Journalist Kayvan Samimi rearrested in Iran, held in undisclosed location
Washington, D.C., April 24, 2023—Iranian authorities should immediately release journalist Kayvan Samimi, drop any charges against him, and release all members of the press held for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On April 20, authorities in Tehran arrested Samimi, the editor-in-chief of the state-run Iran-e Farda magazine, and took him to an undisclosed…
Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu held since February 2022, facing espionage charges
Taipei, April 24, 2023—Chinese authorities should immediately release journalist Dong Yuyu, drop any charges against him, and cease detaining and prosecuting members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Monday, April 24, the journalist’s family released a statement, which CPJ reviewed, saying that Dong, a columnist for the…
CPJ calls on British PM to press for Jimmy Lai’s freedom after Hong Kong report
New York, April 24, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed recommendations made by Britain’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in a report about Hong Kong media freedom released Monday, April 24, and joined the group in urging the U.K. government to immediately take action to secure the release of Jimmy Lai and other imprisoned journalists. The…
Belarus prosecutor requests lengthy prison terms for journalists Raman Pratasevich, Stsypan Putsila, and Yan Rudzik
Paris, April 21, 2023–A Belarusian prosecutor requested a 10-year prison sentence for detained journalist Raman Pratasevich, a 19-year prison sentence in absentia for journalist Yan Rudzik, and a 20-year prison sentence in absentia for journalist Stsypan Putsila during a hearing on Friday, April 21, in Minsk, the capital, news reports said. “The lengthy prison terms…
Journalists detained and attacked in Iraqi Kurdistan
Beirut, April 20, 2023—Iraqi Kurdistan authorities should immediately return equipment confiscated from the privately owned outlet Rast Media and ensure those who attacked a news crew for the local broadcaster KNN TV are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, April 17, eight officers with the regional Asayish intelligence agency…
CPJ joins call for Turkey’s internet authority to protect end-to-end encrypted services
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 human rights, press freedom, and internet freedom organizations in urging Turkey’s internet regulator Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), to protect end-to-end encrypted services in light of recent legislation. In October 2022, Turkey’s parliament passed a 40-article bill that included amendments providing more detail about the existing obligations of social…
‘I am dying every day:’ Wife of killed Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif calls for justice
Justice remains elusive six months after the killing of prominent Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya on October 23, 2022. Kenyan authorities claimed Sharif was shot dead by Kenyan police in an incident that shocked Pakistan’s media community and raised questions about whether his death was connected to his work. “This was a targeted killing,”…
Taliban bans Washington Post journalist Susannah George from returning to Afghanistan
New York, April 20, 2023—Taliban authorities must allow Washington Post journalist Susannah George to return to and work from Afghanistan and should stop all attempts to restrict the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In a statement on Thursday, April 20, Washington Post Executive Editor Sally Buzbee said that George, the paper’s Islamabad-based…
Chinese authorities ‘freeze’ visas of Indian journalist and media representative
On April 4, 2023, Chinese authorities told one Indian journalist and a representative from an Indian media group not to return to the country from abroad, according to multiple news reports and two people familiar with the situation who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity. Chinese authorities told Ananth Krishnan, a Beijing-based correspondent…