Harsh conditions for Askarov, the Kyrgyz journalist UN says should be freed
On a recent morning in Bazar-Korgon, southern Kyrgyzstan, Khadicha Askarova was giving hasty instructions to her daughter about what needed to be packed. They were about to set off: first for the capital Bishkek, some 600km from where they live, and then another 70km to a prison colony where her husband, Azimjon Askarov, was transferred…
Somali journalist Ali Adan Mumin jailed despite court order for release
EDITOR’S NOTE: Immediately after publishing this article, CPJ learned that Ali Adan Mumin has been released from jail. The journalist was released on the condition that he could be summoned by police for questioning at any time, according to Somali Journalists Syndicate cofounder Abdalle Ahmed Mumin and Goobjoog Media Director Hassan Mohamud Mohamed.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of May 26, 2019
More journalists beaten in Turkey On May 25, three men beat Selahattin Önkibar, a columnist for the ultranationalist opposition news website Odatv, near his house in Ankara, the leftist daily Evrensel reported. Önkibar is the fifth journalist to be attacked in Turkey this month, in apparent retaliation for their work, CPJ has found.
Iran jails Sedaye Parsi editor Masoud Kazemi on new national security charges
Washington, D.C., May 22, 2019 – Iranian authorities should release journalist Masoud Kazemi and clarify or drop the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Earlier today, Kazemi, editor-in-chief of the monthly Sedaye Parsi political magazine, arrived at the Tehran Revolutionary Guard Corps Branch 28 court to stand trial on anti-state propaganda…
Nigeria charges Weekly Source editor Jones Abiri under cybercrimes, terrorism acts
Berlin, May 22, 2019 –A federal court today charged Jones Abiri, the publisher and editor-in -chief of the Weekly Source, under Nigeria’s cybercrimes act, anti-sabotage act, and terrorism prevention act for crimes allegedly carried out in 2016, and ordered the journalist to be detained, according to his lawyer, Samuel Ogala, and charge documents seen by…
CPJ, Human Rights Watch call on Venezuela to release Jesús Medina
New York, May 21, 2019–Venezuelan authorities should immediately release Jesús Medina, who they have arbitrarily imprisoned because of his reporting for nearly nine months, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Human Rights Watch said today.
Somaliland journalist injured during arrest, jailed without charge
Nairobi, May 17, 2019 — Authorities in the breakaway state of Somaliland should immediately release television reporter Abdirahman Keyse Mohamed, also known as Tungub, and investigate the police officer who fired a shot that injured the journalist during his arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of May 12, 2019
Journalists beaten, hospitalized in Ankara and Antalya At least six men used baseball bats to beat Yavuz Selim Demirağ, a columnist for the nationalist daily Yeni Çağ, in Ankara on the evening of May 10, the same day that he appeared as a guest on a political talk show on the nationalist Türkiyem TV, his…
Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo freed by pardon in Myanmar
Bangkok, May 7, 2019– Reuters’ journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were released today from a Yangon prison in Myanmar as part of a presidential pardon, after spending more than 500 days behind bars, Reuters reported. The journalists were released in a mass amnesty of prisoners granted today by President Win Myint, according to…