Journalists jailed for social media “terrorism” highlight content moderation challenges
A journalist in China uploaded a video to YouTube criticizing the Chinese government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Another, in Vietnam, left a state-owned newspaper but continued posting stories they wouldn’t let her cover on Facebook. In Egypt, a freelance photographer streamed an anti-government protest from his balcony on Facebook Live. In Iran,…
Shelling injures 2 Russian journalists in Nagorno-Karabakh; Armenian government revokes journalist’s accreditation
New York, October 8, 2020 — Authorities in Armenia and Azerbaijan must ensure the safety of journalists covering the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and allow them to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yuriy Kotenok, chief editor of the conservative Russian news website Segodnia.ru, and Levon Arzanov, a correspondent from the Russian state-run…
Authorities block local news websites amid Belarus protests
Vilnius, Lithuania, September 14, 2020 – Authorities threatened last week to censor another major domestic news website in Belarus, where dozens remain blocked amid nationwide protests, local journalists told CPJ. On September 9, the Ministry of Information warned Tut.by, one of the most popular independent news websites in the country, that its reporting on a…
Uzbek authorities interrogate journalists, confiscate equipment over retracted COVID-19 report
Since July 25, 2020, Uzbek police and representatives of the country’s public prosecutor’s office have interrogated at least six local journalists and confiscated their computers and mobile devices, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. On July 25, several local Uzbek outlets shared allegations originally published on the news website Repost that…
Iranian journalist detained over coronavirus coverage
On April 2, 2020, security agents in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah arrested and detained Kurdish Iranian journalist Gholamreza Noori Ala for several hours and then released him, according to a report posted to Telegram by the Tehran Journalists Association, a local trade group, and an employee of the association, who spoke to CPJ…
Amid coronavirus pandemic, Iran covers up crucial information and threatens journalists
In recent months, the stability of the Iranian government has been threatened by widespread protests in late 2019 and the shooting down of a Ukrainian civilian aircraft in January 2020 amid heightened tensions with the U.S. The latest threat is the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Iran harder than any country except China or Italy.…
Iranian authorities detain journalist Mohammad Mosaed again for social media posts
On February 22, 2020, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested and interrogated freelance economic reporter Mohammad Mosaed for several hours over recent social media posts critical of the government and suspended his social media accounts, according to a brief interview he had with the BBC Persian Service a few hours after…
Iranian journalist in exile arrested, gives televised confession in Iran
On October 14, 2019, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested journalist and activist Roohollah Zam, manager of Amad News, a popular anti-government news channel on the messaging app Telegram, according to a statement by the guard corps that was broadcast on state media.
Iran charges Telegram news channel Gam reporters over labor coverage
Washington, D.C., June 13, 2019 — Iranian authorities should immediately release three reporters for Gam (Step), a Telegram app news channel covering labor issues, and drop all charges against them and one other reporter for the channel, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Uzbekistan arrests at least four bloggers over posts on religious issues
New York, September 6, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Uzbek authorities to end their harassment of bloggers covering religious issues, and to release at least four individuals arrested for their writing. Police in several Uzbek cities made arrests between August 28 and September 4, according to media reports.