MEDIA RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SOUTH ASIA BY
JOURNALISTS’ SAFETY INDICATORS (JSI)

October 6, 2023: Daikundi Province
Members of the General Directorate of Intelligence summon the brother of Daikundi Radio and Sabzha TV owner Mohammad Hossain Alizada, and coerce him into surrendering the outlets’ broadcasting and recording equipment.

February 24, 2024: Khost (F, H)
A letter from the Taliban, signed by the Taliban’s Khost security commander announced a warning given by Taliban officials to media outlets against the broadcasting of women’s voices, including in advertisements, on Radio and Television programs.

February 27, 2024: Kabul (F, H)
The Taliban Minister of Vice and Virtue Sheikh Mohammad Khalid announces new guidelines restricting the appearance of women’s foreheads and faces on television at a meeting with senior media figures.

May 9, 2023: Khost (A)
Gharghasht Radio & TV editor-in-chief Sakhi Sarwar Miakhil, Mohammaduddin Shah Khiyali, editor-in-chief of Radio Zarghoon and Radio Yun who also works with Radio Wolas, Radio Chinar editor-in-chief Pamir Andish and Radio Nan reporter Abdul Rahman Ashna are arrested in relation to musical programs played over Eid ul-Fitr in April 2023. They were released five days later.

May 19, 2023: Kabul (A, B)
Freelance US-Afghan journalist Ali Latifi is arrested after Taliban officials claimed he had consumed alcohol while at the home of Hashmat Ghani, the brother of former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. Ghani denies the allegations. He is releas­ed the following day.

June 18, 2023: Zabul (A, E)
Exiled journalist Reza Shahir is detained by the Taliban while returning from Iran to resolve ongoing visa issues. Shahir is transferred to Kabul and later an unknown location, where he is interrogated and allegedly tortured. Shahir is either released or escapes on the evening of June 19, however Zabul Taliban spokesperson denies that the journalist was ever detained.

July 10, 2023: Ghazni Province (A)
Voice of America-affiliated journalist Latif Yaqubi is abducted by members of the Taliban. He, alongside nine others, are held for several hours before being released after over 13 hours in detention. The Taliban claim his arrest was not in relation to his work in media.

July 12, 2023: Nangarhar (A)
Radio Safa reporter Irfanullah Bidar is abducted outside a mosque in Jalalabad, forced into a vehicle and taken to an undisclosed location. Bidar is held for over 12 days before his release on July 24. While their involvement is not confirmed, the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence is believed to be responsible for the incident.

August 10, 2023: Kunduz (A)
The offices of Uranus TV network are stormed by members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence on the morning of August 10, with Salam Watander reporter Hasib Hassas taken into custody. Hassas’ phone and laptop are seized, and he is transferred to a detention centre. He is released on August 31

August 10, 2023: Nangarhar (A)
Killid Radio manager Faqir Faqirzai and journalist Jan Agha Saleh are detained after members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence storm the broadcaster’s studios at approximately 3 pm, with reports claiming their arrest was in relation to their alleged work for foreign media outlets. Faqirzai and Saleh are released on August 31.

August 10, 2023: Paktia (A)
Ariana News TV reporter Habibullah Sarab is detained by GDI members in Gardiz. He is released on September 2.

August 11, 2023: Kunar (A)
Journalist Parviz Sargand is arrested on August 11. He is released on September 2.

August 11, 2023: Zabul (A)
Journalist and Afghanistan National Journalists Union representative Mahboubullah Hakimi is arrested on August 12 in Qalat. He is released on August 31.

August 12, 2023: Kabul (A)
While travelling to the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, journalist Fardin Azimi is interrogated by members of the Taliban, and released after approximately one hour.

August 14, 2023: Kandahar (A)
TOLO News reporter Ataullah Omar is summoned to the General Directorate of Intelligence’s provincial Kandahar offices, where he is accused of working with foreign media outlets. He is held for over two weeks before his release on August 31.

August 14, 2023: Kandahar (A)
Journalist Waheedur Rahman Afghanmal is detained outside the Kandahar Press Club by members of the Taliban and questioned over his alleged links to overseas media groups. He is released after several hours in detention.

August 14, 2023: Kandahar (A)
Shamsullah Omari is detained and released on August 24. The reason behind his detention is not known.

August 19, 2023: Kabul (A)
Iranian photo-journalist Mohammad Hossein Velayati is arrested by Taliban officials at the Kabul International Airport while attempting to board a plan returning to Iran. After intervention from Iranian officials, Velayati is released on August 26.

September 27, 2023: Daikundi (A)
Taliban members arrest Nasim Radio journalists Saifulllah Rezaei and Mojtabi Qasemi, as well as manager Sultan Ali Javadi, seize their recording equipment, phones and personal belongings. All three are released five hours later, but their mobile devices are confiscated.

October 7, 2023: Daikundi (A, G)
Sultan Ali Javadi, the manager of the independent broadcaster Radio Nasim and reporters Saifulllah Rezaei and Mojtabi Qasemi are arrested by members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence from the Javadi’s home in Nili. On December 13, Javadi is sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda” against Afghanistan, and “espionage”, but released on April 6, 2024.

December 7, 2023: Kandahar (A)
Tamadon TV journalist Abdul Rahim Mohammadi is arrested on accusations of reporting to foreign media outlets, a crime under the Taliban’s media code.

December 17, 2023: Parwan (A)
TOLO news reporter Rohullah Sangar is detained by officials from the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) while reporting in Chraikar. He is released on December 19.

January 17, 2024: Kabul (A)
Ehsanullah Akbari, the assistant bureau chief of Japanese media outlet Kyodo News Agency is summoned to the offices of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence in Kabul, where he is arrested and forced to direct his family to surrender their mobile phones. Akbari is held for nine days, with his release ensured through a complaints process with the Media Complaints and Rights Violations Commission. His arrest coincided with a raid on Kyodo’s Kabul offices.

January 18, 2024: Kabul (A)
Garhdesh Ettelaat News Agency Director Abdulhaq Hamidi and owner Ahmad Javadi Rasouli are summoned by members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence in Kabul via anonymous phone call, when they are arrested. GDI officials reportedly visit Hamidi’s home and confiscate his phone. Hamidi and Rasouli are released on January 20 after their families promised the media practitioners would not violate the Taliban’s media rules.

February 10, 2024: Samangan (A)
Saifullah Karimi, a reporter of Pajhwok News Agency in Samangan province is summoned to a Taliban provincial governor’s office, after the journalist requested an interview with the head of a province’s finance department regarding protests to a restaurant tax increase. He is taken into custody, and released after two days.

February 17, 2024: Kabul (A)
Khaama Press news agency editor-in-chief Mansoor Nekmal is detained in the morning of February 18. He is released several hours later on February 19.

April 6, 2024: Ghazni (A)
Radio Azadi journalist Habib Rahman Taseer is arrested after a Radio Azadi broadcast is interpreted to insult a senior Imam, and people who attend religious services at the mosques.

April 22, 2024: Khost (A)
Regional authorities with the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice summon NAZ FM Radio reporter Ismael Saadat, Igra FM Radio reporter Wahidullah Masum, and Wolas Ghog reporter Ehsanullah Tasal, taking them into detention. The three are alleged to have played music and spoken with female callers during broadcasts held during Eid-al-Fitr celebrations.

September 27, 2023: Daikundi
Taliban members storm the officers of broadcaster Nasim Radio, arresting three journalists and confiscating equipment and personal electronic devices. Nasim Radio is only allowed to resume broadcasting in March 2024.

April 16, 2024: Kabul
Taliban officers storm the offices of private broadcasters Noor TV and Barya TV, after the Media Complaints and Rights Violations Commission banned the broadcasters for violating ‘national and Islamic values’. Noor TV’s office is shuttered, and electricity to the building is cut off.

September 29, 2023: Sylhet
Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury receives a threatening email and WhatsApp messages after publishing a report on the reported impersonation of Indian journalist ‘Chandan Nandy’ to spread propaganda.

August 17, 2023, Dhaka (G)
Two journalists Shafik Rehman, 88, and Mahmudur Rahman, 70, are sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison over their alleged involvement in a plot to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son.

August 15, 2023: Chakaria  
Journalists Abdul Majid, Abul Kalam Mohammad (A.K.M.) Iqbal Farooq, A.K.M. Belal Uddin and A.M. Omar Ali are investigated under charges of harming a public servant for their alleged involvement in an attack against police at an opposition-led rally.

April 26, 2024: Dhaka
The Bank of Bangladesh announces new restrictions on journalists accessing their facilities, announcing that all media personnel wanting to access the bank must present an approved access card. The move is criticised by journalists’ unions and NGOs.

May 17, 2023: Barishal (A)
During an attack between two factions of the ruling Awami League and its student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, at least 30 journalists are locked in a room while attempting to photograph the incident. Some have their equipment damaged.

 May 19, 2023: Chittagong (A)
Bangla Daily Manab Zamin journalist Longa Khumi is arrested for his alleged role as an informant with the Kuki-Chin National Army in the eastern Ruma Upazila (sub-district). Police fail to produce any solid evidence, relying on ‘confidential documents’ to justify his arrest. He is consistently denied access to legal representation, and remains in custody.

June 16, 2023: Chittagong
Student activists associated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League from the Chattogram University unit allegedly harass journalist Mohammad Azhar while he was attending a programme on campus, taking away his phone.

August 26, 2023: Barisal  
Several journalists, including Channel 24’s Barishal Bureau chief Kausar Hossain Rana, cameraperson Ruhul Amin, Asian Television Bureau chief Firoze Mostafa, cameraperson Azim, BanglaNews24.com reporter Mushfiq Sourav, Time Television reporter Shaqil Mahmud and cameraperson Sumon Hasan are attacked by leaders at Barishal’s Sher-e Bangla Medical College, while attempting to report on ‘hazing’ or ‘ragging’ performed against students. Assailants reportedly include hospital administration, doctors, and academics, who damage the journalists’ equipment.

August 27, 2023: Jashore  
BTW Correspondent Wahabuzzaman Jhantu, Ekatoor TV correspondent SM Farhad, and cameraperson Shahrul Islam Fardin are reportedly assaulted and obstructed from reporting by the Jashore General Hospital superintendent while gathering news on district rates of dengue infection.

September 22, 2023: Jhenaidah  
Channel 24 correspondent Saddam Hussain is allegedly assaulted by unidentified assailants at a market in Shailkupa. Hussain’s house is later vandalised.

September 24, 2023: Chittagong
Prothom Alo correspondent Mosharrof Shah is attacked at approximately 12:00pm at Chattogram University by activists associated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling Awami League, a day after publishing an article on a fight between factions of the BCL. He receives medical care at the university and is referred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.

October 10, 2023: Chittagong (A)
Dainik Bhorer Kagoj correspondent Jasim Azad is abducted by unknown assailants at approximately 8:00 pm. Members of the Rapid Action Battalion track his phone and are able to recover the journalist from a field at approximately 10:00 pm. The reason behind the abduction is unclear.

October 28, 2023: Dhaka
Sheikh Naser, a multimedia reporter for Ittefaq, is attacked after he covered a clash between Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders and activists. He suffers minor injuries.

October 29, 2023: Dhaka (B)
During political clashes between local police, and supporters of the opposing Bangladeshi Nationalist Party and Awami League, approximately 30 journalists are assaulted, beaten by protestors or had equipment stolen, broken, or damaged. Injured or attacked journalists include Agence-France-Press (AFP) photojournalist Mohammad Ali Mazed, freelance photographer Sazza Hossain, Daily Kalbela media professionals Abu Saleh Musa, Johnny Raihan, Rafsan Jani, Rabiul Islam and Touhidal Islam, The Report reporter Tahir Zaman Priya, Ittefaq journalists Tanvir Ahmed and Sheikh Nasserm, Bangla Tribune journalists Salman Tarek, Sajjard Hossain and Zobair Ahmed, Ekushey TV media workers Tauhidur Rahman and ARifur Rahman, and Dhaka Times reporter Sirajul Saleken. Rafsan Jani and Sirajul Salekin are reported to be injured.

 March 5, 2024: Mymensingh (A)
Desh Rupantor journalist Md Shofiuzzaman Rana is arrested after he files a Right To Information application concerning a government run land development program. His detention is subject to an inquiry on April 2.

March 12, 2024: Bakshiganj (A)
Matin Rahman, Bakshiganj correspondent of The Daily Bhorer Darpan, is allegedly assaulted by supporters of a local politician. The journalist reports 20-25 men surrounding him, before assaulting him and stealing his camera, phone and wallet. He is transported to the Bakshiganj Upazila Health Complex, where he receives treatment for minor injuries. Rahman was collecting information on a clash between the supporters of the elected councillor Kamruzzaman Sujan and the supporters of defeated candidate Zainal Abedin.

March 22, 2024: Dhaka  
Sabbir Ahmed, a campus journalist at the Government Titumir College, is assaulted by activists with the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, after Iftar. The attack is reportedly due to reports which reflecting poorly on the BCL. He is admitted to a nearby hospital, where he receives treatment for moderate injuries to his head and body.

November 9, 2023: Rajshahi
Two campus journalists, Abu Sayed Rony and Abdul Alim are assaulted on Rajshahi College campus by activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League. The reporters were taking photos of activists vandalising campus facilities.

January 7, 2024: Bangladesh 
Several journalists are attacked and harassed by political activists across the country on the day of Bangladesh’s presidential elections. Journalists are swarmed and attacked by political activists outside polling stations, often wearing pins or other identifying markers associated with the Awami League.

January 31, 2024: Cox Bazar  
Journalist Rashedul Majid, chief news editor of the Sokaler Cox’s Bazar newspaper, is attacked by traffic sergeant Mazaharul Islam, who takes his press ID card and mobile phone. Police launch an internal investigation, with Islam claiming he had taken the device due to a ‘misunderstanding’.

April 16, 2024: Pabna
Daily Vorer Kagoj correspondent Md Manik Hossain is assaulted by several assailants, following the publication of materials showing alleged industrial malpractice at two nearby dairy factories. The assailants break Hossain’s leg, and he receives medical treatment.

April 19, 2024: Dhaka
Jugantor crime reporter Iqbal Hasan Farid is attacked by unknown assailants near his home while returning home from work in the late evening. The assailants call the journalist’s name from an alley, where they mention the names of elected officials, threaten to kill Farid and his family if he did not leave the area within a month. They throw a burning powder, compared to a chilli powder or weaker acid, into his face and body. He is transferred Savar Upazila Health Complex and later admitted to Enam Medical College Hospital.

April 22, 2024: Chattogram
Channel 24 cameraperson Salim Ullah is attacked by activists from two rival factions of the Jubo League, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League, while recording footage of an inter-factional clash. He is forcibly taken to an area nearby, where the assailants allegedly attempt to stab him. He escapes following intervention from spectators.

October 28, 2023: Dhaka
Journalist and former Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Rafiq Bhuiyan is flung from a rickshaw after police lob tear gas shells in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha area on October 28 during protests, suffering severe injuries to his head. He is transferred to Birdem Hospital, where he dies of his injuries.

February 15, 2024: Bogura
Manjurul Islam’s dismembered body is found in Bogura at approximately 11:00pm. Islam had dropped a family member off at a nearby village, with his body discovered on Naogaon-Bogura road around an hour later. Islam’s case is currently under investigation by police.

May 29, 2023: Manipur
Afrida Hussain of India Today’s NE Bureau is threatened by a mob outside her hotel in Imphal and receives threatening calls for her reportage. She is evacuated from the hotel by Assam Rifles personnel.

June 2023: Across India (I)
Amnesty International’s Security Lab observes renewed signs of targeted surveillance against human rights defenders and journalists using Israeli spying software, Pegasus. Between June and October 2023, The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan and the Organised Crime and Corruption Report Project (OCCRP) South Asia Editor Anand Mangnale are among those targeted.

July 26, 2023: Manipur 
Eight houses belonging to Moreh correspondents of Imphal-based media houses are burnt, allegedly by a group of Kuki people. Victims include journalists Airenlakpam Maipak of Poknapham, S. Santipur of Naharolgi Thoudang, journalist Asem Lalit of Imphal Free Press, Heinoumakhong, B. Ramchandra of DDK News, Leishangthem Brojendro of AIR, Sagolsem Sanjoy of broadcaster ISTV, Maibam Inaocha of broadcaster Impact TV, and Yumnam Mangang of Sanaleibak. All are now residing in Imphal-based relief camps.

August 8, 2023: Uttar Pradesh (G)
Police register a First Information Report (FIR) against YouTuber and journalist Shyam Meera Singh under the Information Technology Act 2008 for social media posts criticising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

August 28, 2023: Uttar Pradesh (G)
Uttar Pradesh police file a First Information report against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair after he shared a video on social media which allegedly revealed the identity of a Muslim minor boy who had been slapped by his classmates on instruction of the teacher. He deletes the video after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights instructs its removal from social media.

September 4, 2023: Manipur (D, G)
Manipur state police file First Information Reports against senior journalists Bharat Bhushan, Sanjay Kapoor, Seem Guha, and the Editors’ Guild of India (EGI) President Seema Mustafa following the publication of an EGI fact-finding report on the ongoing ethnic conflict on September 2 after a photo carries an incorrect caption. The Supreme Court rules on September 6 that no coercive steps will be taken against the four, with this protection extending until the court’s disposal of the case.

October 12, 2023: Manipur 
Combined troops of the 20 Jat Regiment and 5/4 Gorkha regiment prevent reporters with ISTV, Impact TV, Tom TV, and ISCom from covering an attack in the Sabungkhok Khunou village northeast of Imphal. The soldiers force the reporters to delete footage from their mobiles. Another group consisting of Tom TV and Impact TV media personnel are also prevented from recording the incident.

October 29, 2023: Kerala
Malayalam broadcaster Reporter TV and its coordinating editor Sujaya Parvathy are questioned by the police after a complainant claims the channel’s reportage of the blasts in Kochi’s Kalamassery were linked to the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel in a manner defamatory to India’s Muslim community. Parvathy is also subject to a First Information Report, registered on October 31.

October 31, 2023: Kerala (G)
24 News reporter VG Vineetha is named in a First Information Report for her coverage of a protest in which a shoe was thrown at the bus carrying the chief minister and other government officials. She is later summoned for questioning by police on December 23.

 February 28, 2024: Uttar Pradesh (G)
Police in Ghaziabad file a First Information Report including defamation charges against local television journalist Lokesh Rai hours after he posted a video and a photograph of an unfinished building on X, identifying it as a police housing complex. He later deletes the post.

April 19, 2024: Uttar Pradesh
Police are accused of obstructing some journalists from reporting on elections to the Lok Sabha in Uttar Pradesh.

April 19, 2024: Across India
South Asia bureau chief for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Avani Dias, leaves India after authorities deny a ‘routine’ visa extension. India had previously blocked her reporting on YouTube, after she published a report on the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada in 2023.

May 3, 2023: Delhi (A, B, F)
Freelance journalist Sakshi Joshi is stopped by police while attempting to cover the wrestlers protesting against sexual harassment at Jantar Mantar in the evening. She is assaulted, and forced into a police van, where she is transported to Mandir Marg Police Station. She is released at approximately 10 am.

May 5, 2023: Punjab (A)
Times Now Navbharat channel reporter Bhawana Kishore, video journalist Mrityunjay Kumar, and driver Parminder Singh, are arrested in Ludhiana, for allegedly hitting a woman with their car and using casteist slurs while travelling to cover a Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rally. The channel claims the arrest were because of its reportage on exorbitant renovation of AAP Chief Minister’s residence in Delhi. All three are granted interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 6.

May 22, 2023: Manipur (A)
During the violent ethnic conflict in the state, three journalists, Mami TV reporters Soram Inaoba and Nongthombam Johnson and ANI correspondent Brahmacharimayum Dayananda are assaulted by security personnel while capturing a footage of a burning building near Brighter Academy school near New Checkon area of Imphal.  Police claim the journalists had pelted stones at an aerial drone operated by security forces, while the journalists say they were only waving it away as it got too close to them. Police later apologise following pressure from journalist groups.

June 1, 2023: Chhattisgarh (A)
Sunil Namdev, a journalist with NewsTodayCG.com, is arrested on June 1 for a report he had written about a judge.

June 11, 2023: Chhattisgarh (A)
Journalist Nilesh Sharma, editor of web portal and magazine India Writers, is arrested in Bilaspur district for allegedly “spreading rumours on WhatsApp” about the government and judicial officers under charges of intent to insult and provoke breach of the peace.

June 16, 2023: Manipur
Journalists Jiten and Khagemba are assaulted by the Rapid Action Force outside the Singhjami Police Station in Imphal.

June 21, 2023: Manipur
Journalists Akshay Dongre of Aaj Tak and Shalini of HY News, are allegedly assaulted by a Bharatiya Janata Party worker Sanatomba Meetei.

July 1, 2023: Madhya Pradesh (A) 
Journalist Shivam Arya is ambushed, stabbed, and abducted outside his home in Gwalior days by unidentified persons. During his abduction, Arya is transported to a nearby village, where he was assaulted, shot, and eventually escapes. Two of the three assailants are taken into custody by police.

July 2, 2023: Andhra Pradesh (A)
Broadcast journalists N. Sunil Chakravarthy of Camera News, A.V. Suryanarayana of Prime9 News, and reporters Chanti Venkataratnam and A. Balakrishna are arrested in Tirupati on a complaint alleging their involvement in ‘blackmailing, earning illegal money and issuing threats under the guise of media.’ Their colleagues claim these are false charges as the four had investigated and uncovered allegations of theft in a nearby famous temple and telecast it on their channels.

July 29, 2023: Tamil Nadu (A)
Writer, political commentator, and publisher Badri Seshadri is arrested by Perambalur district police from his house in Chennai after a complaint over his alleged criticism on YouTube of the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India over its hearing of a case related to ongoing violence in Manipur. He is charged with sections ‘public provocation with intent to cause riots, promotion of enmity between groups, and giving statements conducive to public mischief’. He is released on conditional bail on August 1.

 August 3, 2023: Bihar (C)
News 18 correspondent Vikas Kumar Singh is grabbed, assaulted, and obstructed by police while attempting to record footage of action by law enforcement removing supporters and members of the Bhartiya Janata Party, protesting an attack on a temple in Bhagalpur.

August 9, 2023: Maharashtra
Journalist Sandeep Mahajan is pulled from his motorbike and assaulted by three men in Jalgaon after publishing statements online about Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, terming his meeting with parents of a girl who was allegedly raped and murdered as ‘an eyewash’. Shortly after his posts, Shiv Sena MLA Kishor Patil calls the journalist and abuses him. Three men, eventually linked to Patil, are named in a Non-Cognisable complaint, which requires court’s permission to probe the matter further.

September 6, 2023: West Bengal (A)
Police arrest Anandabazar Patrika correspondent Debmalya Bagchi in Kharagpur following a complaint filed by his neighbour, a Dalit woman on August 28, saying he assaulted and verbally abused her, days after the publication carried articles highlighting illegal liquor brewing in the state. He was granted bail the next day.

September 14, 2023: Kashmir (A, C)
Prominent journalist and political analyst Majid Hyderi is arrested by the police under the Public Safety Act, following orders of a local court.  Police tweet his arrest was under criminal conspiracy, intimidation, extortion, giving false information, and defamation charges, following a complaint by journalist Emaad Makhdoomi related to reporting on a pending fraud case. He is released on bail on September 16, before police re-arrest him in another case.

September 18, 2023: Maharashtra (B)
Freelance journalist Krishna Maske, who runs a YouTube channel in Nagpur, is attacked at around midnight by three unidentified young people.  Days prior, he had published videos on alleged malpractice at a camp where a government development initiative, Shasan Aplya Dar, or ‘Government at your Doorstep’, initiative was organised. Maske files a complaint with local police.

September 25, 2023: Manipur (A)
Ukhrul-based journalist Tennoson Pheiray, district correspondent of ISTV and reporter of Ukhrul Times is detained by Assam Rifles personnel while travelling to the state capital, Imphal. When he told them he was a journalist, they said he looked like a high-ranking officer of the insurgent group NSCN-IM. He is released after a discussion with an Army officer.

October 3, 2023: New Delhi (A, G)
NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and administrative officer Amit Chakraborty are arrested later in evening of October 3. The pair are accused of having accepted foreign funds illegally to produce anti-national coverage. Purkayastha remains in custody through a series of extended judicial remands, based on claims NewsClick had accepted funding from the allegedly China-linked billionaire Neville Roy Singham in exchange for ‘anti-national’ coverage.

October 31, 2023: Kerala (B, G)
Kerala police initiate a criminal investigation against freelance journalist Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek for his story in Maktoob Media on allegations of anti-Muslim bias in the state’s police force following the detention of Muslim youth in connection with the explosion of improvised explosive devices on October 29. Sydeek and Maktoob Media editor Aslah Kayyalakkath are interrogated on November 16.

December 29, 2023: Manipur (A)
Police arrest Meitei language eveninger Kangleipaki Meira editor and former President of AMWJU Wangkhemcha Shyamjai in a suo moto case for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups through an article, which was against the ruling BJP government. He is remanded to police custody for three days, but released the next day on bail. The case remains ongoing.

January 5, 2024: Manipur (A)
Police arrest Meitei-language newspaper Hueiyen Lanpao editor Dhanabir Maibam for allegedly promoting enmity on religious grounds after the newspaper carries a report on deterioration of law and order in Moreh, a Kuki dominated town. He is released on bail.

January 5, 2024: Assam 
Deepankar Medhi, Chief Reporter of news channel NB News, is intimidated and assaulted by Nagaon District Commissioner Narendra Kumar Shah and taken to a police station. Medhi had questioned alleged misconduct directed towards his acquaintance, which reportedly angered the station’s Deputy Commissioner, after which he confiscated Medhi’s camera, directed him to delete the footage, and assaulted him.

January 5, 2024: West Bengal
A mob in Sandeshkhali, an island in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, attacks journalists covering the unrest during a raid by the Enforcement Directorate. Ayan Ghoshal, senior reporter from Bangla news channel Zee 24 Ghanta, a reporter from Bangla news channel ABP Ananda, and a photo journalist with the Telegraph reported being attacked, kicked, their equipment and vehicles damaged.

January 18, 2024: Across India (A)
The Ministry of Home Affairs issues a two-week notice to French journalist Vanessa Dougnac. Authorities allege that Dougnac, who has worked in India for 23 years and is married to an Indian citizen, violated Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) rules, due to her allegedly “malicious” reporting that had created a “negative perception” of India. She denies the allegations but leaves the country on February 17.

January 22, 2024: Tripura 
Dainik Sambad journalist Swapan Kumar Das is chased and assaulted by Border Security Force officers after he had taken videos of an outpost on assignment. A case is filed with police, which is dismissed after the Tripura Journalists Union takes up the matter.

January 24, 2024: Tamil Nadu 
News7 Tamil reporter Nesa Prabhu is attacked in Palladam by six men wielding knives and sickles, who arrive at the journalist’s home in vehicles without number plates. Police fail to respond to his calls for his assistance made hours before the attack. He suffers dozens of cuts and is transferred to a private hospital in Coimbatore. Ten people were taken into custody, including a police constable affiliated with the Special Branch.

January 26, 2024: Maharashtra
Journalist Dnyaneshwar Chouthmal with a Marathi news television channel, Pudhari is stopped by police while attempting to cover protests by opposition leaders during the inauguration of an overhead tank in Pune. Police confiscate his phone and camera, damage his equipment, and push him around.

February 8, 2024: Uttarakhand (A)
Journalists are targeted while covering clashes between protesting locals and police during the demolition of a mosque and madrasa in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani district. Amrit Vichar photojournalist Sanjay Kanera was among 10 journalists either pelted with stones, struck with firearms and lathis, or otherwise assaulted. Kanera suffers serious injuries to his head and chest, for which he receives tratement. The motorcycles of 12 reporters and two media professionals are destroyed. Some journalists say they were targeted by the mob due to fears of identification, and mistrust of the media.

February 9, 2024: Maharashtra (G)
The car of journalist Nikhil Wagle is attacked by Bharatiya Janata Party workers while travelling to speak at a public event in Pune. Wagle’s vehicle, in which two other activists were travelling, is pelted with eggs, rods, hockey sticks, ink, and other missiles, by a large group of people, reportedly angry over his social media posts criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a senior BJP figure who received the highest national award. First Information Reports are registered against some BJP workers for the attack.  Two FIRs are also lodged against Wagle on February 9 and 10, with the first allegedly for promoting enmity between groups and defamation, and the second for violating police orders to avoid the screening. 

February 10, 2024: Odisha (A)
Broadcast journalist Jyotiranjan Mohapatra is chased and attacked by four men on two motorcycles in Bhubaneswar while riding with his brother. Mahapatra is forced off the vehicle, and struck repeatedly with a sword, before his assailants flee the scene. Three persons are arrested for their role in the attack, with their bikes and weapons seized.

February 13, 2024: Haryana/Punjab 
India Today reporter Satender Chauhan suffers injuries during a clash between farmers and police during the farmers protests. Chauhan is hit with a projectile, either a bullet or a tear gas shrapnel near his eye. His network reports he is ‘doing fine’ in a tweet on February 13.

February 13, 2024: Haryana/Punjab (A)
Niel Bhalinder Singh is hit in the head and sustains serious injuries after he is hit on the head by a tear gas shell while covering a farmers’ protest on the Haryana-Punjab border.

February 23, 2024: Telangana  
Journalist Chelamala Shankar, who runs a YouTube channel ‘News Line Telugu’ and an e-paper ‘Idhi Telanganam’, is assaulted by unknown persons at night following a minor accident between his car and two women on a scooter. While police claim the women’s relatives thrashed him, Shankar’s colleagues claim he had previously received threats from Telangana Pradesh Congress activists as he has been critical of the ruling Congress government.

February 18, 2024: Bihar (A)
Journalists and police are attacked by a large group of people in Bhagalpur, after the body of a missing women is recovered. Two journalists sustain serious injuries while covering the event. Police register a case against 42 named and 250 unidentified people in relation to the attack.

February 19, 2024: West Bengal (A)
Republic Bangla TV journalist Santu Pan is arrested in Sandeshkhali on the evening of February 19 during a live broadcast, after allegations of ‘trespassing and outraging the modesty of a woman’ emerge, after he previously entered a woman’s home while covering sexual assault and illegal land theft allegations in the state’s leadership. He is granted bail by the Kolkata High Court on February 22, who also stay proceedings against him in a case registered at Sandeshkhali Police Station.

February 29, 2024: Kashmir (A, C)
Kashmir Narrator journalist Aasif Sultan is summoned to the Rainawari Police Station in Srinagar and arrested hours after his arrival at his home and two days after his release from a jail in Uttar Pradesh. His re-arrest is under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

February 21, 2024: Uttar Pradesh (A, C)
Indian National Congress (INC) supporters assault India News journalist Shiv Prasad Yadav at an INC rally in Raebareli. Some reports allege INC leader Rahul Gandhi asks Yadav his caste in an inappropriate manner.

March 5, 2024: Uttarakhand (A, G)
Journalist Ashutosh Negi, who runs a weekly Hindi newspaper Jago Uttarakhand is arrested in his hometown of Pauri under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, under accusations of using derogatory language and issuing death threats to an individual belonging to a Scheduled Caste. Police publicly criticise Negi’s advocacy and coverage in the alleged rape and murder case of a 19-year-old hotel receptionist in 2022, calling his criticism of police activity equal to promoting disorder and enmity in society. He is released on bail on March 13.

March 26, 2024: Delhi
Delhi Police assault several journalists and media workers while responding to a protest led by Aam Aadmi Party workers in the wake of the arrest of their leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In a photo, India Today journalist Arun Thakur is held by a police officer by the throat, while Hindustan journalist Salman Ali fractures his elbow.

April 26, 2024: Punjab (A, G)
Independent journalist and operator of online news portal Punjab Dastavez Rajinder Singh Taggar is arrested on charges of extortion, criminal conspiracy and wrongful restraint. The arrest is related to a March 20 First Information Report, with Taggar’s supporters alleging his arrest was due to his exposure of scams.

August 18, 2023: Bihar (C)
Vimal Kumar Yadav, journalist with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran is fatally shot in the chest after answering a knock at his door at approximately 5:00 am. Yadav had previously given evidence in his younger brother’s murder trial, and testified against those allegedly responsible for his death. Araria police arrest four suspects of the eight connected to the killing.

August 19, 2023: Jammu & Kashmir (I)
The website of independent news outlet The Kashmir Walla, along with its Facebook account and Twitter handle with nearly half a million followers are blocked arbitrarily, without any legal notice by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India under the Information Technologies Act.

October 3, 2023: New Delhi (G, H)
The offices of digital news outlet NewsClick are raided by Delhi police related to a case alleging ‘terror links’ and under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and forcibly closed.  The homes of 30 former and present outlet staff, journalists, media workers and contributors are raided in New Delhi and Mumbai, with 46 suspects questioned at the outlet’s offices and their residences. Electronic devices including laptops, mobile phones and hard drives are seized.

February 20, 2024: Andhra Pradesh (C)
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) activists attacked the offices of Telugu newspaper Eenadu in Kurnool city for publishing an article criticising a YSRCP Member of the Legislative Assembly. The group allegedly destroy windows and signage, call for the arrest of owner Ramoji Rao, and attempt to forcibly enter the building. While police arrive at the scene, no charges have been filed against the activists. Two days earlier, a photojournalist is assaulted, allegedly by YSRCP activists while he was taking pictures of Chief Minister’s ‘Siddham’ program.

February 24, 2024: Manipur (C)
The offices of news outlet Nongpok Leingak Apunba Nupi Lup are set on fire by a large group of people. The rented room of a young journalist, N Kumar, is also burned.

July 14, 2023: Kathmandu
Chief Editor of Bikashnews.com Ram Krishna Poudel receives a death threat from Businessman Durga Parsai related to his work.

July 30, 2023: Bagmati
Bagmati Television correspondents Gaurav Adhikari and Suman Niraula are victims of death threats after questioning a local finance centre manager Ramji Kandel on reported irregularities at a local hotel.

August 1, 2023: Kathmandu  
Journalist and former FNJ secretary Ujir Magar receives death threats on social media after publishing an article on Dawa Chiring, who was arrested for alleged gold smuggling. Magar receives threatening messages on social media from Chiring’s family, as well as others accused of the same crime.

August 23, 2023: Kathmandu & Bagmati
NitiNews.com journalist Shankar Tiwari receives threatening phone calls, allegedly from a member of Nepal’s House of Representatives, while returning home from work.

August 23, 2023: Kathmandu & Bagmati
Journalist Kushlav KC receives a call from an unknown person at 8pm, who identifies himself as a member of a political partner and issues death threats against Kushlav.

September 17, 2023: Bagmati
Nepal Newspaper Daily reporter Motiram Timalsina receives death threats from supporters of provincial minister Tirtha Lama, after publishing an article alleging Lama’s involvement in gold smuggling.

December 12, 2023: Koshi
Tikaram Bastola, the operator of Birtamodejhapa.com, repeatedly received death threats following his coverage of an alleged scam, reportedly led by local figure Anjesh Giri. In the wake of the coverage, Giri’s relatives repeatedly called Bastola with threats, including death threats.

April 3, 2024: Madhesh
Executive Editor of Davanal.com Arjun Kumar Thapaliya receives a death threat from Shreedhar KC, the Chief Executive Officer of Golbazaar Municipality related to leaked audio from the Shreedhar the outlet had published.

June 21, 2023: Kathmandu  
Swasthya Live Online editor Sunil Sapkota is harassed by a group of people, who attempt to attack him for his reports on the illegal occupation of government land. One of the perpetrators, allegedly a man named ‘Hari Giri’ is arrested.

June 23, 2023: Kathmandu (C)
At the Rajdhani Dainik Office Compound, President of FNJ Rajdhani Dainik branch Ishwor Bishokarma is threatened, and is subject to verbal abuse based on his Caste.

June 26, 2023: Gandaki (F)
Gita Rana, an executive committee member of the FNJ’s Kaski branch and Pokhara correspondent for ABC Television, is mistreated and held hostage by the Chief Administrative Officer of Bhirkot Municipality in Syangja district, Dharmaraj Dhungana, while she was collecting news. Dhungana forced Rana to delete all footage, before handing her over to police. She is released shortly after.

August 6, 2023: Madhesh
The Saptari District Administration Office bans journalists from taking photos inside the office’s buildings or in public places, threatening legal action against those seen to disobey the order. The order is withdrawn following pressure from media stakeholders.

August 8, 2023: Kathmandu (G)
The Parhat District Court issues an arrest warrant against photojournalist and cultural activist RK Adipta Giri under cybercrime legislation due to his reporting on illegal sand and stone smuggling from the Kaligandaki river. Following pressure from the FNJ and other media groups, the case is adjourned.

August 21, 2023:  Bagmati
In the wake of an Oxford College vehicle accident on July 31, the son of the college’s principal, Rohan Bhandari, enters the offices of Chitwan Post Daily and Nayani Online to harass and threaten journalists and media workers.

October 29, 2023: Karnali
FNJ member and SmartKarnaliNews.com editor Lankaraj Dhamala is threatened after releasing a video reporting on developments in the Raskot Municipality.

November 18, 2023: Gandaki
FNJ member and DonNews.com editor Rajendra Adhikari is threatened by a Pokhara ward chairman while collecting information on a savings and loan cooperative embezzlement scandal.

 January 14, 2024: Kathmandu
EveryNews.com Online journalist Krishna Kattel is harassed while covering a story on the removal of unauthorised structures by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. He is among several others who are verbally abused, with Kattel beaten by the owner of a mobile shop.

February 18, 2024: Madhesh
Dadkan FM reporter Shiv Kumar Mahato is threatened by an unknown caller related to his reporting on a corruption case related to the brother of the province’s Health Minister. Mahato claims to be able to identify the caller as the personal secretary to the minister, who told the journalist to delete the article.

February 19, 2024: Kathmandu
Journalists are obstructed from covering a National Democracy Day Program, with event organisers only allowing ‘invited journalists would be able to attend. Journalists receiving press passes from the Department of Information and Broadcasting are refused entry.

March 14, 2024: Koshi
Shilapatra.com reporter Krishna Bhab Bhattarai is obstructed by local police while gathering news of metropolitan bus riders.

April 3, 2024: Lumbini
Sadbhab Dainik and Setokhari Online editor and FNJ Banke Branch President Damodar Bhandari is threatened by the Subash Bohora District Chief of Police related to his work.

May 17, 2023: Sudurpashchim  
SagarmathaTV and Aabhashkunj Daily journalist Aishwarya Kunwar, as well as Seemarekha.com editor in chief Rajendra Nath are assaulted by police while covering a clash between police and transport workers on the East-West Highway. Nath is handcuffed, and both are taken into custody. They are released after several hours.

May 28, 2023: Lumbini
Ghanshyam Paudel, an executive committee member of the FNJ’s Arghakhanchi branch and editor-in-chief of Hindukhabar.com, and journalist Rukmangat Bhattarai, are verbally abused, manhandled, and had their cameras and microphones seized by the principal, teachers, and some parents present at the Dhatiwang Secondary School in Panini, Arghakhanchi. The journalists had travelled to the school to report on the school management committee formation process.

June 30, 2023: Kathmandu
Ratopati journalist Shambhu Dangal is pulled by the arm and forcibly escorted out of Nepal’s House of Representatives. Dangal was at the House to cover a sub-committee meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee, discussing the Transitional Justice Bill.

July 10, 2023: Madhesh
Mahdesh bureau chief of MakaluKhabar.com Shivend Rohita is attacked while returning home in Janakpur. The motive behind the attack is unclear.

July 24, 2023: Bajhang
Radio Khaptad and Nepal Angle Online Correspondent Sunil Mandal is taken from his home, allegedly by the directions of Rastriya Swotantra Party Bajhang coordinator and Hotel Holiday Inn owner Nagendra Khadka.

July 25, 2023: Kathmandu  
Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha issues a notice to police to investigate journalist Ganesh Basnet, following the publication of an article seen to have contained factual errors. The case is withdrawn after several days.

August 3, 2023: Kathmandu (C, F)
Shanti Gharti Magar, an Indigenous female journalist working at Golkhabar.com, is assaulted and injured by police while covering a sit-in protest against law enforcement personnel perceived to make comments denigrating the culture of Nepal’s diverse Indigenous peoples at a district police office in Teku, Kathmandu.

August 21, 2023: Madhesh  
Himalaya Television correspondent Rakesh Yadav is assaulted by the owners and operators of an illegal quarry and stone processing operation following intervention from the owner.

September 6, 2023: Kathmandu (F)
OnlineKhabar journalist Namita Dahal is assaulted by some members of a crowd welcoming the return of the Nepali Cricket Team at Tribhuvan Airport.

September 13, 2023: Mahdesh  
Journalist Anil Karna is attacked by approximately 15 people after writing social media posts critical of Province Hospitals’ medical superintendent Dr Ram Naresh Pandit. He is rescued by several of his friends before he suffers serious injury.

September 16, 2023: Mahdesh  
Nepal Press reporter Santosh Yadav is attacked by a sharp weapon after meeting with a commenter who had insulted his father online. Yadav suffered a cut in his throat. The attackers are arrested.

September 16, 2023: Bagmati
Several journalists are trapped in a hall, after Manahari Rural Municipality Mayor Ranjan Kalakheti locks its doors. A group of young people verbally abuse the journalists, who are kept for several hours and allowed to leave following police intervention.

September 25, 2023: Lalitpur
Ratopati journalist Krishnasingh Dhami is attacked by five or six people while returning to the outlet’s offices at approximately 4:00pm. The attack was reportedly in response to articles educational programs at Tribhuvan University, to which a student association issued a warning against Dhami and Ratopati.

October 18, 2023: Madhesh
FNJ member and Radio Nepal journalist Sanjib Bikram Shah is assaulted by members of the Janamat Party, after he arrives to cover news on an unrelated dispute in the province’s Dakneshwari municipality. Shah is approached by Janamat Party workers, who first ask why he had written negative news about them.

November 1, 2023: Kathmandu
Chardisha Online editor Om Sharma is attacked and injured while covering a meeting of a Nepali diaspora organisation. Sharma is assaulted while taking photos within the organisation’s offices, with the assailants destroying the journalist’s phone and communication materials.

November 8, 2023: Kathmandu
Protesting journalists and supporters at the Kantipur Media Group headquarters are struck by rocks, thrown by an office worker with the media group. Journalist Tikaram Pradhan is injured in the attack.

November 24, 2023: Mahdesh
A group of men vandalise the vehicle of News TV, which was returning from a broadcast of a cricket tournament in Parsa.

January 6, 2024: Gandaki
Baglung Secretary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists Bijay Rana is struck with a lathi by police while filming a clash between law enforcement and festival goers in Baglung. Police confiscate his phone.

February 6, 2024: Madhesh
Krishna Tiwari, a member of FNJ’s Rautahat branch, is assaulted and suffers severe injuries after travelling to collect news at the Baba Baijunath Sugar Mill in Rautahat. Tiwari suffers severe injuries on his chest and head.

February 10, 2024: Sudurpashchim (A, G)
Nigarani Khabar reporter Aishwarya Kunwar and Mountain Television correspondent Pushkar Bhatta are arrested by poice under Section 47of the Electronic Transactions Act for their coverage and commentary of alleged police misconduct. They are accused of producing an electronic publication against public morality or decency, and their phones are confiscated. Bhatt is released on February 13, and Kunwar is released on February 15.

February 10, 2024: Madhesh
Journalist Krishna Tiwari is assaulted on arrival at the Baba Baijunath Sugar Mill in Rautahat to collect news. Tiwari suffers serious injuries to his chest and head.

February 23, 2024: Kathmandu (A)
Nepalese Times editor Tekman Shakya and correspondent Sunita Gautam are harassed by security personnel while attending a conference on the exploitation of Nepali workers overseas. Shakya and Gautam have their press passes confiscated by police, before they are transported to the Kalimati police circle.

February 28, 2024: Kathmandu (A)
Police confiscate the phone, laptop, camera, and documents of journalist Padm Prasad Pokhrel while covering a police operation removing street traders in Sundhara. Pokhrel shows his ID card but is still taken to a police vehicle and beaten by police officers.

 March 7, 2024: Madhesh
Ap1 Television Correspondent Naveen Chaudhary is attacked and injured by an unknown group.

May 9, 2023: Islamabad (I)
Authorities suspend mobile telephone service in various parts of the country and restricted access to social media platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube after supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan conduct social media campaigns and demonstrations protesting his arrest.

May 21-23, 2023: Punjab (G)
Police raid the home of G News Network Deputy Bureau Chief Sarfraz Ahmed Khan at least ten times between May 21 and May 23. Police allegedly phone Khan and claim there is an arrest warrant issued against him.

June 13, 2023: Islamabad (G)
Journalist Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Waja­­hat Saeed Khan and blog­g­ers Haider Raza Mehdi and Adil Farooq Raja – all out of country – were charged by police in Islamabad for alleged mutiny and inciting a mob during the violent protests on May 9 after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The FIR is registered under anti-terror, criminal sedition, anti-mutiny, and anti-national charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the penal code.

June 15, 2023: Islamabad (B, G)
TV anchorpersons and freelance journalists Moeed Pirzada and Sabir Shakir – both out of country – were charged by police in Islamabad of sedition and terrorism for their alleged involvement in the violence that engulfed the country on May 9 after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The FIR is registered under anti-terror, criminal sedition, anti-mutiny, and anti-national charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the penal code.

June 16, 2023: Islamabad (G)
TV channel owner Shoaib Shaikh and TV anchorperson Sami Abaraham were booked by police in Islamabad on sedition charges linked to their alleged support of riots that broke out on May 9 after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.

June 9, 2023: Islamabad (G)
Ahmed Noorani, an investigative reporter for FactFocus, a web-based investigative journalism start-up operated from outside Pakistan, is declared a ‘proclaimed offender’ for his failure to respond to legal summons for a court trial. The status was conferred on Noorani after he refused to come back from self-imposed exile in the US to respond to a government investigation for publishing tax records of retired former Pakistan Army chief Qamar Bajwa. The ‘proclaimed offender’ status makes Noorani liable for arrest without bail in case he returns to Pakistan.

August 1, 2023: Pakistan-administered Kashmir (B, G)
Freelance journalists Raja Majid and Aijaz Khan are charged with contempt of court for allegedly defaming court and administrative officials in Pakistan-administered Kashmir via social media. The journalists had previously claimed that officials had sided with the perpetrators in the sexual assault and murder of an underage girl in Haveli.

August 31, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (G)
Journalist Amjad Ali Sahaab is the subject of a First Information Report under criminal defamation, insult, and criminal annoyance charges due to writings which allegedly insulted government agencies. Sahaab’s home is raided on August 31. He is not arrested, and is instead granted pre-arrest bail until September 9.

September 25, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (B)
Miraj Khalid Wazir, a freelance journalist is threatened by a Jirga – a private tribal court associated with the Pashtun—with the demolition of his home in South Waziristan after he reported on a similar ‘verdict’ against a local woman. Police post guards outside his home to deter the threats.

October 14, 2023: Punjab (G)
Rana Azeem, analyst for Channel 92 TV and Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, is charged with alleged tampering of an electricity meter, in response to his criticism of the ruling parties.

January 17, 2024: Islamabad (G)
At least 47 journalists are issued legal summons by the Federal Investigation Agency to respond to allegations of targeted defamation of and incitement against judges of superior judiciary. The summons came after the government constituted an investigation team to identify critics of the judiciary following a vitriolic social media campaign.

February 8, 2024: Islamabad (I)
Authorities impose a blanket suspension of mobile phone services on the date of the General Election date to elect the new national parliament and provincial legislatures. The services remained off for the duration of the 8am to 5pm voting time, severely hampering media coverage and reporting of elections.

February 17, 2024: Islamabad (I)
The government imposes a complete shutdown of X (formerly Twitter) that was in effect at the time of this report – over four weeks after the blackout went into effect. Repeated inquiries from the courts and urging by national and international media, digital and human rights groups failed to reverse the situation. The case is currently under trial in Sindh High Court.

May 9, 2023: Punjab
Chhachh News Network Chief Executive Nisar Ali Khan is pelted with stones by PTI activists in Lahore during protests against the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Nisar Ali suffers severe bleeding and injuries to his head and is transported to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital to receive medical treatment.

May 9, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PTI workers attack a Dawn News team, injuring reporter Arfi Hayat and a team of media workers. The crew’s van is vandalised.

May 9, 2023: Balochistan
GNN News reporter Fiazan Ali and cameraperson Shehbaz Ali, AFP reporter Banaras Khan, Intekhab cameraperson Alexander Kalwi and GTV News reporter Fateh Bugti are assaulted and obstructed by police in Quetta while covering Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf protests in the wake of the arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

May 9, 2023: Islamabad
Voice of America correspondent Salman Idris Qazi is assaulted and obstructed outside the Islamabad High Court.

May 9 – August 9, 2023: Across Pakistan (A, B, F)
Dozens of journalists working for various electronic and print media outlets and freelancers operating digital journalism platforms were arrested from across Pakistan in a protracted crackdown by the authorities lasting several months. Around 250 journalists subsequently complained of attacks, raids and harassment, according to media bodies. The action followed countrywide riots and attacks on military installations and other public property as well as several media houses, by the supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan protesting his arrest on May 9, 2023. The attacks came after weeks of incendiary speeches by Khan and his party leaders that the authorities saw as seditious and incitements to violence, including by journalists sympathetic to Khan’s cause.

May 10, 2023: Punjab
Express News producer Syed Mustajab Hassan and Suno TV producer Muhammad Faizan Ashraf are assaulted by police while filming a police operation targeting the home of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party leader Raja Mahfouz. Police damage their cameras.

May 11, 2023: Punjab (A)
Journalist Imran Riaz Khan is arrested at Sialkot Airport while attempting to travel to Oman. Police and intelligence agencies repeatedly deny Khan is in their custody, with the Lahore High Court issuing a last warning to the police over the failure to locate the journalist on September 20. The journalist arrived home in Sialkot City on September 25.

May 11, 2023: Punjab (A)
Police officers detain Samaa TV anchor Aftab Iqbal at his farmhouse in Lahore, with police assaulting Iqbal’s security personnel and assistant. He is released on May 12 following an order from the Lahore High Court.

May 13, 2023: Punjab (A)
Senior journalist Orya Maqbool Jan is arrested from his home. He is released days later and returns to work.

May 17, 2023: Punjab
The Business journalist Jahangir Hayat is attacked by two law enforcement personnel and six unidentified individuals during an illegal police raid on his home. Hayat and his family are struck repeatedly, with the journalist suffering serious injuries, including wounds on his hand and broken teeth.

May 22, 2023: Sindh (A)
Journalist Nasrullah Gadani is detained in Mirpur Mathelo on orders from the Sindh Home Department, who claim in a May 16 detention order that he had incited and organised protests.

May 24, 2023: Islamabad (A)
BOL News president and vocal supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan Sami Abraham is abducted by unidentified men in Islamabad while leaving the BOL TV offices. He is stopped by four vehicles and abducted by at least eight individuals who confiscate his two mobile phones, his car keys, and his driver’s phone. He returns on May 30. The details of his abduction, as well as the motive, remain unknown.

June 6, 2023: Sindh (A)
Police and armed men in plain clothes abduct Geo News producer Zubair Anjum from his home in Karachi without providing a valid reason or warrant. Police allegedly assault a member of Anjum’s family and confiscate the recording hardware in a nearby CCTV camera. He is returned to his home 24 hours later.

June 23, 2023: Islamabad (A)
Exiled Afghan journalist Mohammad Tahir Sadid is detained by police while travelling to a local market with a friend, allegedly due to issues with his Pakistani visa. Some reports indicate Sadid’s friend was demanded a bribe of PKR 400,000, or USD 1,400, in return for his release. Sadid was released around midnight the same evening following advocacy from Islamabad’s exiled Afghan media community.

July 9, 2023: Sindh (A)
Syed Muhammad Ansari, reporter for newspaper Jang, is arrested by police and unidentified men in plainclothes, suspected to be intelligence personnel, outside his home. The journalist later says he is kept blindfolded for the entire duration of his custody. No charges are brought against him. He is released the next day.

August 31, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (A)
The car of Fayyaz Zafar, correspondent for Mashriq daily and Voice of America, is stopped by approximately 30 police officers and masked men in Swat, who damage his car and take him into custody. He reports suffering abuse while in custody, and claims police attempted to force him to sign a document limiting his reporting. In a detention order, police claim Zafar had exploited freedom of speech, and spread misleading or false information online via social media.

September 16, 2023: Punjab
Four unidentified individuals arrive at the home of senior journalist Azam Chaudhry, attacking his son on his answering of the door, and attempting to break in. The attack is suspected to be in relation to articles written by Chaudhry on criminal land practices.

September 21, 2023: Sindh (A)
Rustam Indhar, a reporter for a private Sindhi television broadcaster, and Anwar Jatoi, a cameraperson, are detained, restrained and attacked by a group of villagers in Pano Aqil while attempting to film alleged electricity theft from a main power line. They are held for several hours before reportedly being rescued by fellow journalists. They are transferred to a Pano Aqil hospital where they receive medical treatment, and Indhar registers a report against nine people. Two are arrested.

September 23, 2023: Islamabad (A)
Khalid Jamil, reporter for ABN News TV, is arrested in Islamabad by the Federal Investigation Agency and charged under the national cybercrime law with spreading ‘malicious and seditious’ sentiments against security agencies on social media platform ‘X’. He is freed on orders of a special court on September 29, 2023, with charges against him dropped on December 6, 2023.

October 29, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 
Syed Yasir Shah, a reporter for Geo TV, is shot at while returning home to Kohar from assignment in Attock. Shah and a cameraperson fall off their motorcycle as they are fired upon, but manage to evade any gunshots. Both sustain injuries after falling off the motorcycle when Shah lost control, and are treated at the District Headquarters Hospital in Kohat.

November 20, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Senior journalist Gul Hammad Farooqui is attacked in Chitral by workers at a construction company while he attempts to question them about the alleged poor quality of work performed on a government contract. He sustains injuries and is treated at a nearby hospital for his injuries.

January 19, 2024: Sindh 
Shoaib Burney, bureau chief for Suno TV in Karachi, is shot in the arm and injured by unidentified motorcyclists as he attempted to park his car while attending a wedding.  Burney files a First Information Report against the unknown attackers, but no one is arrested.

February 2, 2024: Punjab (A)
Imran Riaz Khan is arrested on terrorism charges at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, related to critical comments made on social media against state institutions. Cases against him are dismissed after a court appearance on February 3.

February 26, 2024: Islamabad (A, B)
Asad Toor, a freelance journalist and vlogger, is arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency from Islamabad and charged with defaming superior court judges. He is first summoned on February 23, where he is questioned for eight hours, at least two of which was without access to his lawyer. He is placed in successive judicial remands, before being released on bail on March 16.

March 1, 2024: Punjab (A)
Imran Riaz Khan is arrested in relation to a corruption case, from which he is released on bail. He is re-arrested on March 6 under anti-terrorism charges, with authorities accusing him of arson and throwing missiles at police during protests against the execution of arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Imran Khan in May 2023.

April 3, 2024: Islamabad
Exiled Afghan journalist Abdul Aleem Saqib, also known as Ahmad Hanayesh, is shot at by two unidentified individuals on a motorcycle at approximately 11:00pm while returning home in Islamabad’s south-eastern G6 area. He is shot twice in the leg, with a bullet grazing his head.

April 9, 2024: Islamabad
Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) Secretary General Dr Furqan Rao, head of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)’s China desk, is attacked by a group of people following recent elections of APP collective bargaining agent unions, the results of which were opposed by outlet management.

April 21, 2024: Punjab (A)
92 News journalist Bilal Sikander, cameraperson Mushtaq Danyal, and GNN News camera person Raees Dilawar, alongside several local media workers, are detained by police while covering by-elections in Gujarat city. While in custody, police assault the journalists and damage their equipment. They are released after several hours in detention, and intervention from media unions.

August 8, 2023: Sindh (C)
Ghulam Asghar Khand, a reporter for the Sindhi Daily newspaper Sobh is fired on by two unknown armed men on motorcycles. He is shot nine times and is killed before he is able to receive medical treatment. The motive for the killing is unknown.  Ghulam Asghar’s elder brother, journalist Mushtaq Ahmed Khand, was also killed in an attack in 2013 in Khairpur town during a political gathering.

August 19, 2023: Sindh (C)
Kawish TV Sukkur bureau chief Jan Muhammad Mahar is fired on by two unidentified men on motorcycles while leaving the broadcaster’s offices. He dies of his injuries before he can receive medical treatment. His high-profile murder sparked prolonged protests across Pakistan.

March 11, 2024: Punjab (C, F)
The body of print journalist Tahira Nosheen Rana is discovered near the Lehri National Park in Punjab’s north. She has sustained multiple stab wounds to her neck and stomach and has been burned with acid on her face. Before her death, she complained to police about attempts on her life from her ex-husband.

June 21, 2023: Northern Province (G)
Independent journalists Thambidurai Pradeepan, from Jaffna, and T. Paramasivan, from Kilinochchi are summoned to the Kilnochichi Deputy Inspector General’s office and questioned about reports they had published regarding a June 2 incident at the Maruthankarni playground involving MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam. The journalists are questioned about how the information was sourced and reported.

June 13, 2023: Western Province (G)
A complaint is lodged with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by the ‘Radical Middle Collective’ against two broadcasters, Hiru and Derana, and two websites, Dasata Lanka and Madhyawediya, for their alleged publication of news contributing to religious disharmony. Emphasis is based on coverage of comedian Natasha Edirisuriya, who was arrested on May 27 for her comedy.

July 2023: North Western Province (G)
Police investigate a news story about the confiscation of a vehicle by law enforcement written by journalist Pushpakumara Jayaratne, with the complaint registered by the owner of the vehicle.

August 2023: Eastern Province (H)
Journalists are barred from attending district coordinating meetings in Trincomalee district, with local elected representatives restricting access to media operations linked to sitting politicians.

September 27, 2023: Western Province (G)
Minister of Justice Wijayadasa Rajapaksa seeks LKR 500,000,000, or approximately USD 1,660,000, from Keerthi Ratnayake, editor of the nationalalert.lk website for the alleged damage caused to Rajapaksa’s reputation through defamatory remarks.

October 3, 2023: Western Province (G)
Neth FM journalists Hemantha Kahawalage, Sachin Ravisha, Swapna Kavindi and Pavithra Madhuharshani are summoned to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee following allegations that a story they broadcast violated privileges.

November 27, 2023: Western Province (G)
Jaffna-based Udayan editor Thangarasa Prabhakaran is summoned to Colombo for an anti-terrorist investigation into a news article published in 2020 about former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Velupillai Prabhakaran. He is questioned for four hours, with police taking a statement.

December 29, 2023: Northern Province 
The management of Bogawantalawa Kirkswold Estate, owned by the Madolcima Estate Company and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), issues a threat against journalist Sambasivam Sathish Kumar for his coverage of water disruption impacts. The journalist files a complaint with the Bogawantalawa Police the next day.

January 23, 2024: Western Province (G)
Journalist Chamudittha Samarawickrama is summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department for a statement on January 23 related to an interview he conducted with a controversial religious figure on his YouTube channel. The interview took place after the monk was released on bail on charges of making derogatory remarks towards Buddhism.

July 28, 2023: Western Province (A, B, G)
Freelance journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara is pulled from an auto rickshaw by police while attending a trade union-led protest in Colombo. He is transferred to Borella Police Station, where he is assaulted in transit and on arrival. On July 29, he is admitted to the National Hospital where the Colombo Chief Magistrate, who examined him, grants him bail. Intelligence personnel question Tharindu’s mother while he is in hospital. Tharindu’s case has been called three times, with the next scheduled for June 15, 2024. During an April 2nd hearing, a Colombo Magistrate ordered police to register an official complaint, else he be released from the charges.

July 21, 2023: North Central Province 
Journalist Thamseer Hamid is the victim of an attempted stabbing attack and multiple death threats after publishing an article on business lease irregularities during the Anuradhapura Poson Festival. Police initiate an investigation into the incident.

July 25, 2023: North Western Province
Kuliapitiya District Lankadeepa journalist Dinesh Upendra is attacked by police after submitting a complaint about a large group of people who had attempted to break and enter his office, filming the premises. Some reports claim police attack Upendra, while others say that another individual was responsible.

August 22, 2023: Eastern Province (B, C)
Three freelance journalists in Batticaloa, Selvakumar Nilanthan, Valasingham Krishnakumar, and Antony Christopher Christiraj, are harassed, obstructed, and detained for over five hours by an armed group of Sinhala men while attempting to gather news on reported intrusions by authorities onto cattle grazing land.  While held, Nilanthan is forced to delete footage and photos of farmer testimonies. The three are allowed to leave following the arrival of the police several hours later.

November 30, 2023: North Western Province (A, G)
Sri Lanka Television reporter Dineth Kumara is assaulted by police officers while covering the filing of a complaint at the Bingiriya Police Station. Police damage and seize his equipment, and then arrest him, claiming that his recording of a police station constituted a threat to national security. He remains under investigation.

February 23,2024: Northern Province  
Journalists Prabhakaran Thilakshan, Sundaramlai Rajasekaran and Sinniah Yogeswaran were obstructed while covering the partial easing of access to seven temples in an army-controlled area of Jaffna. The journalists say that soldiers forced them to delete footage they had shot of the religious sites.

February 24, 2024: Western Province  
Police raid the home of journalist and Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) National Coordinator Shanta Wijesuriya on the afternoon of February 24, with Kesbewa police seizing leaflets, posters, and protest placards planned for a protest against police targeting of his family.

March 5, 2024: North Western Province (A, G)
On the evening of March 5, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Sri Lanka Police Service arrest G.P. Nissanka, the owner and editor of the news site Ravana Lanka News, at his residence in the Pallebedda area of the southern Sabaragamuwa Province. This followed a complaint lodged by Army Commander Vikum Liyanage regarding a news report published by Nissanka. Nissanka was detained in police custody until his release on bail on March 20. His mobile phone, confiscated during the arrest, remains in police custody.

March 6, 2024: North Western Province (A, B, G)
On March 6, freelance journalist Bimal Ruhunage is apprehended from his residence in the Kurunegala district. During the arrest, law enforcement confiscate Ruhunage’s mobile phone and wallet, which were later returned to his wife on the same day, as disclosed by the journalist. Four days prior, Ruhunage took footage of a mother and child being taken to a police station, which a police officer attempted to obstruct. He is granted bail on March 11.