Belarus Supreme Court dissolves Belarusian Association of Journalists
Stockholm, August 27, 2021 – In response to today’s ruling by the Supreme Court of Belarus to dissolve the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the country’s largest independent media association, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Authorities’ shameless forced closure of the Belarusian Association of Journalists is an escalation of the country’s long-running…
Sri Lanka police repeatedly interrogate journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran
Washington, D.C., August 25, 2021 — Police in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, should stop harassing journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran and let him work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 23, officers from the Batticaloa police superintendent’s Special Crime Branch interrogated Sasikaran, a freelance Tamil journalist who is also the treasurer…
Taliban raids homes of 2 more journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2021 – The Taliban must immediately cease raiding the homes of journalists and allow the media to operate freely and openly without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17 and 20, Taliban militants raided the homes of at least two members of the…
‘Complex, fast changing, and extraordinarily dangerous’: PBS’ Jane Ferguson on the ground in Kabul
Jane Ferguson, a correspondent for PBS NewsHour and contributor to The New Yorker magazine, landed in Kabul on August 15, just as the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was collapsing and the Taliban began to enter the city. Ferguson told CPJ that covering the swift and unexpected changing of the guard in Kabul is…
Afghan female journalist: I may not be alive by the time US can evacuate me
Steven Butler describes it as “mass panic.” As the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator has been fielding “hundreds and hundreds” of daily pleas from journalists asking for help to flee the country. Butler, along with CPJ Asia research associate Sonali Dhawan and the organization’s Emergencies team, are now in the process…
Cambodian authorities force reporters to delete photos, video of protest
Bangkok, August 16, 2021 – Cambodian authorities should return all items confiscated from reporters An Vichet and Lors Lib Lib, and ensure they can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 13, police officers obstructed both journalists while they were covering a protest by villagers against the demolition of homes in…
Demonstrators and security forces harass, obstruct journalists covering Tunisia protests
On July 25 and 26, 2021, protestors and security forces in Tunis, Tunisia, assaulted and harassed at least six journalists covering demonstrations, according to news reports, journalists who spoke to CPJ and posted their experiences on social media, and a statement by the National Syndicate of Tunisian journalists (SNJT), a local trade union. The journalists…
Kashmir police raid homes of journalist Qazi Shibli and his family members
Washington, D.C., August 6, 2021– Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir should cease harassing journalist Qazi Shibli and allow him to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At approximately 1:00 a.m. on August 5, police raided the home of Shibli, editor of the news website The Kashmiriyat, in Anantnag city in central…
Bangladesh authorities harass, threaten two Rohingya journalists
Washington, D.C., August 5, 2021– Bangladesh authorities should immediately cease harassing brothers and colleagues Sayful Arkane, a reporter, and Mohammad Aziz Arkane, a camera operator, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 2, the brothers, who cover Rohingya refugees for the YouTube channel of Rohingya news website The Arakan Times, participated in a…
Russian authorities label The Insider a ‘foreign agent,’ search editor’s home
Stockholm, August 3, 2021 – Russian authorities should remove The Insider and all other media organizations and journalists from the country’s register of foreign agents and stop harassing the outlet’s editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 23, the Russian Justice Ministry added independent Latvia-based investigative news site The Insider…