Kashmiri journalists describe new government tactics to control the narrative
In April, after Srinagar-based senior journalist Peerzada Ashiq published an article about the families of two militants who wanted to exhume their bodies to perform funeral rites, police in Kashmir launched an investigation and accused him of publishing “fake news.” Ashiq told CPJ that he had sought official comment on multiple channels, but never received…
Malaysian police raid Al-Jazeera’s office, seize computers in escalating legal harassment
Bangkok, August 4, 2020 – Malaysian police raided Al-Jazeera’s Kuala Lumpur office and seized two computers in an ongoing criminal probe into the global broadcaster’s July 3 report on the government’s treatment of undocumented migrant workers during the COVID-19 crisis, news reports said. Six of Al-Jazeera’s Malaysia-based reporters and staff members are being investigated on criminal charges…
Journalist Setoute Yvens survives shooting attempt, another reporter receives death threats in Haiti
Miami, August 4, 2020 — Haitian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the shooting attack on journalist Setoute Yvens and the death threats to journalist Pradel Alexandre and identify and prosecute those involved, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 28 around 8:45 p.m. in the Drouillard neighborhood of the Cité-Soleil commune in Port-au-Prince, Yvens, a…
Benin regulator orders online media ‘without authorization’ to halt publication
New York, August 4, 2020 — Benin’s media regulator should lift its ban on unauthorized online media and refrain from censoring news websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 7, Rémi Prosper Moretti, the president of Benin’s High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC), the country’s media regulator, issued an order demanding…
Guinea-Bissau broadcaster Radio Capital FM vandalized
New York, August 3, 2020 — Authorities in Guinea-Bissau should investigate the vandalism of broadcaster Radio Capital FM and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the early morning of July 26, unidentified armed men in uniforms of Guinea-Bissau’s national guard smashed equipment and other property at the office…
Jammu and Kashmir authorities detain journalist and editor Qazi Shibli
New Delhi, August 1, 2020 — Jammu and Kashmir police must immediately release Qazi Shibli, editor of news website The Kashmiriyat, from custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Shibli was detained at the Shergarh police station in Srinagar yesterday after questioning by the police’s cybercrime division, according to news reports and a member…
Uzbek authorities interrogate journalists, confiscate equipment over retracted COVID-19 report
Since July 25, 2020, Uzbek police and representatives of the country’s public prosecutor’s office have interrogated at least six local journalists and confiscated their computers and mobile devices, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. On July 25, several local Uzbek outlets shared allegations originally published on the news website Repost that…
Sudanese authorities in North Darfur state harass 2 journalists reporting on COVID-19
Between May 29 and May 31, 2020, local authorities harassed journalists Aida Abdel Qadir and Lena Sabeel in the Sudanese state of North Darfur as they were reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the independent outlet Radio Dabanga and a representative of the independent Sudanese Journalists Network, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app….
Journalist Alex Braga attacked, threatened in Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, July 30, 2020 – Brazilian authorities must promptly and thoroughly investigate the attack on journalist Alex Braga, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure he can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Shortly after 9 p.m. on July 23, unidentified men drove a car into Braga’s vehicle while he…
Iraqi Kurdish authorities file complaint against journalist for COVID-19 criticism
On July 22, 2020, the attorney general’s office of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq filed a complaint against Kurdish journalist Rebwar Kerim Wali, alleging he violated the 2008 Law on Misuse of Communication Devices, according to news reports, a statement by a government spokesperson, which CPJ reviewed, and Wali, who spoke to CPJ…