Case
2020
Demonstrators attack, obstruct journalists covering protests against COVID-19 lockdown in Germany
Since mid-July, 2020, German protesters against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions have attacked journalists covering their demonstrations, according to news reports and videos of the incidents shared on social media. On July 17, at a protest in the town of Weiden, Bavaria, protesters harassed Beate Josefine Luber, a local freelance reporter covering the demonstrations for regional…
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,…
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…
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…
Authorities in Ethiopia detain four journalists, one media worker amid unrest
Between July 2 and July 18, 2020, security personnel in Ethiopia detained Kenyan freelance journalist Collins Juma Osemo, who goes by the name Yassin Juma, and four employees of the satellite outlet the Oromia Media Network: news director Melese Direbssa; journalist and TV show host Guyo Wariyo; news anchor Mohammed Siraj; and a driver with…
Iraqi federal police detain Kurdish broadcasting crews on assignment in Kirkuk
On August 2, 2020, Iraqi federal police officers detained two TV crews with Kurdish broadcasters Kurdistan 24 (K24) and NRT, seized their equipment, and destroyed a camera while the reporters were on assignment near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, according to K24 reporter Soran Kamaran, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app, an account…
Uzbek authorities interrogate journalists, confiscate equipment over retracted COVID-19 report
Since July 25, 2020, Uzbek police and representatives of the country’s public prosecutor’s office have interrogated at least six local journalists and confiscated their computers and mobile devices, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. On July 25, several local Uzbek outlets shared allegations originally published on the news website Repost that…
Sudanese authorities in North Darfur state harass 2 journalists reporting on COVID-19
Between May 29 and May 31, 2020, local authorities harassed journalists Aida Abdel Qadir and Lena Sabeel in the Sudanese state of North Darfur as they were reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the independent outlet Radio Dabanga and a representative of the independent Sudanese Journalists Network, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app….
Iraqi Kurdish authorities file complaint against journalist for COVID-19 criticism
On July 22, 2020, the attorney general’s office of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq filed a complaint against Kurdish journalist Rebwar Kerim Wali, alleging he violated the 2008 Law on Misuse of Communication Devices, according to news reports, a statement by a government spokesperson, which CPJ reviewed, and Wali, who spoke to CPJ…
Journalists Moncef Aït Kaci and Ramdane Rahmouni detained in Algeria
On July 28, 2020, Algerian authorities detained Moncef Aït Kaci, a former correspondent for French public broadcaster France 24, and Ramdane Rahmouni, a freelance producer and camera operator who contributes to the broadcaster, according to a report by France 24, news reports, and Mustapha Bendjama, a local journalist and press freedom advocate, who spoke to…