Inside an Afghan news network’s struggle to survive
Threats, insults, beatings, and censorship: Former Ariana News staffers detail dire challenges during a year under Taliban control For veteran journalist Sharif Hassanyar, the final breaking point came in September last year. The Taliban had ousted the elected government of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani almost a month earlier, and the last American soldiers had since…
Afghanistan’s media faces crisis—and opportunity
Twelve months after the Taliban takeover, many Afghan journalists are out of work or on the run. Others try, very carefully, to challenge the powerful. The extreme distress that has gripped Afghanistan’s independent media since the Taliban seized power in Kabul on August 15 last year lands in my inbox—and the inboxes of many of…
Iraqi Kurdish authorities detain, raid, harass journalists and media outlets covering protests
Beirut, August 9, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdistan authorities should immediately cease detaining and harassing journalists and media workers and allow them to report on political unrest freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On August 5 and August 6, Asayish security forces in several locations in Iraqi Kurdistan interfered with the work…
CAR journalist Erick Ngaba threatened over report on opposition leader
Dakar, July 29, 2022 – Central African Republic authorities should investigate threatening messages sent to journalist Erick Ngaba and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since June 14, Ngaba, managing editor of the privately owned Ndjoni Sango newspaper, has received about 20 threating messages in WhatsApp groups where he is a…
Car used by Italian journalist Francesco Digiorgio damaged in arson attack
Berlin, July 26, 2022 – Italian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the arson attack on a car used by freelance journalist Francesco Digiorgio, ensure his safety, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At around 2:30 a.m. on July 18, unidentified individuals set fire to…
Ugandan authorities investigate 4 journalists in murder case, charge and jail 2
Nairobi, July 22, 2022 – Ugandan authorities should release journalists Ivan Mutyaba and Denis Isabirye immediately, drop all the charges against them, and drop their investigations into reporters Jacklin Nabatanzi and Muganza Julius Kiyumba, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. The four journalists are among a group of suspects recently arrested for their alleged…
Taliban intelligence officers force Foreign Policy columnist Lynne O’Donnell to tweet apologies for her reporting
Washington, D.C., July 21, 2022 – Taliban authorities must stop harassing members of the press, and the intelligence officers who recently intimidated and threatened Australian journalist Lynne O’Donnell should be held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. O’Donnell, a columnist with the U.S. magazine Foreign Policy, arrived in Kabul on July 16,…
Indonesian journalists face wave of harassment and intimidation
Bangkok, July 21, 2022 – Indonesian authorities should investigate a series of incidents of harassment and intimidation against local journalists, identify and bring the relevant perpetrators to justice, and work to better protect media members and their ability to report without fear of reprisal or violence, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “A recent…
Italian police seize and search journalist Francesco Pesante’s phone in leak investigation
Berlin, July 14, 2022 – Italian authorities should drop any investigation into journalist Francesco Pesante and refrain from harassing members of the press in leak investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 21, police in the southern town of Foggia summoned Pesante, managing director of the news website L’Immediato, to appear for…
Nigeria’s Foundation for Investigative Journalism receives threatening messages
On May 15 and June 3, 2022, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), a privately owned Nigerian investigative news website, received threatening messages to the outlet’s official WhatsApp contact number from an unknown number with an Italian country code, according to a June 3 FIJ report and Damilola Ayeni, an editor with the outlet, who…