Jaffari from prison immediately and stop jailing members of the press for reporting on issues of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Monday, July 24, security forces arrested Jaffari in the central city of Qazvin on charges filed…
Botswana intelligence agents detain 2 journalists overnight
Lusaka, July 21, 2023 – In response to the detention on Thursday, July 20, of Botswana journalists Ryder Gabathuse and Innocent Selatlhwa by agents of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The brazen detentions of Botswanan journalists Ryder Gabathuse and Innocent Selatlhwa and…
Journalist Omed Baroshky arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan
Beirut, July 21, 2023 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately disclose the whereabouts of journalist Omed Baroshky and ensure journalists are not arrested for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the evening of Thursday, July 20, Asayish security forces raided Baroshky’s home in the northwest city of Duhok and arrested him,…
Taliban intelligence forces detain Afghan journalist Irfanullah Baidar
New York, July 21, 2023 — The Taliban must immediately release journalist Irfanullah Baidar and stop detaining members of the press in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On July 12, officers with the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence stopped Baidar near the Eidgah Mosque in the eastern city of Jalalabad, covered his head with a sack, and forced him into a vehicle, according to news reports and…
CPJ urges swift probe into Polish police over forcible removal of journalist from protest
Berlin, July 21, 2023 — Polish authorities should investigate the forcible removal by police of freelance photojournalist Maciej Piasecki from a recent climate protest, and allow journalists to work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. During a climate protest in Warsaw on Friday, July 14, as police attempted to subdue and detain…
CPJ to hold press conference on José Rubén Zamora and Guatemala’s criminalization of journalists
Washington, D.C., July 21, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will hold a press conference on Wednesday, July 26, to mark the one-year anniversary of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora’s imprisonment. Speakers will include Zamora’s son and a Guatemalan journalist in exile. Zamora, founder of the independent investigative newspaper elPeriódico, was arrested on July 29,…
Belarus detains journalist Ihar Karnei on undisclosed charges, bans Polish journalist Justyna Prus
New York, July 20, 2023—Belarusian authorities should immediately disclose the reason for the recent detention of journalist Ihar Karnei, reverse their decision to ban Polish journalist Justyna Prus, and let the media work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, July 17, authorities in Minsk searched the home of Karnei, a former…
CPJ condemns Moroccan court’s rejection of appeals by jailed journalists Soulaiman Raissouni and Omar Radi
New York, July 19, 2023 – In response to news reports that the Moroccan court of cassation in Rabat on Tuesday rejected the final appeals of jailed journalists Soulaiman Raissouni and Omar Radi, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “We are deeply disappointed by the court’s decision to keep Soulaiman…