2020
Russian journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev: Jailed ‘without a single proof of his guilt’
Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, religion section editor of the independent newspaper Chernovik, has been in pre-trial detention in Makhachkala, in the Russian republic of Dagestan, since his June 14, 2019, arrest on terrorism charges, according to CPJ research. On March 27, 2020, authorities filed new charges against Gadzhiev, accusing him of participation in an extremist organization, as…
Ethiopian authorities detain journalists, media workers on incitement allegations
On August 5 and 6, 2020, security personnel in Ethiopia arrested three current and one former employee of the privately-owned Amhara Satellite Radio And Television (ASRAT), according to an August 10 statement from the media outlet on Facebook and the four individuals’ lawyer, Henok Aklilu, who spoke with CPJ via phone. Journalists Belay Manaye and Mulugeta Anberbir,…
Iraqi Kurdish security forces raid broadcaster, detain and beat journalists, seize equipment
New York, August 14, 2020 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities must cease harassing local news outlets, return journalists’ equipment they have seized, and let reporters cover protests freely and without fear of assault or detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 12, Iraqi Kurdish Asayish security forces raided the offices of local broadcaster…
Senegalese newspaper Les Echos office vandalized over COVID-19 report
On August 3, 2020, at least five individuals entered the office of the privately owned Les Echos newspaper in Dakar, Senegal, and destroyed at least $15,000 worth of equipment, including eight computers and a television, according to Alassane Dramé, a reporter with the paper who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, and a statement by…
Belarusian police continue beating and detaining journalists
Vilnius, Lithuania, August 13, 2020 — Belarusian authorities should stop detaining journalists and allow them to cover protests freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Detentions and beatings of journalists have continued for the fifth day since the August 9 presidential elections in which incumbent President Aleksandr Lukashenko declared a landslide victory….
Colombian court orders authorities to compensate journalist Claudia Julieta Duque for years of harassment and surveillance
New York, August 13, 2020 – In response to a decision by the Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca finding that the Colombian state violated journalist Claudia Julieta Duque’s rights and ordering multiple government entities to compensate her, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The Cundinamarca Administrative Tribunal’s ruling is a necessary and overdue…
Nicaraguan journalist Kalúa Salazar faces criminal slander suit over corruption reporting
Managua, August 13, 2020 – Nicaraguan authorities should drop the criminal slander charges against journalist Kalúa Salazar, and ensure media outlets can report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 10, three employees of the mayor’s office in El Rama, in southeastern Nicaragua, filed a criminal slander suit against Salazar, the editor-in-chief…
North Macedonia journalist Tanja Milevska receives death and rape threats
Over several days following July 11, 2020, Brussels-based journalist Tanja Milevska, a reporter for the North Macedonia state news agency MIA, received numerous threats and threatening messages on social media, according to a report by her employer and the journalist, who communicated with CPJ via email. Milevska told CPJ that the messages began after she…
Turkish courts play whack-a-mole with independent news outlets
In March, 2020, Turkey’s Constitutional Court issued an unexpected decision, overruling a local court that blocked a news website in 2015, according to news reports. But the editor who filed the appeal with the court remains unhappy, he told CPJ via WhatsApp, because the original website remains inaccessible in Turkey — along with the 62 replacements…
Cartoonist Xavier ‘Bonil’ Bonilla threatened by son of former Ecuadorian president
Bogotá, Colombia, August 13, 2020 – Ecuadorian authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the threat to cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, ensure he has adequate protection, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 6, Jacobo Bucaram Pulley, the son of former President Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz, tweeted a threatening message…