2020
Guatemalan journalists Marvin del Cid and Sonny Figueroa receive mailed threat
Los Angeles, December 15, 2020 — Guatemalan authorities must quickly and thoroughly investigate the threatening letter sent to journalists Marvin del Cid and Sonny Figueroa, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 7, del Cid, founder of the local press freedom group Artículo 35 and a contributing…
Police harass journalists, fine broadcasters amid protests in Nigeria
Police officers harassed or attacked at least four journalists and media workers in Nigeria’s southern Rivers State in late October 2020, amid protests against police brutality and a curfew imposed by local authorities in response to those protests, according to journalists who spoke with CPJ and news reports. Authorities also fined three news outlets that…
Hong Kong police charge 2 reporters with obstruction over coverage of May protests
In November 2020, Hong Kong police criminally charged two journalists over their coverage of protests the previous May, according to news reports. On November 3, police charged student journalist Nelson Tang with “obstructing police” and “resisting arrest,” according to news reports and a statement from the Hong Kong Baptist University Students’ Union Editorial Board, a…
Number of journalists jailed worldwide hits record amid unrest, pandemic
At least 274 journalists imprisoned globally despite COVID-19 risks in jail New York, December 15, 2020–A record number of journalists were imprisoned because of their work in 2020, as governments clamped down on news coverage of civil unrest and the coronavirus pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its latest annual census. “It’s shocking…
In 2020, U.S. journalists faced unprecedented attacks
As the Committee to Protect Journalists publishes its annual tally of journalists imprisoned around the world, not a single U.S. reporter is behind bars for their work. But that statistic belies the country’s marred press freedom landscape following the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests in which journalists were handcuffed, shoved, and shot at with less-lethal…
Journalists jailed for social media “terrorism” highlight content moderation challenges
A journalist in China uploaded a video to YouTube criticizing the Chinese government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Another, in Vietnam, left a state-owned newspaper but continued posting stories they wouldn’t let her cover on Facebook. In Egypt, a freelance photographer streamed an anti-government protest from his balcony on Facebook Live. In Iran,…
Liberian journalist Gloria Tamba in hiding amid threats
Abuja, December 14, 2020 — Liberian authorities should credibly investigate the threats received by journalist Gloria Tamba and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 22, in Paynesville, a suburb east of Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, an unidentified man in a black jeep drove up to Tamba while she was standing…
Syrian journalist Hussein Khattab shot and killed while reporting in Aleppo governorate
New York, December 14, 2020 – Authorities in the northwestern Syrian city of Al-Bab should conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Hussein Khattab, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 12, two unidentified masked men on a motorcycle fired at least 10 shots at…
Bangladesh High Court directs authorities to “block” journalist’s social media channels
The Bangladesh High Court directed authorities to “block” journalist Kanak Sarwar’s social media pages, including YouTube and Facebook, on December 8, 2020 after he interviewed a politician in Bangladesh on YouTube, according to Sarwar and local news reports. It was not clear if the authorities had contacted YouTube or Facebook regarding Sarwar’s accounts, which he…
Philippine police arrest journalist Lady Ann Salem for alleged weapons possession
Bangkok, December 14, 2020 – Philippine authorities should immediately release journalist Lady Ann Salem without charge, and open an investigation into police officers’ alleged planting of weapons during her arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 9 a.m. on December 10, police arrested Salem, an editor at the Manila Today English-language news website and…