Journalist Alyaksandr Mantsevich charged with ‘discrediting Belarus’
Paris, April 5, 2023—Belarusian authorities should drop all charges against journalist Alyaksandr Mantsevich, release him immediately, and stop prosecuting members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Authorities detained Mantsevich, the founder and editor-in-chief of the regional independent newspaper Regyonalnaya Gazeta, on March 15. On Monday, April 3, multiple…
French police beat, obstruct journalists covering pension protests
Berlin, April 4, 2023—French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate recent attacks on journalists covering protests and ensure that police officers responsible for harassing members of the press are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Demonstrations broke out throughout France on March 16, after the government raised the retirement age by…
Ethiopian authorities detain journalists Getenet Ashagre and Aragaw Sisay
Nairobi, April 3, 2023—Ethiopian authorities should immediately release journalists Getenet Ahagre and Aragaw Sisay, and stop detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On the morning of March 26, federal police officers in Addis Ababa arrested Aragaw, founder and chief editor of the privately owned YouTube-based news outlet Roha News,…
CPJ, media organizations, and partners call for release of Evan Gershkovich
New York, March 31, 2023—More than 30 global media organizations and press freedom groups recently sent a letter to Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, calling for the immediate release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The signatories, including the Associated Press, BBC, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, said…
CPJ calls on Bangladesh authorities to cease harassing staff of Prothom Alo newspaper
New York, March 30, 2023—Bangladesh authorities must immediately drop all investigations into the staff of the Prothom Alo newspaper in retaliation for its work and allow its employees to do their jobs freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In the early morning of Wednesday, March 29, authorities arrested Prothom Alo correspondent Shamsuzzaman Shams…
Russia detains Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges
Paris, March 30, 2023—Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, drop all charges against him, and allow the media to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Thursday, March 30, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that it had detained Gershkovich, a…
Congolese journalist John Ngongo Lomango arrested over conflict reporting
Kinshasa, March 28, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should release journalist John Ngongo Lomango immediately and ensure that media can report freely on the conflict in the country’s east, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On the afternoon of Monday, March 27, three officers with the National Intelligence Agency arrested Ngongo,…
Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo detained on cybercrime charges
Abuja, March 27, 2023 – A federal court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Monday ordered the detention of CrossRiverWatch publisher Agba Jalingo for allegedly publishing false news that caused “annoyance, ill will and insult,” in violation of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, according to a report by the outlet and CrossRiverWatch editor Jonathan Ugbal, who spoke to…
Belarus orders 3 journalists detained for 15 days
Paris, March 27, 2023—Belarusian authorities should drop all charges against journalists Dzmitry Suslau, Syarhei Stankevich, and Aleh Rubchenya, and free them immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On March 17, a court in the central city of Slutsk ordered Stankevich, the chief editor of the local independent newspaper Infa-Kurier, and Rubchenya, the paper’s…