Taliban intelligence officers force Foreign Policy columnist Lynne O’Donnell to tweet apologies for her reporting
Washington, D.C., July 21, 2022 – Taliban authorities must stop harassing members of the press, and the intelligence officers who recently intimidated and threatened Australian journalist Lynne O’Donnell should be held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. O’Donnell, a columnist with the U.S. magazine Foreign Policy, arrived in Kabul on July 16,…
Indonesian journalists face wave of harassment and intimidation
Bangkok, July 21, 2022 – Indonesian authorities should investigate a series of incidents of harassment and intimidation against local journalists, identify and bring the relevant perpetrators to justice, and work to better protect media members and their ability to report without fear of reprisal or violence, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “A recent…
DRC journalist Joseph Kazadi remains behind bars after release of US reporter Nicolas Niarchos
New York, July 20, 2022 – Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should immediately release journalist Joseph Kazadi Kamuanga and ensure the press can work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On July 13, officers with the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) arrested U.S. freelance journalist Nicolas Niarchos and…
Somaliland authorities indefinitely suspend BBC
Nairobi, July 20, 2022— In response to news reports that authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland on July 19 indefinitely suspended the BBC, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Taking the BBC off the air will only rob the public of access to a source of critical reporting on matters of…
Tigrayan authorities in Ethiopia detain 5 Tigrai TV journalists
Nairobi, July 20, 2022 – Authorities in the Ethiopian region of Tigray should immediately release five Tigrai TV journalists who were recently taken into custody for their work, as well as all other members of the press behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Regional authorities in the state of Tigray, who are…
Israeli forces arrest Palestinian journalist Amer Abu Arafa in West Bank
New York, July 19, 2022 – Israeli authorities should release Amer Abu Arafa immediately and stop detaining and harassing Palestinian journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Before dawn on Tuesday, July 19, Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrested Abu Arafa, a correspondent for the London-based Quds Press News Agency, at his home in the…
Iraqi Kurdistan authorities deport Dutch journalist Fréderike Geerdink
On July 14, 2022, Iraqi Kurdistan authorities deported Dutch freelance journalist Fréderike Geerdink to her country, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app and also tweeted about the incident. In a July 14 tweet, Geerdink said she was detained on her way to Kobane, a Kurdish-majority town in Syria, near the…
Botswana journalist Tshepo Sethibe criminally charged over ‘alarming publications’
Lusaka, July 19, 2022 – Botswana authorities should immediately drop the criminal charge against Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler director Tshepo Sethibe, return devices seized from the outlet, and refrain from harassing the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On July 13, about 25 law enforcement officers arrested Sethibe at his home in the town…
Journalist Ayub Ali Warty criminally charged, briefly detained in Iraqi Kurdistan
Washington, D.C., July 19, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Ayub Ali Warty, ensure he can work freely, and Iraqi authorities should reform the country’s laws to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, July 18, police arrested Warty, a reporter for the broadcaster KNN…
‘Permanent fear’: Togolese journalists on their lives 1 year after Pegasus Project revelations
One year after news broke about a list of over 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected for surveillance with Pegasus spyware, journalists around the world continue to live and work with the fear that their phones can be used to track their conversations and penetrate all the personal and professional data stored on their devices. The…