Afghan journalist Mohammad Ali Ahmadi shot and injured in Kabul
Washington, D.C., September 22, 2021 — The Taliban must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the shooting of Mohammad Ali Ahmadi and hold the perpetrator to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 18, an unidentified man shot Ahmadi, a reporter and editor with the privately owned national radio broadcaster Salam…
Bangladesh authorities charge 3 journalists under Digital Security Act
Washington, D.C., September 21, 2021 — Bangladesh authorities must immediately drop all charges against journalists Kabir Kishore, Tasneem Khalil, and Shafiqul Islam Kajol, and cease harassing members of the press under the draconian Digital Security Act, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 8 and 12, the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal accepted Digital Security…
Afghan photographer Morteza Samadi detained by Taliban since September 7
Washington, D.C., September 13, 2021 — The Taliban must immediately and unconditionally release freelance photographer Morteza Samadi and commit to allowing the media to operate freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 7, Taliban fighters detained Samadi after he covered a protest in the western city of Herat, according to…
Indian finance authorities raid offices of Newslaundry and Newsclick websites
New Delhi, September 13, 2021 – Indian authorities must stop harassing employees of the news websites Newslaundry and Newsclick and let them work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about noon on September 10, officials from the national Income Tax Department raided the two outlets’ offices in New Delhi as part of an investigation…
Taliban fighters detain, flog, and beat journalists covering protests in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., September 8, 2021–The Taliban must immediately cease detaining journalists in Afghanistan, end the use of violence against them, and allow the media to operate freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Over the last two days, the Taliban detained and later released at least 14 journalists covering…
Jammu and Kashmir police raid homes of four journalists
New Delhi, September 8, 2021 – Police in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir should stop raiding the homes of journalists and immediately return any seized electronic devices, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Authorities in Srinagar, the main city in Jammu and Kashmir, today raided the homes of four journalists–Showkat Motta, the editor of Kashmir…
Pakistani journalists detained by Taliban in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., September 3, 2021–Taliban leaders must instruct their fighters to immediately cease detaining and harassing journalists in Afghanistan and allow the media to operate freely and without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 25, Taliban fighters detained Abdul Mateen Achakzai and Muhammad Ali, a reporter and…
Singapore High Court rules that The Online Citizen bloggers defamed prime minister
Bangkok, September 3, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed alarm at the Singapore High Court’s ruling awarding Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong more than US$156,500 in damages in defamation suits against bloggers Terry Xu and Rubaashini Shunmuganathan. The High Court on September 1 ruled that Xu, chief editor of The Online Citizen news blog,…
As staff flee, TOLO News vows to keep broadcasting from Afghanistan – for now
Saad Mohseni had a lot to worry about when the Taliban rolled into Kabul on August 15. Mohseni is CEO of the Moby Group, which owns and operates Afghanistan’s biggest news and entertainment networks, TOLO News and TOLO TV. The company’s 400 employees would have to adapt one way or another to the nation’s new,…
Sri Lankan journalist Keerthi Ratnayake detained under anti-terror act
Washington, D.C., August 27, 2021–Police in Sri Lanka should immediately release journalist Keerthi Ratnayake and halt further investigations into him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ratnayake, a former army intelligence officer and regular freelance contributor to the London-based, Sri Lanka-focused news website Lanka-e-News, was summoned to the Kollupitiya Police Station in Colombo in western…