Journalist Mortaza Behboudi detained by Taliban since January 7
New York, February 8, 2023 – Taliban authorities must immediately release journalist Mortaza Behboudi and stop intimidating and arbitrarily detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On January 7, members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained Behboudi, a reporter and cofounder of the independent news website Guiti News,…
Russian authorities seek 9-year prison term for journalist Maria Ponomarenko, detain RFE/RL columnist Iskander Yasaveyev
Paris, February 7, 2023 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Maria Ponomarenko and columnist Iskander Yasaveyev and stop prosecuting members of the press over their reporting and commentary on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 6, authorities in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, arrested…
Dutch police detain, forcibly remove journalists covering climate protests
Berlin, February 7, 2023 — Dutch authorities should stop harassing, detaining, and removing journalists from protests, and allow them to cover events of public interest without police interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since January 21, Dutch police have detained two journalists and forcibly removed another while they reported on climate protests, according…
Journalist Elnaz Mohammadi arrested at Evin Prison in Iran
Washington, D.C., February 6, 2023 – Iranian authorities must drop any charges against journalist Elnaz Mohammadi and release her immediately and unconditionally, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On February 5, authorities arrested Mohammadi, head of the social issues desk at the reformist Ham-Mihan newspaper, after she responded to a summons to answer questions…
Iraqi border guards briefly detain 3 Shar Press journalists
On January 30, 2023, Iraqi border guards in Halabja province, near the border with Iran, detained a three-person video crew from the independent Shar Press media agency for about three hours, according to a report by the agency and Shar Press correspondent Hawraz Ahmed, who spoke to CPJ by phone. The team, which consisted of…
Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan arrested for alleged hate speech
New York, February 2, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Imran Riaz Khan and cease targeting journalists in retaliation for their commentary on the military, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In the early hours of Thursday, February 2, officers with Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency arrested Khan, an anchor with…
On 2-year anniversary of military coup, Myanmar’s junta must stop persecuting journalists
Bangkok, February 1, 2023 — On the second anniversary of the military’s seizure of power in Myanmar, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement demanding the junta regime immediately and unconditionally release all of the journalists targeted in the post-coup crackdown: “Over the last two years, press freedom conditions in Myanmar have deteriorated…
Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo charged with cybercrime over report on governor’s relative
Abuja, January 26, 2023 – Authorities in Nigeria should swiftly drop the cybercrime charges against journalist Agba Jalingo, cease harassing him for his work, and reform the country’s laws to ensure journalism is not criminalized, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On December 8, 2022, authorities in the southern Nigerian state of Cross River…
Belarusian journalists Dzmitry Harbunou and Pavel Padabed detained on undisclosed charges
Paris, January 26, 2023 — Belarusian authorities should publicly disclose the reason for the arrests of journalists Dzmitry Harbunou and Pavel Padabed and ensure that no journalists are jailed for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On January 18, Harbunou, a blogger based in the western city of Brest, appeared in a video…
Bangladeshi journalist Raghunath Kha arrested, allegedly electrocuted in custody
New York, January 25, 2023 – Bangladesh authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Raghunath Kha and investigate allegations that he was electrocuted and beaten in police custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. At around 11 a.m. on Monday, January 23, plainclothes police officers detained Kha, a correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster…