CPJ condemns Colombian government’s move to leave Inter-American Court hearing on Jineth Bedoya case
New York, March 16, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Colombian government to return to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights hearing on the case of Colombian journalist Jineth Bedoya and to uphold its obligations to ensure justice in cases of violence to journalists. Colombian representatives withdrew in protest yesterday…
Ibraimo Abú Mbaruco
Ibraimo Abú Mbaruco, a reporter and news presenter for the Palma Community Radio broadcaster in the northern Mozambique province of Cabo Delgado, went missing on April 7, 2020. Mbaruco was last seen leaving his office at about 6 p.m. and soon thereafter sent a text message to a colleague saying he was “surrounded by soldiers,”…
Attacks on the Press in 2020
Attacks on the Press in 2020 Introduction Imprisonments Killings Explore 2020 Attacks on the Press Introduction Imprisonments Killings Explore Twitter Facebook Slider Amid a global pandemic and widespread political upheaval, a record number of journalists were imprisoned worldwide in 2020, and the number singled out for murder in reprisal for their work more than doubled…
Lokman Slim
On February 3, 2021, at about 8:30 p.m., Lebanese political commentator, columnist, and activist Lokman Slim went missing after leaving the home of a friend near the town of Niha, south of Beirut, according to his wife, Monika Borgmann, who spoke to the regional news website The National. The following day, Slim was found shot…
Access to social media, TV restricted in Myanmar as democracy is upended
Myanmar’s military seized power from the elected government February 1, obstructing news stations, temporarily shuttering phone and internet access, and later restricting access to social media platforms. “Social media and communication platforms are crucial for journalists to report the news as democracy is upended,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, urging officials to…
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s media faces grave threats. Here are the top press freedom trends
In early February 2011, Alaa Abdelfattah was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, documenting and participating in the nascent pro-democracy uprising that would topple the government and transform the country and the region. Today, he is in prison on anti-state and false news charges, which his family believes are partly retaliatory for his work. Abdelfattah is one of…
In Iguala, Mexico, murder and threats by organized crime shut down the news
Just before 1:00 a.m. on August 2, Pablo Morrugares, a journalist and restaurateur, opened the Facebook page for his news site and began a live broadcast from the café he owned in Iguala, in Mexico’s southwestern Guerrero state. A well-known local reporter, Morrugares covered crime and gangs, a beat so dangerous that Mexican authorities had…
Record number of journalists jailed worldwide
Editor’s note: In 2019, CPJ published a new database of attacks on the press. Numbers for each subsequent prison census are liable to adjust yearly as CPJ learns of arrests, releases, or deaths in prison. For the most recent data, see cpj.org/data/imprisoned/. The number of journalists jailed globally because of their work hit a new high in 2020…
Globally journalists covering the pandemic continue to face threats
Journalists worldwide continue to face attacks and harassment while covering COVID-19 and related lockdowns. In Brazil, an unidentified group harassed and threatened journalist Bárbara Barbosa and a camera operator while reporting on lockdown compliance. In Italy, a television crew covering anti-lockdown demonstrations were attacked and chased, and journalist Mimmo Rubio was threatened over his reporting…
Violence hits journalists covering Nigeria protests
In Nigeria, local media say journalists are experiencing violence during demonstrations against police brutality. CPJ calls on Nigerian authorities to ensure that the press is able to do its work freely and safely. In 2019 and 2020, at least two Nigerian journalists–Precious Owolabi and Alex Ogbu–were killed during protests, according to CPJ research. The press…