Attacks on the Media

Live grenade found near vehicle of Guyanese publisher

The following statement was originally published on Association of Caribbean Media Workers facebook page on 6 June 2016. It comes from their national affiliate, the Guyana Press Association. The Guyana Press Association (GPA) calls on the Guyana Police Force to execute an in-depth investigation into the presence of a live grenade near a vehicle owned by the publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, on the evening of Saturday June 4, 2016. Regardless of the motive, the act alone has a chilling effect on press freedom. We take this opportunity to call on the intellectual authors and/or…Read more

Newspaper and website editor attacked, call for investigation

The Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka vehemently condemns the attack on the editor of the regional newspaper and website Meepura and requests the Government conduct an immediate inquiry to take proper legal action against the perpetrators. The editor, Mr. Freddy Gamage, came under attack while he was returning from the Negambo Municipal Council after covering its General Meeting. He was assaulted by two men wearing full face helmets as he was walking towards his vehicle. As he turned to get a better view of the two men, feeling suspicious over the way they were monitoring…Read more

Call for release of 73-year-old publisher held in Dhaka since February

The International Publishers Association and its Freedom to Publish Committee today renewed its call for the immediate release of a 73-year-old publisher held in Dhaka since February, after the High Court of Bangladesh denied his application for bail. Shamsuzzoha Manik, who owns the Ba-Dwip Prakashan publishing house, has been charged under Bangladesh's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, which criminalizes criticism of religion. He faces up to 14 years in prison if found guilty. Manik, who also founded the now defunct bangarashtra.net website for secular debate, was arrested at the Bangladesh International Book Fair on…Read more

IFJ expresses concern over Pakistani journalist missing since 2015

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses grave concern for Pakistani journalist Zeenat Shahzadi who has been missing since August 2015. The IFJ demands Pakistan's authorities to take immediate action to find her kidnappers and reveal the status of investigations into the disappearance of the young woman reporter. Zeenat Shahzadi, a journalist for the Daily Nai Khabar and Metro News in Lahore, disappeared on her way to work in an auto-rickshaw. Police are understood to have registered a case against 'unknown men', but to date, no developments have been made public. Zeenat's family alleges that she was…Read more