Taliban intelligence agents detain American filmmaker Ivor Shearer, Afghan producer Faizullah Faizbakhsh in Kabul
New York, August 19, 2022 – Taliban authorities must immediately release American journalist and independent filmmaker Ivor Shearer and Afghan producer Faizullah Faizbakhsh, and cease detaining journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On August 17, Shearer and Faizbakhsh were filming in the Sherpur area of District 10 in Kabul–where a U.S. drone strike…
Taliban members beat, threaten, Afghan journalist Saboor Raufi
New York, August 18, 2022 – Taliban authorities must investigate the beating and harassment of journalist Saboor Raufi and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, August 15, two armed Taliban members beat Raufi, an anchor and reporter with Afghanistan’s independent Ariana News TV station, while he was…
CPJ calls on Vietnam authorities to release IPFA winner Pham Doan Trang
Bangkok, August 16, 2022 – In response to news reports that the Hanoi People’s High Court in Vietnam will hold an appeals trial on August 25 for imprisoned journalist Pham Doan Trang, who was sentenced on propaganda charges to nine years imprisonment in December 2021, the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday issued the following statement calling for…
Chinese journalist Mao Huibin arrested after publishing articles about Tangshan assault
Taipei, August 15, 2022 — Chinese authorities should immediately release and drop all charges against journalist Mao Huibin and allow the press to report on social issues freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At 10 a.m. on August 9, police arrested Mao at his home in the city of Hengshui, according to the…
Journalist Do Cong Duong dies in prison in Vietnam
Bangkok, August 12, 2022 — In response to news reports that Vietnamese journalist Do Cong Duong, who was imprisoned on anti-state charges, died on August 2, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “CPJ is deeply saddened by reports of imprisoned Vietnamese journalist Do Cong Duong’s death from an underlying illness,” said Shawn…
NEW REPORT: Afghanistan press freedom is in crisis as local journalists fight for survival
One year after the Taliban takeover, Afghan news organizations challenge restrictions and assaults New York, August 11, 2022 — One year after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan news outlets are struggling to survive amid an increasingly restrictive censorship regime targeting independent journalists, the flight of many Afghan media workers, and the country’s declining economy,…
Journalist safety, press freedom groups urge U.S. Secretary of State Blinken to expedite visas for Afghan journalists
Press freedom and journalist safety organizations urge Secretary of State Blinken and the Department of State to take every possible step to expedite the processing of Priority 2-referred Afghans under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and Special Immigrant Visa applications from at-risk Afghan citizens, and in particular journalists.
Afghanistan’s media crisis
One year after the Taliban takeover Published August 11, 2022 The Taliban’s August 2021 takeback of power in Afghanistan has had a devastating effect on the vibrant media landscape that developed after the U.S.-led invasion 20 years earlier. Between censorship, arrests, assaults, restrictions on women journalists, the flight of experienced reporters, and the country’s declining…
CPJ’s recommendations for protecting journalists and press freedom in Afghanistan
The Committee to Protect Journalists makes the following recommendations to facilitate media freedom and ensure the safety of journalists in Afghanistan: To the Taliban, the de facto authorities in Afghanistan 1. Respect and guarantee the ability of all journalists and media workers to report and produce news freely and independently, without fear of reprisal, in…
Kathy Gannon: Courageous journalism is happening in Afghanistan. We can help.
Journalism in today’s Afghanistan is certainly wounded, but it’s far from dead. The evidence is produced daily, even hourly: This is not journalism as it was before the Taliban took power last August, but it is journalism. It demands our respect and support. Sounding the death knell on journalism in Afghanistan is an insult to…