Bangladeshi journalist Raghunath Kha arrested, allegedly electrocuted in custody

Bangladesh authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Raghunath Kha and investigate allegations that he was electrocuted and beaten in police custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. At around 11 a.m. on Monday, January 23, plainclothes police officers detained Kha, a correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster Deepto TV and privately owned newspaper Dainik Projonmo Ekattor, according to multiple news reports and a person familiar with the case who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing safety concerns. Kha was detained after reporting on a land dispute in the Khalishakhali area of the southwestern Satkhira…Read more

Pakistani journalist Shahid Aslam arrested in leak investigation

Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Shahid Aslam and allow the media to freely and independently report on military officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 13, Federal Investigation Agency officers in Lahore arrested Aslam, a special correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster BOL News, according to news reports and a statement by the Pakistan Press Foundation, a local press freedom group. Authorities accused Aslam of involvement in a November 19, 2022, article in the independent news website FactFocus that used leaked tax data to report on the assets of former Pakistan army chief…Read more

Muvi TV journalists arrested, fined after filming Zambian police raid on politician’s home

Zambian authorities should immediately investigate the arbitrary detention of Muvi TV journalist Innocent Phiri and camera operator Obvious Kapunda, nullify their fine and admission of guilt as it was made under duress, and ensure that police do not harass journalists who are covering the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Around 6:30 p.m. on November 13, police arrested Phiri and Kapunda as they filmed officers preparing to arrest opposition Economic and Equity Party leader Chilufya Tayali at his home in the capital, Lusaka, according to multiple media reports, a statement by the Zambian chapter of the…Read more

Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo detained over defamation, cyberattack complaint

Nigerian authorities should drop all investigations into publisher Agba Jalingo, compensate him for his previous unlawful detention, and stop harassing the journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On August 19, a group of about 15 police officers arrested Jalingo, publisher of the privately owned news website CrossRiverWatch, at his home in Ogudu, in Lagos state, according to Jalingo, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app, CrossRiverWatch editor Ugbal Jonathan, who spoke with CPJ by phone, and a statement by the International Press Centre, a local press group. Officers detained Jalingo at a police…Read more

Gambian police attack, detain journalist Yusef Taylor

Gambian authorities should swiftly investigate and hold to account the police officers who harassed journalist Yusef Taylor, drop any charges against the journalist, and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On July 5, police officers blocked Taylor, editor and manager of the privately owned Gainako news website, from reporting about a land dispute in Gambia’s West Coast region, and then arrested him and charged him with obstructing police, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a statement by the local press freedom group…Read more

Botswana journalist Tshepo Sethibe criminally charged over ‘alarming publications’

Botswana authorities should immediately drop the criminal charge against Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler director Tshepo Sethibe, return devices seized from the outlet, and refrain from harassing the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.  On July 13, about 25 law enforcement officers arrested Sethibe at his home in the town of Mogoditshane, northwest of the capital Gaborone, and charged him under a law barring “alarming publications,” according to news reports, a Facebook post by his outlet, and the journalist and his lawyer, Obonetse Jonas, both of whom spoke with CPJ via messaging app.  After arresting Sethibe,…Read more

Pakistani journalist Peer Muhammad Khan Kakar held for 1 week over corruption allegations

Pakistan authorities must immediately cease harassing journalist Peer Muhammad Khan Kakar, drop any investigations into his work, and allow him to report freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 7, police in the Loralai district of the southwest Balochistan province arrested Kakar, a correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster Dunya News, according to the journalist’s son Amirullah Kakar, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a statement by the Pakistan Press Foundation, a local press freedom group. His son said the arrest was in response to an…Read more

Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan arrested

Pakistan authorities must immediately release journalist Imran Riaz Khan and ensure that members of the press can work freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the evening of Tuesday, July 5, police in the outskirts of Islamabad, the capital, arrested Khan, an anchor with the privately owned broadcaster Express News and host of a YouTube channel with over 3 million subscribers, according to news reports and a statement by the Pakistan Press Foundation, a local press freedom group. Police arrested him in response to a complaint filed to authorities in Attock, in…Read more

Indian journalist Mohammad Zubair arrested in Delhi

Indian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Mohammad Zubair, and cease harassing him in retaliation for his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. In the evening of Monday, June 27, officers with the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit of the Delhi police arrested Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt News, after summoning him for questioning, according to multiple news reports and a tweet by Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha. Sinha wrote that Zubair had been summoned for questioning in relation to a 2020 criminal investigation over his social media posts, for which he was already granted protection…Read more

Zimbabwe police detain and charge 2 journalists covering attempted arrest of opposition politician

Zimbabwean authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalists Blessed Mhlanga and Chengeto Chidi, as well as Moses Hakata, and let them work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Saturday, May 7, police arrested both journalists after they photographed officers attempting to detain an opposition lawmaker in the town of Chitungwiza, south of Harare, the capital, according to news reports, a statement by the Zimbabwean chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, a regional press freedom body, and both journalists, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. The journalists were in the area…Read more