Chinese police detain, assault Hong Kong journalists for covering protest
New York, September 15, 2016 – Chinese authorities should launch a credible, independent investigation into allegations police assaulted journalists and allow reporters to do their work, including covering protests, without restriction, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police in China’s southern Guangdong province last night assaulted and detained five journalists from Hong Kong-based news…
Newspaper offices shot at and vandalized in Venezuela
New York, August 31, 2016–Authorities should investigate incidents of vandalism of Venezuelan newspaper offices and do everything in their power to ensure that journalists can work without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Head of public broadcaster attacked, threatened in Kosovo
New York, August 30, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned an attack late on August 28 on Mentor Shala, the director of Radio Television of Kosovo, or RTK, and calls on authorities to protect him in light of continuing threats to his life. A radical activist group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which…
Nigerian military threatens journalist for not revealing sources
Abuja, Nigeria, August 18, 2016 — The Nigerian military should cease threatening freelance journalist Ahmad Salkida with prosecution for not acting as an informer, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The military has said the journalist could face terrorism charges if he does not provide it with information he gained in the course of…
Threats push Sierra Leonean community radio journalist into hiding
Sahr Amadu Komba, manager of the local radio station Eastern Radio 96.5 FM in the diamond mining town of Koidu, in Sierra Leone’s eastern Kono District, went into hiding from July 27-31, 2016, out of fear of arrest on allegations of inciting the public to protest the government’s response to floods that destroyed homes and…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of August 14
Released journalists describe beatings in custody, headline ‘Resistance continues’ Journalists from the pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Özgür Gündem, the pro-Kurdish DİHA news agency and broadcaster IMC TV released yesterday alleged that police beat and mistreated them in custody, Özgür Gündem reported on its website, which continues to publish despite a court order temporarily closing the newspaper.…
Indian journalist, magazine face criminal complaint for investigative report
New York, August 11, 2016 – Indian authorities should shelve a criminal complaint against the weekly Indian magazine Outlook, its leadership, and freelance journalist Neha Dixit, and ensure the safety of the journalist and Outlook’s staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Libyan journalist abducted, threatened
An unidentified group of armed men abducted Aboubaker Al-Bizanti, a producer for Art Media Solutions (AMS), which produces local news coverage for the broadcaster Libya Al-Ahrar TV and other television stations, the night of August 7, 2016, and released him the following day, according to the journalist, his colleagues, and Libyan news websites.
Philippine leader blows hot and cold on press freedom
Newly installed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sent mixed messages on his commitment to upholding press freedom and combating impunity in media murders, a mix of hope and fear that has broadly defined the first months of his leadership. Uncertainty about Duterte’s stance on the media’s watchdog role comes against the backdrop of a “war…
Turkey issues at least 42 arrest warrants for journalists
New York, July 25, 2016–Turkish authorities should cease using a failed coup attempt as a pretext for purging critical journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the latest in a series of moves against the media, police have issued arrest warrants for at least 42 journalists, Turkey’s official Anatolia news agency (AA) reported…