Russian authorities harass, detain journalists with independent news outlet Sota.Vision
Paris, March 25, 2022 – Russian authorities should stop harassing journalists from the independent news website Sota.Vision, and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since March 7, authorities have detained at least seven journalists with Sota.Vision, including two who were sentenced to multiple days in…
Zimbabwean journalist assaulted while covering opposition party election rally
Lusaka, March 25, 2022 – Zimbabwean political parties participating in the March 26 by-election must ensure journalists can cover the events freely and prevent their supporters and officials from harassing or assaulting the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Around 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, in Masvingo, about 182 miles (290 kilometers)…
‘We expect anything’: A Russian union leader vows to keep helping journalists facing state repression
As journalists flee Russia fearing prosecution for their coverage of the invasion of Ukraine or their affiliation with outlets deemed “foreign agents,” the country’s Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) is trying to help them. A non-governmental trade union with some 600 active members, the group defends labor rights, provides assistance to journalists, and stands…
Formula TV, Mtavari Arkhi crews attacked in Georgia
New York, March 25, 2022 – Georgian authorities should thoroughly investigate two recent attacks on camera crews working for independent and pro-opposition television stations Mtavari Arkhi and Formula TV and ensure that all perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At around 7 p.m. on March 17, Formula TV reporter…
Iceland police investigate 4 journalists for alleged privacy breach in Samherji fishing company reporting
Berlin, March 25, 2022 — Iceland authorities must ensure that journalists are not subject to police investigations as retaliation for their work, and should drop their criminal probe into journalists who recently covered the Samherji fishing company, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. In November 2019, Iceland’s public broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), the privately owned…
Political reporter Altan Sancar threatened at gunpoint in Turkey
Istanbul, March 24, 2022 – Turkish authorities should thoroughly investigate a recent threat against journalist Altan Sancar, determine whether it was related to his work, and ensure the journalist’s safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday around 12:30 a.m., Sancar, a reporter for independent news website Diken and independent online radio Özgürüz…
Nicaraguan publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann convicted on money laundering charges
New York, March 24, 2022 – Nicaraguan authorities should release publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro from prison immediately, and should ensure that members of the press do not face criminal penalties for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, March 23, at the end of a three-day closed-door trial, a judge…
Myanmar sentences journalists Hanthar Nyein and Than Htike Aung to 2 years in prison
Bangkok, March 24, 2022 – Myanmar authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalists Hanthar Nyein and Than Htike Aung, and stop sentencing members of the press to prison for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, March 21, a military court in Yangon’s Insein Prison convicted Hanthar, co-founder of the local…
Russian journalist Oksana Baulina killed amid Russian attack on Kyiv
Paris, March 23, 2022 — In response to the death of Russian journalist Oksana Baulina amid Russian forces’ attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the safety of journalists and all civilians to be respected during the conflict: “We are profoundly saddened by the death of…
Cameroon journalist Malcolm Barnabé Paho detained for 2 days, prosecuted for defamation
Dakar, March 23, 2022 — Cameroonian authorities should drop the prosecution of journalist Malcom Bernabé Paho and decriminalize journalism in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 22, the national gendarmerie arrested Paho, director of the newspaper Midi Libre Hebdo; opened a criminal defamation case against him; and detained him for…