In Israel, at least eight journalists attacked while reporting on COVID-19 restrictions in ultra-Orthodox areas
On October 4 and 7, 2020, at least eight Israeli journalists who were reporting on COVID-19 lockdown compliance in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods of Mea Shearim and Kiryat Belz and in the cities of Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh came under attack by residents, according to news reports and social media posts by the journalists…
Kazakh police assault, injure journalist Saniya Toiken covering protests in Nur-Sultan
New York, October 26, 2020 – Kazakh authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault on journalist Saniya Toiken, punish the perpetrators, and ensure that members of the press can work safely in Kazakhstan. On October 24, Kazakh police officers assaulted Toiken, correspondent for Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio…
South African journalists attacked covering farmer protest
New York, October 9, 2020 — South African authorities must conduct a swift and transparent investigation into recent attacks on journalists covering protests held by farmers, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 6, in the Free State province town of Senekal, a protesting farmer harassed and…
Chinese authorities detain, assault Los Angeles Times bureau chief, force her out of region
In early September 2020, police in Hohhot city, in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, detained Los Angeles Times Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su for more than four hours and released her without charge, according to an account in her newspaper and an Associated Press report. Su wrote the account in the Los Angeles Times without…
Lebanese soldiers assault 5 journalists covering protest north of Beirut; judge bans outlets from interviewing U.S. ambassador
On June 28, 2020, Lebanese soldiers assaulted at least five journalists while they were reporting on protesters who were attempting to block a highway in Jal el-Dib, five and a half miles (nine kilometers) north of Beirut, according to news reports, the regional press freedom group SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, reports in…
Journalists in India assaulted, targeted with investigations amid COVID-19 pandemic
Between April 5, 2020, and June 11, 2020, one journalist was assaulted by police, another had his property destroyed by local authorities in retaliation for his reporting, and at least five others were subject to criminal investigations and, in one case, an interrogation, according to interviews CPJ conducted with five of the journalists and media…
Three photographers arrested while covering protests in Medellín, Colombia
On June 15, 2020, police assaulted, arrested, and detained overnight photographers Harrison Agudelo, Juan Carlos Londoño, and Juan Pablo Herrera, according to Londoño who spoke to CPJ via phone and the Bogotá-based group Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP). The incident happened as the three were covering an anti-government protest in the western Colombian city of…
Militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham assaults at least 12 Syrian journalists covering joint Russian-Turkish military patrol in Idlib
On June 10, 2020, several members of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Al-Qaeda offshoot previously known as Al-Nusra Front, hit and kicked at least 12 Syrian journalists while they were covering a joint Turkish-Russian military patrol on the M4 Highway, which links Latakia and Aleppo, according to four of the journalists who…
Family of imprisoned journalist Alaa Abdelfattah assaulted in Egypt
New York, June 22, 2020—In response to news reports that unidentified women assaulted the family of imprisoned journalist Alaa Abdelfattah outside Tora prison in Cairo today, as prison authorities watched, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Egyptian authorities must hold accountable those who beat, robbed, and forcibly removed Alaa Abdelfattah’s family from…
French TV crew assaulted by armed gang members
Berlin, June 16, 2020–French authorities must immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault of three journalists by members of an armed gang and bring those responsible for the attack to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 15, a group of armed men assaulted three members of a news team working for public…