Belarus authorities dissolve Belarus Press Club
Stockholm, July 27, 2021 – Belarusian authorities should reverse their decision to dissolve Press Club Belarus and allow the organization and its staff to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 21, the Minsk City Executive Committee, the city administration headed by a presidential appointee, initiated the dissolution of the independent…
Camila Acosta speaks from house arrest about covering Cuba’s historic protests
“I am not free, but at least I am out of the dungeons,” Camila Acosta told CPJ via messaging app after her release to house arrest on July 16 following a four-day detention for covering the recent protests in Cuba. Acosta, who is based in Havana, covered protests on July 11 for the Cuban independent…
International journalists face intense harassment, threats of violence while covering flooding in China
Taipei, July 26, 2021—Chinese authorities should ensure that all journalists can report without fear of violence and harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 24, a crowd of angry bystanders in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, surrounded and confronted journalists from the Los Angeles Times and the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle while…
Tunisian authorities raid Al-Jazeera bureau amid political turmoil
New York, July 26, 2021 – In response to news reports that Tunisian security forces today stormed Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera’s Tunis bureau, ordered staff to leave the building, confiscated equipment, and barred staff from returning, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s raid by Tunisian security forces on Al-Jazeera’s bureau jeopardizes the…
Indian tax officials raid offices of Dainik Bhaskar media group, Bharat Samachar channel
Washington, D.C., July 22, 2021 — Indian authorities should immediately stop occupying the offices of the media group Dainik Bhaskar and the home of its managing director, and cease harassing Dainik Bhaskar, the news channel Bharat Samachar, and the outlets’ staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, over 100 federal income tax officials…
Investigative reporter Bradley Hope: Pegasus spyware revelations a ‘wake-up call for journalists’
Bradley Hope was in Abu Dhabi in 2009, the year the BlackBerry devices overheated. “If you put it next to your face it would almost burn,” he told CPJ in a phone interview. The BBC that year reported that a UAE telecom company had prompted local BlackBerry owners to install a rogue surveillance update disguised…
Police fire tear gas, rubber bullets into crowd of journalists in Istanbul
Istanbul, July 21, 2021 – Turkish authorities must ensure that journalists can cover political events without being harassed or attacked by police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, police in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district disrupted a political march commemorating the victims of the 2015 Suruç bombing and shoved, hit, and fired tear gas and…
Journalists harassed, obstructed while covering home demolitions in India
Washington, D.C., July 19, 2021 — Indian authorities should cease harassing and obstructing members of the press covering protests and demolitions in Khori Gaon, in Haryana state, and ensure that they can report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 30, and then repeatedly in mid-July, police have threatened, harassed, and obstructed…
RFE/RL office raided, journalists detained as Belarus crackdown continues
Stockholm, July 16, 2021 – In response to Belarusian authorities’ raids today of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, searches of numerous journalists’ homes, and the detention of several members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “With today’s raid on the offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty…
Central African Republic journalist Landry Ulrich Nguéma Ngokpélé detained overnight in defamation case
Lome, Togo, July 14, 2021 — Central African Republic authorities should drop their defamation investigation into journalist Landry Ulrich Nguema Ngokpélé and ensure that members of the press can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 4 p.m. on June 3, police officers with the Central Office for the…