Kashmir journalist Fahad Shah arrested over ‘anti-national content’
New Delhi, February 4, 2022 – Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Fahad Shah, drop any investigation into his work, and cease detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Friday evening, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir arrested Shah, editor of the privately owned…
Independent Venezuelan news sites blocked by state-controlled and private service providers
Bogotá, February 4, 2022 – Fresh blocks on a handful of Venezuela’s few remaining independent news websites are a troubling sign of escalating press censorship, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Journalists and experts say private internet service providers (ISPs) are censoring the sites for the first time, though they have been unavailable on…
CPJ welcomes Nigerian journalist Luka Binniyat’s release on bail, calls for end to prosecution
Abuja, February 4, 2022 — In response to the release on bail Thursday of Luka Binniyat, a Nigerian freelance reporter for the U.S.-based news outlet The Epoch Times, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the charges against him to be dropped: “While Nigerian journalist Luka Binniyat’s release on bail is…
Police investigate journalist Petty Chanda over leaked audio of government officials
Lusaka, February 3, 2022 – Zambian authorities must immediately drop the criminal investigation into television station manager Petty Chanda and stop harassing journalists whose reporting may embarrass top officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On January 18, privately owned Kenmark Broadcasting Network (KBN TV) aired a leaked audio conversation allegedly between Levy Ngoma, political advisor…
Russian authorities close Deutsche Welle office after Germany revokes RT license
New York, February 3, 2022 – In response to Russian authorities’ decision Thursday to shutter the Moscow bureau of German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and withdraw the credentials of its staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Russia must stop using journalists as pieces in tit-for-tat games with Germany,…
Taliban forces beat, interrogate journalist Zahid Samadzai in Kabul
New York, February 3, 2022 — The Taliban must immediately investigate the detention and abuse in custody of journalist Abdul Qayum Zahid Samadzai, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, February 1, a man who identified himself as a member of the Taliban’s Directorate General of Intelligence…
Attackers shoot at, firebomb offices of Haitian outlet Radio Télé Zenith
Miami, February 3, 2022 — Haitian authorities should conduct a prompt and thorough investigation into an attack on the Radio Télé Zenith offices, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Around 2 a.m. on Monday, January 31, an unknown number of armed individuals riding in two vehicles fired several…
CPJ joins letter calling for release of journalists, others arbitrarily detained in Cameroon
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday, February 3, joined 26 other civil society organizations in calling on President Paul Biya to release all those arbitrarily detained in Cameroon for acts of free expression, including at least four journalists. The open letter, published during the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, notes that the continent’s…
Palestinian Authority sentences journalist Abdulrahman Thahir to 3 months in prison
New York, February 3, 2022 – The Palestinian Authority should not contest journalist Abdulrahman Thahir’s appeal and should stop pursuing vague charges against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On January 20, a magistrate court in the West Bank city of Nablus sentenced Thahir, a freelance TV producer, to three…
Roberto Toledo is fourth Mexican journalist killed in less than four weeks
Mexico City, February 2, 2022 – Mexican authorities must immediately and transparently investigate the killing of Roberto Toledo and determine whether he was killed in retaliation for his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Toledo, a camera operator and video editor for news website Monitor Michoacán, was shot and killed on January 31,…