Myanmar sentences The Irrawaddy publisher Thaung Win to 5 years prison for sedition
Bangkok, July 3, 2023 – Myanmar’s military authorities must immediately release Thaung Win, stop persecuting journalists for their work, and let the independent news outlet The Irrawaddy operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On June 28, the Western Yangon District Court sentenced Thaung Win, The Irrawaddy’s publisher, to five years in prison…
Congolese soldiers arrest, beat 3 journalists covering land dispute
Kinshasa, June 30, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must hold accountable the soldiers who arrested and beat journalists Jeef Ngoyi, Marie-Louise Malou Mbela, and Jiresse Nkelani, and cease detaining journalists covering the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, June 28, at least 12 soldiers from the Armed Forces…
Belarusian journalist Pavel Padabed sentenced to 4 years in prison
New York, June 30, 2023—In response to a Belarusian court sentencing journalist Pavel Padabed to four years in prison on Friday, June 30, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The sentencing of Belarusian journalist Pavel Padabed to four years’ imprisonment after a hasty two-day trial is a travesty of justice,” said Gulnoza…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering 2023 anti-police protests in France
Violent protests have spread across France and Belgium following the fatal shooting of a 17-old teenager by police during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, June 27. Skirmishes between police and protestors have been reported in cities including Lille, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Montpellier, and the Belgian capital of Brussels….
Hong Kong denies entry to Japanese journalist Yoshiaki Ogawa
Taipei, June 30, 2023—In response to Hong Kong immigration authorities denying entry to freelance Japanese journalist Yoshiaki Ogawa on Thursday, June 29, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Hong Kong authorities should explain their reasons for denying journalist Yoshiaki Ogawa’s entry or grant him permission to return to the city at once,”…
Azerbaijan police detain, beat journalists covering environmental protest
Stockholm, June 30, 2023—Azerbaijan authorities must ensure journalists can cover protests without obstruction and should investigate reports of police violence against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since June 22, Azerbaijani police have detained, beaten, threatened, or otherwise obstructed the work of at least six journalists reporting on environmental protests…
Unidentified attackers shoot Philippine journalist Joshua Abiad and family
Bangkok, June 30, 2023—Philippine authorities should thoroughly investigate the shooting of journalist Joshua Abiad, determine if the attack was related to his reporting, and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, June 29, unidentified gunmen shot Abiad while he was driving with his family in Quezon City, Metro…
CPJ calls for further investigation after Nigerian court finds police killed journalist Alex Ogbu
New York, June 29, 2023—In response to a court ruling that Nigerian police shot and killed journalist Alex Ogbu at a protest in 2020, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The recent court ruling for the Nigerian Police Force to pay damages to the family of slain journalist Alex Ogbu is a…
Protesters throw stones at 5 TV crews covering protests in northern Kosovo
On June 16, 2023, a group of between 15 and 20 protesters threw stones at and chased five ethnic Albanian news crews in the northern Kosovo town of Leposavic, forcing them to flee and abandon their reporting. The news crews worked for Kosovo public broadcaster RTK and private TV stations Tëvë1, RTV Dukagjini, Klan Kosova,…
Russia bans independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, adds to ‘undesirable’ list
New York, June 29, 2023—Russian authorities should stop silencing outlets by labeling them as “undesirable,” and let the independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, June 28, the Russian general prosecutor’s office declared the activity of the outlet’s legal entity, BDR Novaja Gazeta-Europe, “undesirable” and…