March 2020 - Page 3 of 9 - Committee to Protect Journalists

A police officer is seen at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, on March 19, 2020. Egypt recently expelled Guardian reporter Ruth Michaelson over her reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Egypt expels Guardian reporter Ruth Michaelson over COVID-19 coverage

March 26, 2020 12:05 PM EDT

New York, March 26, 2020 — In response to Egypt’s expulsion of Ruth Michaelson, a reporter for The Guardian, the Committee to Protect Journalists released the following statement:

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is seen in Brasilia on March 20, 2020. Bolsonaro recently passed a provisional regulation restricting access to public records. (Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

Brazil restricts access to government information amid COVID-19 emergency

March 26, 2020 12:00 PM EDT

Rio de Janeiro, March 26, 2020 — Brazilian authorities should not use the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to restrict access to government information, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

CPJ launches resources on COVID-19’s impact on journalist safety, press freedom

March 26, 2020 11:17 AM EDT

New York, March 26, 2020–As the coronavirus pandemic spreads globally and journalists scramble to safely cover the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists is offering resources to reporters, interviewing journalists on the front line, and documenting press freedom violations related to coverage of COVID-19.

CPJ launches resources on COVID-19’s impact on journalist safety, press freedom

March 26, 2020 10:38 AM EDT

Police officers are seen in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 26, 2020. The Thai government has imposed a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and has restricted the press. (AP/Sakchai Lalit)

Thailand declares state of emergency, imposes press restrictions

March 26, 2020 9:50 AM EDT

Bangkok, March 26, 2020 — Thailand should uphold press freedom and refrain from harassing and restricting reporters while emergency rule is imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Dhaka Tribune journalist Ariful Islam receives medical help at Kurigram General Hospital on March 15, 2020. He was arrested and beaten by local authorities and police on March 13. (Dhaka Tribune)

Journalist Ariful Islam freed after arrest, beating, and conviction in Bangladesh

March 25, 2020 1:50 PM EDT

In the evening of March 13, 2020, men in paramilitary uniforms accompanied by local administrative officials in Kurigram District, in northern Bangladesh, raided the home of Ariful Islam, the area’s correspondent for the English-language Dhaka Tribune daily, and arrested him after allegedly finding illegal drugs in the house, according to news reports.

A man reads a newspaper at a stall near the Medina of Rabat, Morocco, on March 16, 2017. Morocco, Yemen, Oman, and Jordan recently ordered newspapers to cease production, citing fears of spreading the COVID-19 virus. (AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Jordan, Oman, Morocco, and Yemen suspend newspaper production, citing COVID-19 fears

March 25, 2020 1:30 PM EDT

Beginning on March 17, 2020, authorities in Jordan, Oman, Morocco, and Yemen issued decrees suspending newspaper printing and distribution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to news reports and government statements.

A police officer is seen near a picture of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2019. Today, Turkey indicted 20 Saudi nationals in Khashoggi's killing. (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Turkey indicts 20 Saudi nationals over Jamal Khashoggi killing

March 25, 2020 12:30 PM EDT

New York, March 25, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed an announcement that Turkish officials have indicted 20 Saudi nationals on charges of murder and incitement linked to the 2018 killing of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and issued the following statement:

Independent Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli speaks in Baku, Azerbaijan ,,on Sunday, March 2, 2014. Mukhtarli spoke to CPJ after his release from prison in Azerbaijan on March 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)

Journalist Afgan Mukhtarli: ‘Azerbaijani prisoners are facing death under coronavirus quarantine’

March 24, 2020 4:48 PM EDT

Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli was released from prison on March 17, 2020, after nearly three years in jail, and flown to Berlin, where he was reunited with his wife and daughter. He served half of his six-year sentence on charges that Azerbaijani authorities brought in retaliation for his investigative reporting, as CPJ research shows.

A police officer stands at a barricade in New Delhi, India, on March 23, 2020. Police in New Delhi and Hyderabad recently assaulted journalists for allegedly violating the cities' lockdowns. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)

Journalists assaulted by police amid coronavirus lockdown in India

March 24, 2020 4:30 PM EDT

New Delhi, March 24, 2020 – Authorities in India must stop assaulting journalists and allow them to do their work freely and without restrictions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.