Bangladeshi writer Mushtaq Ahmed dies in jail; cartoonist Kabir Kishore allegedly abused in custody
New York, February 25, 2021 — Bangladeshi authorities should conduct a swift, transparent, and independent investigation into the death of writer and commentator Mushtaq Ahmed in custody, and should release jailed political cartoonist Kabir Kishore unconditionally and investigate claims that he was subjected to physical abuse in custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today….
Vietnamese reporter Phan Bui Bao Thy detained over critical Facebook posts
Bangkok, February 18, 2021 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Phan Bui Bao Thy and stop jailing reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 10, police in Vietnam’s central Quang Tri province arrested Thy, bureau chief of the state-run Giao Duc Va Thoi Dai (Age and Education) news…
Iranian journalist Nooshin Jafari begins 4-year jail term on propaganda and insult charges
New York, February 18, 2021 – Iranian authorities should immediately release Nooshin Jafari and stop imprisoning members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 16, police arrested Jafari at her home in Tehran and took her to the city’s Qarchak Prison to begin serving a four-year sentence,…
CPJ condemns 2-year jail sentences for Belarus journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova
New York, February 18, 2021 – In response to today’s sentencing of Belarusian journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova to two years each in prison over their coverage of protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “These prison terms are naked political persecutions designed to bully into silence any…
Philippine journalist Lady Ann Salem remains jailed after dismissal of firearms charges
Bangkok, February 17, 2021 – Philippine authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Lady Ann Salem and refrain from filing any new charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 5, the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court dismissed illegal firearms possession charges against Salem, editor of the Manila Today English-language news website, stating that…
Iraqi Kurdish court sentences journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to 6 years in jail
New York, February 16, 2021 – In response to today’s sentencing of Iraqi Kurdish freelance journalists Sherwan Amin Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari to six years each in jail, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s sentencing of journalists Sherwan Amin Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari is not only unfair and disproportionate, but it…
Meet Mediazona, the punk rock-founded Russian news outlet whose editor was jailed for a tweet
Of the more than 100 Russian journalists who have been arrested or fined covering rallies in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Mediazona chief editor Sergey Smirnov has become a symbol of the absurd lengths to which Russian authorities are willing to go to quash coverage of the events. On January 20, Smirnov retweeted another person’s tweet saying…
Russian blogger jailed for 25 days over coverage of Navalny protests, hospitalized after hunger strike
New York, February 10, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Dmitry Bairov, drop all charges against him, and allow him to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 28, plain-clothed law enforcement officers detained Bairov near his home in Ulan-Ude, a city in the eastern Russian Republic…
Bangladesh charges 3 journalists under Digital Security Act
New York, February 8, 2021 – In response to Bangladesh authorities’ recent filing of charges under the Digital Security Act against photographer Shafiqul Islam Kajol, writer Mushtaq Ahmed, and cartoonist Kabir Kishore, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are extremely alarmed by Bangladeshi authorities’ continuous and blatant abuse of the Digital…
Iran arrests journalist Reza Taleshian Jelodarzadeh
Washington, D.C., February 5, 2021—Iranian authorities must release journalist Reza Taleshian Jelodarzadeh and stop arresting members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 20, Jelodarzadeh, editor-in-chief of the Tehran-based Nour-e Azadi magazine, wrote on his Instagram account that he had been arrested by Iranian authorities and was being transferred to Greater Tehran Prison. He also…