Brazilian police open criminal investigation into journalist Rafael Ventura for slander and defamation
Rio de Janeiro, June 26, 2020 — Brazilian authorities should drop a criminal investigation into journalist Rafael Ventura and refrain from investigating reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 1, police in Ribeirão Pires, in São Paulo state, opened a criminal slander and defamation inquiry into Ventura, editor of…
Tanzanian government revokes license of Tanzania Daima newspaper
Nairobi, June 26, 2020 – Tanzanian authorities should immediately restore Tanzania Daima’s license and allow all newspapers to publish freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In a June 23 statement, Tanzania’s Information Services Department, which registers print media, announced it would revoke Tanzania Daima’s distribution and publication license as of June 24, according…
Turkish courts to resume journalists’ trials after COVID-19 freeze
Istanbul, June 23, 2020 – Turkey should stop prosecuting journalists and ensure that necessary safety measures are taken for trials held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 16, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül wrote on Twitter that trials would resume in the country, following a three-month suspension due to…
Bangladeshi authorities investigate 5 journalists, detain 2 under Digital Security Act for COVID-19 reporting
New York, June 22, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in Bangladesh to immediately and unconditionally release political cartoonist Kabir Kishore and writer and commentator Mushtaq Ahmed and to stop using the Digital Security Act to silence critical reporting on the coronavirus pandemic. On May 6, Kishore, Ahmed, and three…
Police detain journalists covering protests in Belarus, charge 3
Vilnius, Lithuania, June 22, 2020 – Belarusian authorities should stop prosecuting and harassing journalists covering protests, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today. On June 19, police officers detained at least 14 journalists covering protests in Minsk, the capital, and other cities against the reelection of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, and today, local courts convicted three…
Un journaliste se cache, deux autres sont détenus pour avoir couvert des manifestations à Djibouti
New York, le 17 juin 2020 — Les autorités de Djibouti doivent cesser de harceler les journalistes travaillant pour le radiodiffuseur La Voix de Djibouti et s’assurer que la presse puisse couvrir les affaires d’intérêt public sans intimidation, a déclaré aujourd’hui le Comité pour la protection des journalistes. Le 5 juin, la police a arrêté…
ABS-CBN head of news describes losses to journalists, Philippine public amid station closure
Regina Reyes says she had a “journalist’s premonition” that something bad would happen the day before Philippine authorities ordered her ABS-CBN news station to cease and desist operations on May 5. That evening, ABS-CBN, the nation’s largest news organization, said goodbye to its viewing audience and signed off the air. “Up to now, that screen…
Protesters assault Bolivian journalists from Unitel TV and El Deber
Bogotá, June 16, 2020 – Bolivian authorities’ investigation into attacks on journalists from Unitel TV and El Deber should be thorough and transparent, and those responsible should be held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 11, a crowd of about 50 protesters in the central Bolivian town of Entre Ríos…
Nigerian journalist held under cybercrime act for COVID-19 coverage
Abuja, June 10, 2020 – Nigerian authorities should immediately release journalist Saint Mienpamo Onitsha, drop all charges against him, and reform the country’s cybercrime act to ensure it is not used to prosecute the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 4, officers with Nigeria’s Department of State Services detained Onitsha, founder…
Indonesian journalist held since early May on criminal defamation charge
Bangkok, June 9, 2020 – Indonesian authorities should immediately release journalist Diantara Putra Sumedi and stop legal proceedings against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police in Kotabaru, South Kalimantan province, have held Diantara in detention since May 4, in response to a criminal defamation complaint filed against him, according to news reports….