Russia brings new charges against jailed journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Maria Ponomarenko, targets exiled journalist Masha Gessen
Paris, December 14, 2023—Russian authorities must immediately release journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Maria Ponomarenko, drop all charges against them, and stop harassing exiled members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, the Telegram channel Baza and state news agency Tatar-Inform reported that Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian national and an editor…
Algerian prosecutor requests one-year sentence for journalist Mustapha Bendjama
New York, December 13, 2023 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Mustapha Bendjama and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. During an appeal hearing held in the northeastern city of Annaba on Tuesday, December 12, the state prosecutor requested an additional one-year prison sentence for…
Azerbaijani journalist Hafiz Babali latest arrest in Abzas Media crackdown
Stockholm, December 13, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention on Wednesday of investigative journalist Hafiz Babali and calls on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release him and other detained journalists. “By arresting widely respected investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, Azerbaijani authorities are only confirming that their real aim in targeting Abzas Media is…
Afghan journalist Sultan Ali Jawadi sentenced to 1 year in prison
New York, December 13, 2023—Taliban authorities must immediately release Afghan journalist Sultan Ali Jawadi, drop all charges against him, and stop imprisoning members of the press for their work in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Sunday, December 10, a Taliban court in the city of Nili, in central Daikundi Province, sentenced…
Taliban intelligence forces detain Afghan journalist Abdul Rahim Mohammadi
New York, December 12, 2023—The Taliban must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Abdul Rahim Mohammadi and stop detaining and intimidating members of the press in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 4, Mohammadi, a reporter for the independent broadcaster Tamadon TV, responded to a summons by Taliban provincial intelligence officers in…
CPJ urges Sudanese paramilitary forces to cease using media institutions as detention centers
New York, December 12, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that the Sudanese paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is using state-owned media buildings in Omdurman as illegal detention centers, and calls on all parties in the ongoing war to respect all media establishments. “The RSF’s use of Sudan’s state…
Father of Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif killed in Gaza after journalist receives threats
Washington, D.C., December 11, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the killing of the father of Anas al-Sharif, a reporter and videographer for Al Jazeera Arabic in northern Gaza, and reiterates its call for the protection of journalists in Gaza and their family members. On Monday, an Israeli airstrike hit al-Sharif’s family…
Belarusian authorities detain at least two Ranak journalists
New York, December 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of Belarusian journalists Liudmila Andenka and Yulia Dovletova, and calls on Belarusian authorities to release them immediately. “Belarusian authorities continue using their shameful ‘extremism’ legislation by imprisoning journalists who have worked for media that they have arbitrarily banned from operating in the country,”…
CPJ urges South Korea to stop intimidation of Newstapa after raid on editor’s home
New York, December 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on South Korean authorities to cease harassing journalists at the investigative outlet Newstapa after a December 6 raid on the residence of its editor-in-chief Kim Yong Jin over a 2022 report that officials claimed defamed President Yoon Suk Yeol. Newstapa’s office in the capital, Seoul,…
Malawi police seize ZBS reporter Raphael Mlozoa’s phone, delete photos of officers’ conduct
Lusaka, December 7, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Malawi Police Service to investigate and hold accountable officers who forcibly deleted photographs from the mobile phone of Raphael Mlozoa, a reporter at privately owned broadcaster Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), during a demonstration in the Mangochi district on November 30. Mlozoa had been assigned…