Zambian journalist Evans Liyali assaulted by soccer players, team employees
Lusaka, January 18, 2023 — Zambian authorities should thoroughly investigate the recent assault of journalist Evans Liyali and ensure that members of the press can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On January 14, members of the Green Eagles Football Club attacked Liyali, a sports reporter for the privately owned broadcaster Byta…
Turkish journalist Sezgin Kartal arrested for alleged PKK membership
Istanbul, January 18, 2023 – Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sezgin Kartal and stop filing terrorism charges against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On January 10, police raided Kartal’s Istanbul home and took him into custody; on January 13, a local court ordered him to be held in…
DRC broadcaster Radio Tokomi Wapi suspended, police shutter station
On January 9, 2023, Congolese authorities ordered the suspension of the broadcaster Radio Tokomi Wapi, according to news reports, a copy of that order, which CPJ reviewed, and people familiar with the case who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. Pascal Ernest Mulumba Kalende, the minister of communication and media for Lomami province, ordered Radio…
Hold The Line Coalition welcomes acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler, calls for all remaining cases to be closed
January 18, 2023 – The Hold the Line Coalition (HTL) welcomes Wednesday’s Philippine Court of Tax Appeals verdict, which has acquitted Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and Rappler, the news organization she founded, of tax evasion in four of seven cases brought by the government. If they had failed to defend the charges, Ressa could have…
Authorities in Tigray release 3 journalists, 2 others remain in detention
Nairobi, January 17, 2023—In response to news reports that authorities in the northern Ethiopian state of Tigray recently released three employees of the broadcaster Tigrai TV but continue to hold two more in custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the remaining staffers’ release: “While it is a great relief…
Pakistani journalist Shahid Aslam arrested in leak investigation
New York, January 17, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Shahid Aslam and allow the media to freely and independently report on military officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 13, Federal Investigation Agency officers in Lahore arrested Aslam, a special correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster BOL…
4 years since murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, Ghana’s journalists still attacked with impunity
The January 16, 2019, murder of Ghanaian journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, who was gunned down by unidentified men months after threats by a local politician, sent shockwaves through the country’s press corps and yielded promises from leaders to find the killers and bring them to justice. But four years later – despite police assurances of progress and two arrests – nobody has been…
Belarus court sentences 2 journalists to years of house arrest
Paris, January 13, 2023 — In response to a Belarusian court’s sentencing of journalists Snezhana Inanets and Aliaksandr Lychauka to years of house arrest Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement condemning the restrictions on the journalists’ freedom: “While it is a relief that Belarusian journalists Snezhana Inanets and Aliaksandr Lychauka will…
Hong Kong denies entry to Japanese photographer who covered 2019 pro-democracy protests
On December 30, 2022, Hong Kong immigration authorities denied Michiko Kiseki, a freelance photographer known for her photography of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations, entry to the city, according to news reports and a statement by the Hong Kong Journalist’s Association. An immigration officer at the Hong Kong International Airport repeatedly asked Kiseki about her February…
At least 40 journalists targeted amid Brazil capital riot and aftermath
Rio de Janeiro, January 13, 2023 – Brazilian authorities must investigate all attacks on journalists covering the January 8 riots at the country’s capital and their aftermath, and adopt concrete measures to protect members of the press and reduce widespread hostility against the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 8, thousands…