Authorities harass, obstruct journalists covering Kazakhstan parliamentary elections
On January 10, 2021, Kazakh law enforcement officers and electoral officials harassed and interfered with the work of at least seven journalists who were covering parliamentary elections in the country, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. In Nur-Sultan, the capital, a police officer grabbed the phone of Saniya Toiken, a correspondent…
Journalist Marcus Henderson covered the COVID-19 outbreak inside his own prison
When news of the global COVID-19 pandemic reached San Quentin prison, a state-run men’s prison in California, earlier this year, Marcus Henderson knew it was only a matter of time before the virus spread through the facility. It did, killing 28 inmates and at least one staff member and infecting Henderson and 2,200 other inmates…
Journalist safety in 2020
In this unforgettably tumultuous year, journalists across the world covered the ongoing pandemic, dangerous protests, natural disasters, active conflicts, elections, and other life-changing events. The reporters, anchors, photographers, camera operators, producers, and technicians who brought 2020’s biggest stories to the public often risked their own physical safety and psychological well-being and found themselves the subjects…
Jordan must release publisher Jamal Haddad immediately
New York, December 27, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Jordanian authorities to release Jamal Haddad, publisher of the news website Alwakaai, and condemns the use of a national security prosecution to censor coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 24, Haddad was summoned and detained pending investigation under the country’s anti-terrorism law…
Greek police detain, question journalist Antonis Rigopoulos for allegedly wearing incorrect mask at protest
On November 17, 2020, traffic police in Athens stopped Greek journalist Antonis Rigopoulos while he was covering a protest, and proceeded to detain him and question him about his work, according to a report by his employer, the news website Documento, and Rigopoulos, who communicated with CPJ via email. Rigopoulos was using his cellphone to…
CPJ testifies to US Congress, calls for more effort to fight restrictions on press
Journalists working around the world continue to face a wide variety of challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the U.S. government must redouble its efforts to defend press freedom, CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch said during testimony to the U.S. Congress today. Addressing the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and…
Two men threaten to kill journalists at Croatian outlet over coverage of wedding amid coronavirus
Berlin, December 8, 2020 — Croatian authorities must quickly and thoroughly investigate the threats made to journalists at the Zadarski.hr website and Slobodna Dalmacija newspaper, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about noon on December 1, in the coastal city of Zadar, two men wearing surgical masks…
Ecuadorian journalist Juán Sarmiento sentenced to prison for ‘discrediting’ local official
Bogotá, November 20, 2020 – Ecuadorian authorities should not contest journalist Juan Sarmiento’s appeal of a recent criminal conviction for critical comments about a local politician, and the country should remove speech laws from its penal code, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 12, the Justice Court of Napo, in central Ecuador,…
Russian journalist Aleksandr Pichugin awaiting verdict, sentencing in false news trial
Vilnius, Lithuania, November 10, 2020 — Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Aleksandr Pichugin and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Tomorrow, a court in the central Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod is scheduled to announce the verdict and sentence in the trial of Pichugin, the chief…
Brazilian journalists threatened, assaulted while covering pandemic lockdown
Rio de Janeiro, November 4, 2020 — Brazilian authorities must promptly investigate the harassment of journalist Bárbara Barbosa and camera operator Renato Soder and ensure the press can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the morning of November 2, in the southern city of Florianópolis, a group of about nine unidentified…