Three Afghan journalists detained following coverage of anti-Taliban protests
New York, January 11, 2022— Taliban authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalists Faisal Modaris, Idris Rahimi, and Milad Azizi, and cease detaining members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 6, armed Taliban authorities detained the three journalists, all of whom work at the Kabul Lovers…
Journalists detained, news crew attacked, as Kazakhstan state of emergency continues
Stockholm, January 10, 2022 – Kazakh authorities should ensure the ability of the country’s media to work freely and release detained journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov. They should also fully investigate assaults on the country’s press, including an attack on a convoy that killed one Almaty TV employee and injured another and an arson attack on the…
Yemeni journalist Hala Fuad Badhawi detained in Hadramout
New York, January 5, 2022 – Authorities in Hadramout, Yemen, should immediately and unconditionally release freelance journalist Hala Fuad Badhawi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 30, 2021, military intelligence forces in Hadramout province detained Badhawi in the provincial capital, Mokalla, according to reports by the privately owned Yemeni newspapers Al-Masdar and…
Vietnam sentences journalist Le Trong Hung to 5 years in prison
Bangkok, January 5, 2022 – Vietnamese authorities should release journalist Le Trong Hung immediately and unconditionally, and stop imprisoning independent reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 31, 2021, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced Hung, a reporter with the independent social-media based outlet Chen Hung Nuoc Viet (CHTV), to…
Algerian journalist Merzoug Touati sentenced to 1 year in prison
New York, January 4, 2022 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Merzoug Touati and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 28, 2021, police arrested Touati, editor of the independent news website Al-Hogra, after he appeared at a police station in the northern city of…
Somaliland authorities arrest three journalists for critical reporting
Nairobi, December 31, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland to unconditionally release three journalists detained for reporting critically on the administration of the Sool region, and to guarantee that the media can cover politics without retaliation. On December 26, police in Las Anod, the capital of…
Hong Kong authorities file new charges against Jimmy Lai and six other Apple Daily executives in fresh media crackdown
Taipei, December 29, 2021 – Hong Kong authorities must immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Jimmy Lai, founder of the Next Digital Limited media company and the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, as well as six former Next Digital and Apple Daily staff, and release them immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On…
Ethiopia Insight reporter Ermias Tasfaye detained since November
Nairobi, December 23, 2021— Ethiopian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ermias Tasfaye and all other members of the press detained for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ermias’ November arrest was made public in a statement by his employer on December 14 and follows the Ethiopian government’s crackdown on journalists…
Multi-year prison terms for Egyptian journalists Alaa Abdelfattah and Mohamed Oxygen ‘unacceptable’
New York, December 20, 2021 – In response to a Cairo court’s sentencing today of journalists Alaa Abdelfattah and Mohamed Oxygen to multi-year prison terms, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Egypt’s sentencing of journalists Alaa Abdelfattah and Mohamed Oxygen to years in prison is unacceptable, and demonstrates the lengths…
In Middle East and North Africa, a drop in attacks on journalists belies dire state of press freedom
The Middle East and North Africa region has long been especially dangerous for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists’ research has found that one out of every three reporters killed worldwide in retaliation for their work since 1992 — 477 out of 1,422, or 33.5% – were located in the region. That proportion rose to…