Spain / Europe & Central Asia

  

David Kaye: Here’s what world leaders must do about spyware

In late June, the general counsel of NSO Group, the Israeli company responsible for the deeply intrusive spyware tool, Pegasus, appeared before a committee established by members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Called the PEGA Committee colloquially, the Parliament established it to investigate allegations that EU member states and others have used “Pegasus and equivalent…

Read More ›

Protesters attack freelance video journalist Lorena Sopena in Barcelona

Berlin, September 22, 2022 – Spanish authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the attack on freelance video journalist Lorena Sopena, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On September 10, Sopena was filming a Catalan pro-independence demonstration in Barcelona for Spanish public…

Read More ›

Spain is set to reform ‘gag law,’ but press freedom groups are skeptical

In May, Diego Díaz Alonso, editor of Spanish non-profit news outlet Nortes, was surprised to receive a 601 euro (US$611) fine in the mail. The letter claimed that Díaz Alonso had resisted police and obstructed emergency services as they were treating a homeless person lying unconscious in the street in Gijón, in northern Spain, the previous summer….

Read More ›

Spanish court orders investigation of 4 journalists over testimony in police abuse case

Berlin, February 23, 2022 – Spanish authorities should drop their criminal investigations into four journalists over their coverage of alleged police abuses, and should ensure that members of the press do not face criminal charges over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 16, the Provincial Court of Madrid acquitted a…

Read More ›

Spanish judge demands journalist Ignacio Escolar reveal his sources in a leak investigation

Berlin, October 26, 2021 — Spanish authorities must drop their demand for journalist Ignacio Escolar to reveal his news site’s sources in a leak investigation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 5, 2021, the first instance investigative criminal court No. 29 of Madrid, presided by investigating judge María Cristina Díaz, gave Ignacio…

Read More ›

Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed questioned in Spain by alleged Israeli intelligence agent

New York, April 15, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over an account by Palestinian journalist Muath Hamed that he was summoned by Spanish authorities under false pretenses and questioned about his journalistic activity by someone he believes to be an Israeli intelligence operative. In early February, officers with Spain’s Civil…

Read More ›

Data journalists describe challenges of reporting on the true toll of COVID-19

How many people worldwide have been infected by the coronavirus, and how many have died as a result? Finding reliable information on the virus’s toll has proven such a challenging task that it is nearly impossible to answer these basic questions, five data journalists from around the world told CPJ in May and June. In…

Read More ›

Protesters clash with Spanish policemen outside El Prat airport in Barcelona on October 14, 2019, as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets after Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to jail for sedition over the failed 2017 independence bid. Scores of journalists were injured covering the protests, which continued through October 20. (AFP/Pau Barrena)

Journalists covering Catalonia demonstrations attacked, harassed by police, protesters

Berlin, October 23, 2019 — Authorities in the Spanish region of Catalonia should ensure the safety of reporters covering protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Demonstrators are seen in Barcelona, Spain, on October 1, 2019. Journalist Laila Jiménez was assaulted by protesters during the demonstration. (Reuters/Enrique Calvo)

Spanish reporter Laila Jiménez assaulted by protesters during Catalonia independence march

Berlin, October 2, 2019 — Local authorities should quickly and thoroughly investigate an incident in Barcelona in which journalist Laila Jiménez was assaulted by protesters, and ensure that journalists can safely cover demonstrations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Police stand between journalists and the Spanish public prosecutor outside the courthouse of Palma de Mallorca on the island of Mallorca in February, 2017. Police in December 2018 confiscated equipment and documents from two news outlets in connection to a leak investigation. (Jaime Reina/AFP)

Spanish police search newsroom, seize journalists’ equipment in leaks investigation

Berlin, December 13, 2018–Spanish authorities should immediately return equipment and documentation seized from the news agency Europa Press and from journalists working for the Diario de Mallorca daily newspaper and ensure that journalists can protect the confidentiality of their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›