Polish authorities question reporter covering Belarus border area
On September 27, 2021, police in Michałowo, a Polish town near the border with Belarus, questioned Agnieszka Kaszuba, a reporter for daily newspaper Fakt, for about an hour, according to news reports, her employer, and the journalist, who communicated with CPJ via email. Kaszuba told CPJ that the officers stopped her car while she was…
Congolese authorities detain AFP correspondent Pierre Sosthène Kambidi without charge
New York, September 24, 2021 — Congolese authorities should immediately release journalist Pierre Sosthène Kambidi and ensure the press across the country can work without fear or intimidation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 20, plainclothes military officers arrested Kambidi, a correspondent for Agence France-Presse and the local news website Actualite.cd, at…
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…
Belarus police continue newsroom raids, target journalists’ association
Stockholm, July 15, 2021 – Belarusian authorities must cease their raids on independent news outlets and press freedom groups, and refrain from charging or imprisoning journalists over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Early yesterday morning, Belarusian law enforcement officers raided the Minsk headquarters of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), a…
Russian police interrogate 3 journalists with investigative outlet Proekt, raid apartments
New York, June 29, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately drop their investigations into journalists at the investigative news website Proekt, and ensure that the members of the press can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, Moscow police raided the apartments of Proekt chief editor Roman Badanin, deputy editor Mikhail Rubin,…
Iraqi Kurdish authorities question Assyrian National Broadcasting manager, shutter outlet
In October 2020, a captain with the Iraqi Kurdish Asayish security forces ordered the closure of the Erbil office of Assyrian National Broadcasting (ANB), according to a statement by the Assyrian Policy Institute, a local rights group, and ANB’s Erbil office manager, William Bnyameen Adam Khlapieel, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. ANB, a…
Kyrgyz journalist Kanat Kanimetov questioned, family harassed by authorities
Stockholm, May 3, 2021 — Kyrgyz authorities should cease their harassment of journalist Kanat Kanimetov and allow him to work freely and without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 11, officers of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security (GKNB) summoned Kanimetov, a reporter and presenter with the independent television broadcaster Aprel, to their headquarters…
Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed questioned in Spain by alleged Israeli intelligence agent
New York, April 15, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over an account by Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed that he was summoned by Spanish authorities under false pretenses and questioned about his journalistic activity by someone he believes to be an Israeli intelligence operative. In early February, officers with Spain’s Civil…
Lebanese journalist Radwan Mortada questioned over port explosion criticism
In the morning of January 15, 2021, Lebanese intelligence officers arrived at the Beirut home of Radwan Mortada, a reporter for the local daily Al-Akhbar, and ordered him to go to the Intelligence Directorate’s Investigation Branch immediately for questioning, he said in an interview with local broadcaster Al-Jadeed TV later that day. The officers claimed…
Bulgarian reporter Martin Georgiev summoned for questioning over request for comment on police brutality
Berlin, September 22, 2020 – Bulgarian authorities must make good faith efforts to work with the press, and should refrain from taking actions that could intimidate reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 14, police in Sofia, the capital, summoned Martin Georgiev, a crime reporter at the local daily Sega, for questioning…