Turkmen security officials threaten, harass families of two exiled journalists
Stockholm, May 26, 2021 – Turkmen authorities must immediately end the practice of harassing exiled journalists’ family members and allow all Turkmen journalists based abroad to return to the country and report in safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On a number of occasions between March and May this year, officers of the…
Police officers assault, threaten journalist Fardowso Mohamud Sahal in Somalia
On May 16, 2021, two police officers in the Bondere district of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, assaulted and threatened Fardowso Mohamud Sahal, a reporter, anchor, and producer with the privately owned broadcaster Radio Kulmiye, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, and statements by the Somali Journalists Syndicate and the…
Israeli journalists assaulted and harassed by protesters and security forces
From April 21 to May 15, 2021, demonstrators and security forces assaulted and harassed journalists in cities throughout Israel, according to news reports, journalists’ social media posts, and data compiled by the Union of Journalists in Israel (ITONAIM), a local trade group. The incidents occurred following the outbreak of protests over the eviction of Palestinian…
LISTEN: A year after unprecedented assaults on US media covering protests, what comes next?
Last May, VICE video journalist Dave Mayers went to Minneapolis to cover protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in police custody. A day later, he was arrested with his entire crew for violating a curfew order that specifically exempted reporters. All over the United States, journalists like Mayers were impeded from doing their…
Supporters of Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo harass, assault 2 journalists covering rally
Miami, May 25, 2021 – Peruvian authorities must investigate the recent attack on journalists Stefanie Medina and Carlos Brown, and guarantee that the press can cover election events safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 19, at about 5:15 p.m., a group of people at a rally in support of presidential candidate…
Belarus arrests journalist Raman Pratasevich after diverting flight to Minsk
New York, May 23, 2021—In response to news reports that Belarusian authorities today diverted a commercial passenger flight to Minsk in order to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are shocked by today’s action, even as President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s government has increasingly strangled the press in Belarus…
Demonstrators throw rocks, firecrackers at news crews in Berlin
Berlin, May 20, 2021 — German authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate recent attacks on journalists covering protests, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that reporters can cover events of public interest safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 15, members of a pro-Palestine protest in Berlin attacked at least three…
Unidentified men attack crews with Georgian public broadcaster Pirveli Arkhi
New York, May 19, 2021 – Georgian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate recent attacks on employees of the Pirveli Arkhi public broadcaster and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 17, unidentified men attacked and verbally harassed film crews working with the broadcaster in the…
French broadcaster director Jean-Jacques Basier threatened over decision to pull Joan of Arc documentary
Berlin, May 19, 2021 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats made to Jean-Jacques Basier and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since April 30, anonymous people have made phone calls, sent letters, and left online comments containing threats to Basier, the Centre-Val de Loire regional director of the…
Bangladeshi authorities arrest journalist Rozina Islam under Official Secrets Act
New York, May 17, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Bangladeshi authorities to immediately release journalist Rozina Islam, withdraw the investigation into her, and to stop arresting journalists under the Official Secrets Act. Islam, a senior correspondent for the daily newspaper Prothom Alo, was arrested today after the Health Ministry filed a complaint…