In Ghana, private individuals threaten 1 journalist, police harass 2 others
Abuja, July 2, 2020 — Authorities in Ghana should investigate the recent threats to and harassment of journalists Emmanuel Ohene-Gyan, Rebecca Asheley Amarh, and Philip Akutey Azu and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, Ohene-Gyan, an editor with the privately-owned radio broadcaster Empire FM, reported that Kobina Kurentsir…
Russian journalists attacked, harassed while covering vote for Putin to remain in power
Vilnius, Lithuania, July 1, 2020 – Russian authorities should ensure that journalists are able to cover the country’s ongoing vote freely, and should refrain from harassing and detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since June 21, authorities have attacked, arrested, or harassed at least five journalists in the lead-up…
Belarusian authorities detain at least 6 bloggers since June 15
Vilnius, Lithuania, July 1, 2020 – Belarusian authorities should immediately release all journalists held for their work, and allow the press to cover the country’s upcoming elections without fear of prosecution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since June 15, authorities throughout the country have arrested at least six bloggers, according to news reports. Speaking…
Iraqi security forces harass 3 journalists in Kirkuk; Kurdish Iraqi police detain 1 over defamation lawsuit in Erbil
On June 9, 2020, Iraqi security forces in the northeastern Iraqi city of Kirkuk prevented Azad Shakur, a reporter for the Kurdish Iraqi broadcaster Gali Kurdistan, and Diyar Mohammed, a reporter for the Kurdish Iraqi broadcaster NRT, from reaching their workplaces and threatened to break the camera of Hazhar Rasheed, a reporter for Shafaq News…
Sri Lankan authorities seize reporter Dharisha Bastians’ laptop in home raid
New York, June 18, 2020 – Sri Lankan authorities should immediately return journalist Dharisha Bastians’ computer and allow her to report without fear of official harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 9, officials from the Criminal Investigation Department raided Bastians’ home in Colombo, the capital, and seized her laptop in connection…
Egyptian journalist Mohamed Monir detained, charged with spreading false news
New York, June 15, 2020 — Egyptian authorities must immediately release journalist Mohamed Monir and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Earlier today, plainclothes security officers in Giza arrested Monir, a veteran journalist and freelance columnist who had recently written for the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, according to Al-Jazeera and…
Canadian journalist Anna Slatz arrested in New York City, still in custody
Washington D.C. June 3, 2020—Canadian journalist Anna Slatz, reporter for the independent news website Rebel News, remains in New York custody since being arrested yesterday evening while covering protests, Eitan Gillboord, vice president of operations at Rebel News told CPJ this afternoon. “We call on New York authorities to quickly release Anna Slatz without charges….
Map: Attacks on press freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic
Updated June 22, 2021 CPJ has documented numerous press freedom violations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, from legislation threatening to censor free speech to arrests of journalists providing the public with vital news about the virus. This map plots violations, verified by CPJ staff, across nearly every region of the world from early…