Case
2019
Indian TV crew assaulted by Hindu far-right protesters over Sabarimala shrine coverage
Two journalists from independent Telugu-language news channel Mojo TV were harassed and assaulted by members of a right-wing group in the city of Hyderabad, India, on January 23, 2019, one of the reporters told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporter Prathibha Priyadarshani Mukkera and camera person Bhanu Mudhiraj were covering a protest when demonstrators attacked…
Taiwan accuses Beijing-sponsored Hong Kong newspapers of disseminating misinformation, opens immigration investigation into journalists
On January 17, 2019, Taiwan’s presidential office issued a statement on Facebook accusing Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper funded by Beijing, of fabricating a story alleging that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen secretly sent an envoy to advise three Hong Kong independence activists. The Taiwan government is currently investigating whether the journalists violated immigration…
Four Iraqi journalists detained in Mosul and Erbil
Between January 16 and 22, 2019, at least four Iraqi journalists were detained in connection with their work in Mosul and Irbil, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, and the local press freedom groups Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq and the Iraqi Center for Supporting Freedom of Speech.
In Macedonia, journalist attacked covering religious event
Mirjana Mircevska-Jovanović, a reporter for Kanal 5, a privately owned television station, was attacked in the capital, Skopje, on January 19, 2019 while covering an event celebrating the Orthodox Christian holiday of Epiphany, according to local news site Telma.
Venezuela denies entry to Danish freelance reporter
On January 9, 2019, Venezuelan security agents detained Danish freelance reporter Kristoffer Toft when he tried to enter the country on a tourist visa at Maiquetía airport in La Guaira, in northern Venezuela, the reporter told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Officials interrogated Toft and conducted a Google search of his name before denying him…
Journalists verbally harassed by demonstrators in London
On January 7, 2019, journalists working near the Parliament building in London were repeatedly verbally harassed by supporters of Brexit, the United Kingdom’s impending withdrawal from the European Union, according to news reports and the journalists’ posts on social media.
Indian government expels two foreign journalists for visa violations
Two foreign journalists were barred from entering India for allegedly violating visa rules in late December 2018 and early January 2019, according to press reports. On December 28, 2018, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that Cathal McNaughton, the chief photographer with Reuters’ Delhi office, had been denied reentry into the country for allegedly traveling…
Journalists assaulted and news website raided in Lebanon in December
Lebanese soldiers assaulted at least four journalists covering a protest in Beirut on December 23, 2018, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, videos and pictures shared on social media by journalists, and the regional press freedom group Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom.