At least 6 Iraq-based journalists with Dijlah TV resign, go into hiding following threats
New York, September 10, 2020 — Iraqi authorities must investigate the threats against employees of Dijlah TV and do their utmost to ensure they can work freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since August 28, at least six reporters and camera operators working in Iraq for the Jordan-based…
Malawi journalists threatened over commentary on education policies amid COVID-19
Beginning on August 18, 2020, unidentified social media users in Malawi have threatened journalists Stevie Kondwa Banda and George Kasakula over their commentary on the coronavirus pandemic, according to the journalists, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. On August 18, Facebook and WhatsApp users began sending messages to Banda, a reporter for the privately…
Bulgarian journalist attacked while covering ruling party conference
On August 5, 2020, at the conference of the ruling GERB party in Sofia, Bulgaria, an unidentified man attacked journalist Polina Paunova, a correspondent for the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to news reports, a video of the incident posted to Facebook, and the journalist, who communicated with CPJ via email. In…
Pakistani journalists receive death threats after reporting called ‘fake news’ in TV program
Washington, D.C., September 1, 2020 — Pakistani authorities should investigate threats made to journalists Ahmad Noorani and Gul Bukhari and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 27, Noorani, a co-founder and reporter at the independent investigative news website FactFocus, published an article that used pubic records to…
Russian journalist David Frenkel’s car vandalized following June attack at voting station
New York, August 31, 2020 – Russian authorities must conduct a full and thorough investigation into the vandalizing of journalist David Frenkel’s car, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Between the night of August 26 and the early hours of August 27, unidentified attackers slashed all four tires…
Serbian journalist Jeton Ismaili’s family threatened during break-in
Berlin, August 19, 2020 — Serbian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats made to journalist Jeton Ismaili and his family, and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 2 p.m. on August 13, in Veliki Trnovac, southern Serbia, two men broke into Ismaili’s house and, finding only his wife…
Colombian court orders authorities to compensate journalist Claudia Julieta Duque for years of harassment and surveillance
New York, August 13, 2020 – In response to a decision by the Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca finding that the Colombian state violated journalist Claudia Julieta Duque’s rights and ordering multiple government entities to compensate her, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The Cundinamarca Administrative Tribunal’s ruling is a necessary and overdue…
Nicaraguan journalist Kalúa Salazar faces criminal slander suit over corruption reporting
Managua, August 13, 2020 – Nicaraguan authorities should drop the criminal slander charges against journalist Kalúa Salazar, and ensure media outlets can report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 10, three employees of the mayor’s office in El Rama, in southeastern Nicaragua, filed a criminal slander suit against Salazar, the editor-in-chief…
North Macedonia journalist Tanja Milevska receives death and rape threats
Over several days following July 11, 2020, Brussels-based journalist Tanja Milevska, a reporter for the North Macedonia state news agency MIA, received numerous threats and threatening messages on social media, according to a report by her employer and the journalist, who communicated with CPJ via email. Milevska told CPJ that the messages began after she…
Cartoonist Xavier ‘Bonil’ Bonilla threatened by son of former Ecuadorian president
Bogotá, Colombia, August 13, 2020 – Ecuadorian authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the threat to cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, ensure he has adequate protection, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 6, Jacobo Bucaram Pulley, the son of former President Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz, tweeted a threatening message…