French journalist Erwan Chartier, Le Poher staff receive death threats
Berlin, February 14, 2023 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the death threats received by journalist Erwan Chartier and the editorial staff of the Le Poher newspaper and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 31, an unidentified person sent an email to Chartier containing racial slurs and…
Indian tax authority raids BBC after critical documentary
New Delhi, February 14, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Indian authorities to stop harassing journalists on Tuesday after tax officials raided offices of the British broadcaster BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai. “Raiding the BBC’s India offices in the wake of a documentary criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi smacks of…
CPJ joins calls to establish independent investigative mechanism for accountability in human rights violations in Belarus
CPJ joined 27 human rights and press freedom organizations in a letter on Monday, February 13, 2023, calling for the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism in Belarus. The letter, led by the Oslo-based Human Rights House Foundation, asked the council to create such a mechanism at its next session to…
Iranian authorities arrest Kurdish journalist Siamand Mohtadi
Washington, D.C., February 13, 2023 – Iranian authorities must drop any charges against freelance Kurdish journalist Siamand Mohtadi and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Saturday, February 11, authorities arrested Mohtadi after raiding his home in the Kurdish city of Bukan, in West Azerbaijan province, and took him to an…
‘Like going to the war front’: Nigerian journalists offer tips for covering 2023 elections
In the early hours of February 1, unknown gunmen set fire to an office of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission and a police station in the country’s southeastern Anambra state. Days earlier, gunmen had attacked and killed soldiers and policemen at checkpoints along a road that connects nearby Enugu and Ebonyi states. The incidents underscored…
Russia fails to renew accreditation of longtime Finnish correspondent Arja Paananen
Paris, February 13, 2023 — Russian authorities should not interfere with the renewal of Finnish journalist Arja Paananen’s accreditation and visa and let her work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On February 9, the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had failed to renew Paananen’s accreditation to…
Access to VOA and RFE/RL websites restricted in Afghanistan
New York, February 13, 2023 – Taliban officials must cease censoring news outlets in Afghanistan and restore unfettered access to the websites of the U.S.-Congress funded broadcasters Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. The websites of both outlets are inaccessible on three of Afghanistan’s privately owned…
‘Don’t give up’: After fleeing overseas, Hong Kong journalists fight on
When Hong Kong journalist Matthew Leung covered a small protest in the northern English city of Manchester last October, little did he know it would become one of the biggest stories in his career—and unleash a diplomatic storm between China and Britain. His photographs, showing a group of men beating a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester…
Cambodian authorities shutter Voice of Democracy news outlet
Bangkok, February 13, 2023 – Cambodian authorities must reverse the recent order to shut down the Voice of Democracy independent news outlet and allow the organization to continue reporting without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, February 12, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a statement on his official…
Journalist Evan Lambert arrested, charged while covering Ohio train derailment
New York, February 9, 2023 — Law enforcement in East Palestine, Ohio, should immediately drop all charges against NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert and thoroughly investigate why he was arrested, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, Lambert was giving a live report for cable network NewsNation about a…