Vietnam sentences journalist Le Trong Hung to 5 years in prison
Bangkok, January 5, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities should release journalist Le Trong Hung immediately and unconditionally, and stop imprisoning independent reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 31, 2021, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced Hung, a reporter with the independent social-media based outlet Chen Hung Nuoc Viet (CHTV), to…
Somaliland authorities arrest three journalists for critical reporting
Nairobi, December 31, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland to unconditionally release three journalists detained for reporting critically on the administration of the Sool region, and to guarantee that the media can cover politics without retaliation. On December 26, police in Las Anod, the capital of…
Hong Kong police raid Stand News, arrest 6 for alleged sedition
New York, December 28, 2021 – In response to Hong Kong authorities’ raid on Stand News today and the arrests of six people affiliated with the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The arrests of six people associated with Stand News amounts to an open assault on Hong Kong’s…
Afghan TV station owner Aref Noori detained by Taliban-affiliated militia
New York, December 27, 2021— Taliban authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Aref Noori and ensure that members of the press are able to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, dozens of armed men who identified themselves as members of a militia affiliated with the Taliban-controlled Police District 4 in Kabul…
Ethiopia Insight reporter Ermias Tasfaye detained since November
Nairobi, December 23, 2021— Ethiopian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ermias Tasfaye and all other members of the press detained for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ermias’ November arrest was made public in a statement by his employer on December 14 and follows the Ethiopian government’s crackdown on journalists…
Photographer Faysal Mujeeb beaten, detained by Pakistan Rangers while covering political party event
Washington, D.C., December 20, 2021 – Pakistan authorities must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the beating and detention of Faysal Mujeeb and ensure law enforcement agencies allow journalists to operate freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the evening of December 9, officers with the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary…
Central African Republic authorities hold journalist Landry Ulrich Nguéma Ngokpélé for more than 2 months
New York, December 17, 2021 — Central African Republic authorities should release journalist Landry Ulrich Nguéma Ngokpélé and ensure he can work free of harassment and fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At around noon on October 4, members of the Central African Republic police and military arrested Nguéma Ngokpélé, the…
In Middle East and North Africa, a drop in attacks on journalists belies dire state of press freedom
The Middle East and North Africa region has long been especially dangerous for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists’ research has found that one out of every three reporters killed worldwide in retaliation for their work since 1992 — 477 out of 1,422, or 33.5% – were located in the region. That proportion rose to…
Ethiopia uses emergency law to ramp up arrests of journalists
Nairobi, December 16, 2021 – Ethiopian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all journalists held in custody for their work and should refrain from using the country’s state of emergency law to imprison members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ethiopian authorities have arrested at least 14 journalists since declaring a…
Taliban official and bodyguards beat, detain journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi
New York, December 14, 2021—The Taliban must immediately and thoroughly investigate the beating and detention of journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi and ensure that members of the press can operate freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 11, the director of the Taliban-controlled Kabul Directorate of Refugee Affairs, Abdul Matin Rahimzai,…