Taliban fighters beat and whip journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 26, 2021– The Taliban must immediately cease using violence against journalists and allow them to cover the critical news from Afghanistan freely and without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday at approximately 10:30 a.m., Taliban fighters assaulted Ziar Khan Yaad, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster TOLO News,…
Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan hospitalized after her health declines in prison
Taipei, August 26, 2021 – Chinese authorities must release imprisoned journalist Zhang Zhan immediately and ensure that she receives proper medical care, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Zhang, an independent video journalist, was arrested last May and sentenced to four years in prison in December for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after she…
Sri Lanka police repeatedly interrogate journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran
Washington, D.C., August 25, 2021 — Police in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, should stop harassing journalist Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran and let him work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 23, officers from the Batticaloa police superintendent’s Special Crime Branch interrogated Sasikaran, a freelance Tamil journalist who is also the treasurer…
Chinese authorities detain, indict 11 people for contributing to The Epoch Times
Taipei, August 24, 2021 – Chinese authorities should immediately release all people detained for their alleged work with the U.S.-based outlet The Epoch Times, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 25, the Beijing Dongcheng People’s Procuratorate indicted 11 people for allegedly sending photos and reporting to The Epoch Times about the government’s…
Taliban raids homes of 2 more journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2021 – The Taliban must immediately cease raiding the homes of journalists and allow the media to operate freely and openly without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17 and 20, Taliban militants raided the homes of at least two members of the…
G-7 must protect and evacuate journalists and media workers in Afghanistan
New York, August 23, 2021– As the G-7 leading industrial nations prepare to hold an emergency virtual summit to address the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists today joined more than 50 civil society organizations in calling on G-7 leaders to prioritize and take immediate action to guarantee safe harbor to Afghan…
Journalists Htet Htet Khine and Sithu Aung Myint arrested in Myanmar
Bangkok, August 23, 2021 – Myanmar authorities should immediately release journalists Htet Htet Khine and Sithu Aung Myint and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 15, military authorities in Yangon arrested Htet Htet Khine, a freelance producer for BBC Media Action, and Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist…
Taliban take 2 female state TV anchors off-air in Afghanistan, beat at least 2 journalists
August 19, 2021, Washington, D.C. — The Taliban must immediately cease harassing and attacking journalists for their work, allow women journalists to broadcast the news, and permit the media to operate freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since August 15, members of the Taliban have barred at least two female journalists…
‘Complex, fast changing, and extraordinarily dangerous’: PBS’ Jane Ferguson on the ground in Kabul
Jane Ferguson, a correspondent for PBS NewsHour and contributor to The New Yorker magazine, landed in Kabul on August 15, just as the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was collapsing and the Taliban began to enter the city. Ferguson told CPJ that covering the swift and unexpected changing of the guard in Kabul is…
Afghan female journalist: I may not be alive by the time US can evacuate me
Steven Butler describes it as “mass panic.” As the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator has been fielding “hundreds and hundreds” of daily pleas from journalists asking for help to flee the country. Butler, along with CPJ Asia research associate Sonali Dhawan and the organization’s Emergencies team, are now in the process…