Tajikistan authorities detain, question relatives of exiled journalist Anora Sarkorova
Stockholm, June 29, 2022 – Tajikistan authorities must stop harassing relatives of exiled independent journalist Anora Sarkorova, and should allow members of the press to cover sensitive issues freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the morning of Monday, June 27, officers from the Tajik Interior Ministry’s Department for Combatting Organized Crime detained…
CPJ urges Gambia authorities to prioritize legal reforms, accountability for crimes against the press
Abuja, June 29, 2022 – Gambian authorities should adopt the reforms recommended by the country’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC)—including ensuring journalists are not prosecuted for sedition—work to swiftly hold former President Yahya Jammeh and members of his “Junglers” death squad to account for their crimes against journalists, and end the culture of impunity…
Shutdown order against Rappler must be revoked immediately
The Hold the Line Coalition condemns the historic shutdown order against Rappler approved by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week. By reinforcing an earlier decision to revoke Rappler’s certificates of incorporation, the ruling effectively confirms the shuttering of the independent news outlet. “The SEC shutdown order is part of a multi–pronged attack…
Ethiopian authorities re-arrest journalist Yayesew Shimelis 1 week after release on bail
Nairobi, June 29, 2022 – In response to news reports that Ethiopian security personnel arrested journalist Yayesew Shimelis on Tuesday, June 28, and are holding him at an undisclosed location, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for his immediate release: “Yayesew Shimelis’ detention is deeply concerning, given Ethiopian authorities’ history of…
Philippine authorities order Rappler to shut down, block access to 2 news websites
Bangkok, June 29, 2022 – Philippine authorities should immediately reverse their order to shut down the independent Rappler news organization and lift their blockages of the local Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly’s news websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “Philippine authorities must reverse their order to close Rappler and to block access to independent news websites Bulatalat and Pinoy Weekly, and cease fabricating spurious…
CPJ joins letter calling on Romanian authorities to hasten investigation into harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan
In a joint letter addressed to Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other government officials on Tuesday, June 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven international press freedom organizations expressed their deep concerns over delays in the investigation into harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan. Since January, Șercan has received threatening emails and social media messages, and…
Nigerian publisher Olamilekan Hammed Adewale Bashiru granted bail with strict conditions
Abuja, June 28, 2022 – Nigerian authorities should release EagleForeSight publisher Olamilekan Hammed Adewale Bashiru and ensure that overly stringent bail conditions are not used as a tool to keep him behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 21, a federal high court in the Ogun state capital, Abeokuta, granted Bashiru…
Guinean police detain, question journalist Mamadou Sagnane
Dakar, June 28, 2022 — Guinean authorities should drop any ongoing investigation into journalist Mamadou Sagnane and ensure that the press can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 15, police in the north-central town of Dinguiraye summoned Sagnane, a reporter with the community broadcaster Dinguiraye Rural Radio, according to the…
Proposed Russian legislation expands ‘foreign agent’ regulations
Paris, June 28, 2022 — Russian legislators should not pass a new bill to expand the country’s regulations concerning so-called “foreign agents,” and should let the press operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. The country’s current foreign agent legislation requires the Ministry of Justice to prove that a person or organization has…
New details raise questions about whether Sri Lankan president was complicit in the killing of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge
Nishantha Silva is obsessed with details. The missing notebook. The unusual telephone number. The motorcycle tossed into a lake and the person who knew exactly where to find it. Those details and others are the pointillist dots of color that Silva, formerly a detective with Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department, has assembled into a vivid…