Sierra Leone journalist Alusine Antha beaten while covering land dispute
Abuja, March 11, 2022 — Sierra Leone authorities should swiftly identify and hold to account those responsible for the recent attack on journalist Alusine Antha, the Committee to Protect Journalist said Friday. On February 17, in the western city of Waterloo, a group of about 30 people attacked Antha while he covered a meeting over…
South Sudanese journalist Woja Emmanuel abducted by unidentified men
Nairobi, March 11, 2022 — South Sudanese authorities should conduct a swift and credible investigation into the recent abduction of journalist Woja Emmanuel, and ensure those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At about 9 a.m. on March 2, a man approached Woja, an editor and news anchor with…
Opinion: How the West can help the media victims of Putin’s war
Russia’s independent journalists are fleeing. That’s not only a tragedy for Russians but also for the rest of us who need to know what the increasingly isolated leader of a nuclear superpower is doing. Since sending tanks into Ukraine on February 24, President Vladimir Putin has threatened to jail anyone who dares question the invasion…
Iranian reporter Amir-Abbas Azarmvand begins 4-year, 4-month prison sentence
Washington, D.C., March 11, 2022 — Iranian authorities must release journalist Amir-Abbas Azarmvand from prison immediately and should cease jailing members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. In January, Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Azarmvand, a financial reporter for the state-run Iranian…
Russian forces in Ukraine detain and harass journalists; authorities clamp down on Russian media
Paris, March 10, 2022 – Russian authorities must halt their campaign to stifle the domestic press, and the country’s armed forces should immediately cease harassing journalists covering the invasion of Ukraine, and ensure that the media can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. This week, Russian forces in Ukraine have…
‘Censor yourself or don’t work at all’: Why squeezed Russian journalists are fleeing in droves
Last week, Taisia Bekbulatova, chief editor of Russian independent news site Holod, began frantically looking for plane tickets. Bekbulatova, who is based in Georgia, wanted to evacuate her Russia-based staff after the country passed legislation threatening up to 15 years in prison for the publication of “fake” information about the invasion of Ukraine. “It was apparent that the law was…
European Parliament speaks out on violence against journalists in Mexico
Brussels, March 10, 2022 — The European Union must strengthen its criticism of the deterioration of press freedom in Mexico and ensure that Mexican authorities guarantee immediate resourcing and funding of their protection program for journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday, March 10, that condemns…
Peru legislators propose law criminalizing reporting based on leaked information
Miami, March 10, 2022 — Peru’s Congress should reject a bill that would criminalize reporting based on leaked information from informants cooperating in criminal investigations, as it would negatively impact journalists’ ability to operate, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On February 23, the Commission of Justice and Human Rights unanimously approved a bill…
Reporters shot, shelled, robbed while covering Russian invasion of Ukraine
Paris, March 9, 2022 – Russian and Ukrainian authorities must ensure that members of the press can cover the war in Ukraine safely and freely, and Russian forces must refrain from targeting journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Since late February, Russian troops have injured at least three journalists from international outlets, and…
Mexican journalist Juan Carlos Muñiz shot dead in Zacatecas
Mexico City, March 9, 2022 – Mexican authorities must immediately and thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Juan Carlos Muñiz and determine whether he was killed because of his journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 4, Muñiz’s body was found in Los Olivos, a neighborhood in the city of Fresnillo in…