#FreeThePress 2020
#FreeThePress Amid the unprecedented public health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 190 groups joined together to urge world leaders to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists imprisoned for their work. For journalists in jail, freedom has never been more urgent Thousands of people joined the call, with 11,337 signatures on…
Trust deficit: Guatemala’s new president must overcome skepticism to improve press freedom
With a new president in office, Guatemala has the opportunity to reverse years of declining press freedom after the country’s journalists endured obstruction, legal harassment, orchestrated online attacks, and threats of violence. To win back trust, the administration will need to make a strong commitment to transparency and provide enough resources to combat impunity in…
Iraqi security forces seize journalist’s belongings for allegedly violating COVID-19 curfew
On March 24, 2020, Iraqi National Security Forces officers stopped Azad Shakur, a reporter for the Iraqi Kurdish broadcaster Gali Kurdistan, and seized his belongings for allegedly violating a lockdown imposed to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus, according to Shakur, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a report by the…
Journalist Ariful Islam freed after arrest, beating, and conviction in Bangladesh
In the evening of March 13, 2020, men in paramilitary uniforms accompanied by local administrative officials in Kurigram District, in northern Bangladesh, raided the home of Ariful Islam, the area’s correspondent for the English-language Dhaka Tribune daily, and arrested him after allegedly finding illegal drugs in the house, according to news reports.
Venezuelan authorities arrest, threaten journalists reporting on COVID-19
On March 13, 2020, police in the Venezuelan city of Los Teques arrested Jesús Enrique Torres and Jesús Manuel Castillo, hosts of a news program on local privately owned radio broadcaster La Cima, after they posted a video to Facebook, where they sometimes publish their reporting, about alleged coronavirus cases at a local hospital, according…
Journalist missing in Bangladesh following defamation suit
Washington, D.C., March 13, 2020 — Bangladesh authorities should spare no effort to locate missing journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol, and should not allow a criminal defamation case to proceed against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
U.S. imposes visa limits on 5 Chinese state media outlets
The U.S. Department of State said in a statement on Monday that it would limit the number of visas available for Chinese journalists working at five designated media organizations. The outlets — Xinhua, CGTN, China Radio, China Daily, and The People’s Daily — will be limited to 100 visas in total. The announcement follows China’s…
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.