World Press Freedom Day 2022
The Committee to Protect Journalists is marking World Press Freedom Day by highlighting calls for the protection of reporters covering Russia’s war in Ukraine, reminders that journalists are civilians under international law and demands to hold accountable those who target journalists around the world. (#NotATarget) Read, watch and listen to news about what the UN…
Russia charges journalists with disseminating ‘fakes’ about the military; reporter Maria Ponomarenko detained
Paris, April 27, 2022 — Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalists Maria Ponomarenko and Ilya Krasilshchik, release Ponomarenko from custody, and stop persecuting members of the press for allegedly spreading so-called “fakes” about Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 4, President Vladimir Putin enacted amendments…
Slovenian reporter Matej Kavčič arrested by Iraqi military
Beirut, April 27, 2022 – Iraqi authorities must immediately release journalist Matej Kavčič and ensure the foreign press can cover the country freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 20, soldiers with the Iraqi 20th Infantry Division arrested Kavčič, a Slovenian freelance reporter, at an army checkpoint in the northern city of…
As World Cup nears, Qatar and FIFA face fresh scrutiny on press freedom commitments
Exactly one year before the scheduled start of the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar, plainclothes officers from the Gulf state’s Criminal Investigations Department arrested Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani, a sports reporter and cameraman respectively for Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, as they were leaving their hotel in the capital of Doha. The NRK journalists…
CPJ welcomes Egypt’s release of two journalists, says others must also be freed
Washington, D.C., April 26, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes news reports that Egypt has included journalists Mohamed Salah and Abdo Fayed among its latest prisoner releases, but calls on Egyptian authorities to release at least 23 other journalists in custody. “We are pleased that Salah and Fayed are getting some relief after…
Libyan journalist Ali al-Rifawi detained since March after reporting on corruption
New York, April 21, 2022 – Libyan authorities must immediately release journalist Ali al-Rifawi, disclose his location, and ensure that journalists can cover local events without fear of detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On March 26, armed officers from the Internal Security Agency, a coalition of armed groups led by the Libyan…
Belarusian journalist Aksana Kolb arrested, no charges disclosed
Paris, April 20, 2022 – Belarusian authorities should release journalist Aksana Kolb immediately and drop any charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Wednesday, April 20, law enforcement officers arrested Kolb, editor of the independent weekly Novy Chas, in Minsk, the capital, and ordered her to be held for up to…
Turkish journalist İbrahim Haskoloğlu arrested over coverage of alleged hacking
Istanbul, April 20, 2022 – Turkish authorities should release journalist İbrahim Haskoloğlu immediately and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the night of Monday, April 18, police in Istanbul arrested Haskoloğlu, a freelance journalist, for allegedly “illegally obtaining and spreading personal information,” according to multiple news reports. Authorities…
Senegalese gendarme beat journalist Pape Malick Thiam, file charge of contempt
Dakar, April 19, 2022 — Senegalese authorities should drop their prosecution of journalist Pape Malick Thiam, ensure he can work free of intimidation, and hold those responsible for beating him to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Gendarme officers arrested Thiam, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster 7TV, while he was on…
Taliban forces beat and detain journalist Reza Shahir in Kabul
New York, April 19, 2022 — The Taliban must immediately investigate the detention and beating of Afghan journalist Reza Shahir, return his equipment, and cease harassing journalists for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Tuesday, April 19, armed Taliban members stopped Shahir, a reporter for the independent TV station Rahe Farda,…