Kashmir media at a ‘breaking point’ amid rising number of journalist detentions
Sajad Gul’s mother had prepared his favorite dishes as she anxiously awaited his return home. The Kashmiri journalist, who had been granted bail the day before, on January 15, 2022, was to be released following his arrest earlier that month in a criminal conspiracy case, according to a journalist friend who spoke on condition of…
Azerbaijan journalist Aytan Mammadova threatened at knifepoint
New York, May 11, 2022 – Azerbaijan authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats and a recent attack against journalist Aytan Mammadova and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Around midnight on May 8, an unidentified man grabbed Mammadova in the elevator of her apartment building in the Binagadi district in…
How China is stepping up harassment of foreign correspondents
When international journalists rushed to Zhengzhou city in Henan province to cover a deadly flood in July 2021, they were confronted by angry bystanders who accused them of “spreading rumors” and “smearing China.” Many also received harassing messages on social media and intimidating calls, according to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China. This hostility spread after the Henan Communist Youth…
‘Red-tagging’ of journalists looms over Philippine elections
As Philippine presidential candidates wind up their campaigns before the May 9 election, journalists in the country are demanding that whoever succeeds President Rodrigo Duterte put an end to “red tagging” – the labeling of individuals as rebels or supporters of the communist insurgency – that helped put their colleague Frenchiemae Cumpio behind bars. Cumpio, the 23-year-old executive director…
Armenian law enforcement obstruct journalists covering protest in Yerevan
New York, May 5, 2022 – Armenian authorities should thoroughly investigate recent attacks on members of the press by police and government officials, and ensure that those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, May 2, at a protest in the capital, Yerevan, against the country’s policy concerning…
Angolan security forces attack journalists covering evictions in Luanda
On April 13, 2022, military and police officers in the Angolan capital of Luanda prevented reporters Daniel Fernandes and Romão De Jesus from reporting on the demolition of homes to make way for a new airport in the city, according to media reports and both journalists, who spoke to CPJ by phone and message app….
Serbian journalist Dinko Gruhonjić receives death threats online
Berlin, May 3, 2022 — Serbian authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into threats made to journalist Dinko Gruhonjić and his family, and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On April 25, a Facebook user named “Ante Pavlovic” sent a number of threatening messages to Gruhonjić, deputy editor-in-chief of…
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…
Congolese journalist Sébastien Mulamba charged with weapons possession, criminal association, armed robbery after critical radio commentary
Dakar, April 28, 2022 — Congolese authorities should drop their prosecution of journalist Sébastien Mulamba, stop harassing him, and investigate the raid on his home, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. At around 3 a.m. on April 21, police arrested Mulamba, a journalist and director of the privately owned Kisangani News, at his home…
Iraqi Asayish forces obstruct 2 media crews covering Erbil protest
On April 26, 2022, forces with the Asayish intelligence agency harassed and obstructed two news crews covering a protest at a U.N. office in the northern Iraqi-Kurdish city of Erbil, according to news reports and journalists who spoke with CPJ. Protesters gathered at the U.N. building to demonstrate against Turkish military operations in the region,…