AFP photographer Ahmad al-Rubaye shot with pellets while covering protests in Baghdad
On February 21, 2020, Iraqi riot police in Baghdad’s Al-Kilani Square shot Ahmad al-Rubaye, an Iraqi photographer for the French news agency Agence France-Presse, with rubber pellets that hit his back, legs, and right shoulder, according to news reports, a statement by the local press freedom group Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, and the journalist, who spoke…
Ugandan journalist Moses Bwayo charged with illegal assembly, held in prison
Nairobi, March 4, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in Uganda to drop all charges and to immediately release freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker Moses Bwayo, to return his equipment undamaged, and to allow him to continue his work without intimidation.
Journalists covering refugee movements in Turkey detained, jailed
Istanbul, March 2, 2020 — Turkish authorities should allow journalists to cover refugee movements and other important events of public interest without fear that they will be detained or imprisoned, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
US to limit visas at Chinese state media outlets, forcing dozens to leave
Washington, D.C., March 2, 2020 — The U.S. government should immediately suspend efforts to effectively expel dozens of Chinese journalists and put a halt to mutual retaliation over media operations, which threatens to undermine the free flow of information as the COVID-19 epidemic spreads throughout the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Pakistan government suspends advertising in 2 independent media groups
Washington, D.C., March 2, 2020 — Pakistani authorities should grant government advertising to outlets without regard for their editorial stances, and should lift the suspension of advertising in the Dawn and Jang media groups, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
To cement internet control, Iran helps journalists get online
In early 2020, a journalist in Iran received a form from Iran’s National E-commerce Union, a nominally independent group that is close to the government, requesting their name, the news website they work for, and their IP address. “With all due respect,” it read, “provide the following information to prevent any potential problem during future…
China uses visa process to intimidate foreign press, FCCC survey finds
Conditions for foreign correspondents in China deteriorated in 2019, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) annual survey found. The report, published today, noted that for a second year none of the respondents gave a positive response when asked if conditions had improved.
‘They saved my life.’
When two shells struck his kitchen, a mere 20 feet away from where he stood, Rajaai Bourhan didn’t think much of it–he was living in a war zone in the heart of Syria, after all. Instead, he considered himself lucky: He had survived the bombing, accepting this new reality that shelling here was a part…
CPJ welcomes conviction in murder of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez
Culiacán, February 28, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed the conviction of one of the murderers of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas, and urged authorities to bring all the perpetrators, including the mastermind, to justice.
Indian journalists attacked on the ground and surveilled online
Demonstrators and police in India have attacked journalists covering protests across the country following the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act in December 2019. Some media workers have reported that they have been asked about their religious identity and others have been forced to delete pictures and videos from their phones. Journalists covering the protests…