CPJ calls for immediate release of ailing Vietnamese journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan
Bangkok, January 5, 2023—Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan from jail on humanitarian grounds, amid reports that his health has deteriorated, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Tuan, who is serving an 11-year sentence for “opposing the state” under Article 117 of the criminal code, told his family during a…
Iranian journalist Hasan Abbasi rearrested and held incommunicado
Washington, D.C., January 4, 2024—Iranian authorities should immediately release journalist Hasan Abbasi, whose whereabouts are unknown since his arrest, and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, security forces arrested Abbasi, a freelance investigative reporter, in a public location in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas in…
In Tajikistan, independent media throttled by state repression
Giant portraits of President Emomali Rahmon adorn even the most nondescript buildings in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe. Throughout the country, his sayings are featured on posters and billboards. Their ubiquitous presence underscores the consolidation of power by Rahmon – officially described as “Founder of Peace and Unity, Leader of the Nation” – since he emerged…
Tunisian journalist Zied el-Heni arrested after criticizing commerce minister
New York, January 2, 2024—Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Zied el-Heni and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 28, police arrested el-Heni, a prominent columnist and political commentator for the daily “Émission Impossible” show on the independent radio station IFM, after he responded to…
Dawei Watch journalists Aung San Oo and Myo Myint Oo arrested in Myanmar
Bangkok, December 18, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the recent arrest of two journalists with Myanmar news outlet Dawei Watch and calls on the country’s military regime to release them immediately and unconditionally. The journalists, Aung San Oo and Myo Myint Oo, were arrested at their homes in the coastal town of Myeik around…
CPJ calls for Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai’s release ahead of national security trial
New York, December 15, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Hong Kong authorities to release publisher Jimmy Lai ahead of the scheduled start of his national security trial on December 18. The 76-year-old Lai could be jailed for life if convicted. Lai, a British citizen and founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper…
Russia brings new charges against jailed journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Maria Ponomarenko, targets exiled journalist Masha Gessen
Paris, December 14, 2023—Russian authorities must immediately release journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Maria Ponomarenko, drop all charges against them, and stop harassing exiled members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, the Telegram channel Baza and state news agency Tatar-Inform reported that Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian national and an editor…
Algerian prosecutor requests one-year sentence for journalist Mustapha Bendjama
New York, December 13, 2023 – Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Mustapha Bendjama and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. During an appeal hearing held in the northeastern city of Annaba on Tuesday, December 12, the state prosecutor requested an additional one-year prison sentence for…
Afghan journalist Sultan Ali Jawadi sentenced to 1 year in prison
New York, December 13, 2023—Taliban authorities must immediately release Afghan journalist Sultan Ali Jawadi, drop all charges against him, and stop imprisoning members of the press for their work in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Sunday, December 10, a Taliban court in the city of Nili, in central Daikundi Province, sentenced…