Local officials arrested, attacked, and confiscated equipment of radio journalists in western Uganda
Between April 3, 2020, and May 28, 2020, officials in the western Uganda district of Kabale arrested journalist Rogers Asiimwe of Freedom Radio; assaulted journalist Bob Rumanzi, also of Freedom Radio; and temporarily confiscated the phone of Richard Akandwanaho, then of Voice of Kigezi radio, the journalists told CPJ in interviews via messaging apps. …
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…
Sierra Leone journalist Sylvia Olayinka Blyden detained, charged over social media posts
Abuja, June 18, 2020 — Authorities in Sierra Leone should release journalist Sylvia Olayinka Blyden immediately and drop the charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 1, police arrested Blyden, publisher of the Awareness Times newspaper, at her home in Freetown for alleged “cyber-related” offenses, according to Messeh Leone, a…
Algerian journalist Merzoug Touati arrested over protest coverage
New York, June 17, 2020 – Algerian authorities must immediately release journalist Merzoug Touati and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, Algerian police arrested Touati, a reporter for the news website L’Avant-Garde, while he was covering anti-government protests in the city of Béjaïa, according to journalist…
Guatemalan journalist Francisco Chox attacked by protesters, arrested while covering land dispute
Managua, Nicaragua, June 17, 2020 – Guatemalan authorities should immediately release journalist Francisco Chox and open a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 11, a group of protesters in the municipality of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, in Sololá department, detained Chox while he…
Journalist Afgan Sadygov detained since May in Azerbaijan
New York, June 17, 2020 – Azerbaijani authorities should release journalist Afgan Sadygov and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The journalist has been jailed for his work at least three times in three years, according to CPJ research. At about 3 p.m. on May 13, Sadygov, chief editor…
One journalist in hiding, 2 others detained over protest coverage in Djibouti
New York, June 17, 2020 — Authorities in Djibouti should stop harassing journalists working with the La Voix de Djibouti broadcaster, and ensure that the press can cover matters of public interest without intimidation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 5, police in the southern city of Ali Sabieh arrested Kassim Nour…
Journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan arrested on anti-state charge in Vietnam
Bangkok, June 15, 2020 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan and drop the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today. On June 12, Ho Chi Minh City authorities arrested Tuan and charged him under Article 117 of the country’s criminal code, a provision that criminalizes “opposing the…