News

Authorities from the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland on Monday indefinitely banned the UK-based private broadcaster Universal TV in connection with its critical coverage of the president, local journalists told CPJ. The station has complied with the directive and is not broadcasting in Somaliland, according to news reports. Local journalists told CPJ the ban stemmed from a political satire...

Four journalists and a news executive in Burma were detained by police over a newspaper cover story about an alleged secret chemical weapons factory in the country's central region, according to local news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrests and calls for the journalists' immediate and unconditional release. Lu Maw Naing, a reporter for the local-language Unity...

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the decision by Ecuador's media oversight agency on Friday to use the country's communications law to sanction the leading local daily El Universo over a critical cartoon. The agency fined the daily and demanded that the cartoonist "correct" the cartoon within 72 hours, according to news reports. "It has been apparent for some time that Ecuador's new...

Reporters Without Borders has reiterated its condemnation of the arbitrary behaviour of the Bahraini judicial system, which has postponed the trials of several detained news and information providers in the past two weeks. The judicial authorities must abandon all the trumped-up charges they have brought against journalists just because they covered anti-government street protests, the media...

Reporters Without Borders has questioned how much credence should be given to a claim by Eritrean ambassador to Israel Tesfamariam Tekeste Debbas, in a comment to journalists this week in Tel Aviv, that Dawit Isaac, a journalist who was arrested in 2001, is still alive. Isaac, who co-founded the independent newspaper Setit in 1997, was arrested on 23 September 2001 in the course of a round-up of...

The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the Egyptian prosecutor general's decision to put 20 Al-Jazeera journalists on trial on criminal charges of incitement, distorting the country's image abroad, and fabricating news to aid the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government has declared a terrorist organization, according to government daily Al-Ahram and other news reports. "This attempt...

South African authorities should drop charges against a journalist who was roughed up and detained after photographing police officers allegedly involved in bribery, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ricky Dire, a journalist with the Daily Sun, also received death threats. In a telephone interview with CPJ, Dire said that on the evening of Friday, January 18, he responded to a call...

The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by recent detentions in Niger of journalists critical of the government. In the past week, four journalists have been held for days without charge, two of whom remain in custody, and the justice minister has warned of a crackdown. Judicial police in the capital Niamey have since Monday detained Ousmane Dambadji, editor of L'Union, and TV presenter...

Several local and international journalists have been attacked and detained in Egypt while covering deadly clashes between police and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, according to news reports. The clashes erupted on Saturday, the third anniversary of the uprising in Egypt. "None of the governments who have come to power in Egypt since the 2011 uprising have delivered on their...

Reporters Without Borders has expressed concern at the tough line that Niger’s authorities have begun taking with journalists, arresting four in Niamey in the past five days. Zakari Adamou, the host of a talk show on privately-owned Canal 3 TV, and Ousmane Dan Badji, the editor of the newspaper L’Union, who was a guest on Adamou’s show, were summoned for questioning by the police yesterday...