Four press freedom trends to watch amid Belarus’s antigovernment protests
The images coming out of Belarus look like scenes from a blockbuster film: A president clinging to power striding out of a helicopter holding a Kalashnikov assault rifle, while his gun-toting teenage son and heir apparent walks alongside him in a helmet and military vest; the protesters calling for the president’s removal singing songs, playing music, and taking off their…
Libyan radio journalist Sami al-Sharif detained while covering protests
Washington D.C., August 27, 2020 – Libyan authorities should immediately release journalist Sami al-Sharif and ensure that the press can cover protests without fear of attack or harassment from demonstrators or security forces, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 23, men in military uniforms affiliated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord…
Kuwaiti authorities detain blogger Mohamed al-Ajmi for ‘insulting religion’ in tweets
On August 23, 2020, the Kuwaiti public prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of Mohamed al-Ajmi, a blogger and member of the Kuwaiti freedom of expression group the National Committee for Monitoring Violations, and held him until August 25, according to news reports, social media posts by the journalist, and a report by the Arabic Network…
Jordanian security forces arrest cartoonist Emad Hajjaj over criticism of Israel-UAE deal
New York, August 27, 2020 — Jordanian authorities should immediately release cartoonist Emad Hajjaj, drop all charges against him, and let him work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a police patrol arrested Hajjaj, a cartoonist for the Qatari-funded news website Al-Araby al-Jadeed, on the Jordan Valley road while the cartoonist was…
Djibouti journalist Charmarke Saïd Darar held for weeks, 2 other journalists in hiding
New York, August 26, 2020 — Authorities in Djibouti should cease intimidating and arresting journalists working with the La Voix de Djibouti broadcaster, and let them report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 15, police in Balbala, a suburb of Djibouti City, the capital, arrested Charmarke Saïd Darar, a reporter with…
Russian journalists imprisoned, beaten during arrests and detention
New York, August 25, 2020 – Russian authorities must immediately release journalists Aleksandr Dorogov and Yan Katelevskiy, drop all charges against them, and ensure that members of the press can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the early hours of July 29, police in the village of Mosrentgen, near…
Iraqi Kurdish authorities shutter NRT offices in Erbil and Duhok; 1 journalist still held
Washington, D.C., August 20, 2020 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should cease harassing broadcaster NRT, release journalist Ahmed Zakhoy without charge, and allow the outlet to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, agents of the Asayish intelligence agency, affiliated with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, raided NRT’s office in the western city…
Hospitalized Belarusian journalist Alena Scharbinskaya tells of beatings inside Minsk detention center
Alena Scharbinskaya, a correspondent with the independent satellite broadcaster Belsat TV, was among dozens of journalists detained last week in Belarus when protests erupted after the re-election of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, whose victory has been contested by many voters and the opposition. She was kept for three days in the now-infamous detention center known among locals…
Ethiopian authorities detain journalists, media workers on incitement allegations
On August 5 and 6, 2020, security personnel in Ethiopia arrested three current and one former employee of the privately-owned Amhara Satellite Radio And Television (ASRAT), according to an August 10 statement from the media outlet on Facebook and the four individuals’ lawyer, Henok Aklilu, who spoke with CPJ via phone. Journalists Belay Manaye and Mulugeta Anberbir,…
Iraqi Kurdish security forces raid broadcaster, detain and beat journalists, seize equipment
New York, August 14, 2020 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities must cease harassing local news outlets, return journalists’ equipment they have seized, and let reporters cover protests freely and without fear of assault or detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 12, Iraqi Kurdish Asayish security forces raided the offices of local broadcaster…