Two Ghanaian journalists arrested and interrogated, one allegedly tortured in custody
New York, July 9, 2019 — Ghana’s Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice should immediately launch an independent investigation into the arrests of Modern Ghana editor Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri and reporter Emmanuel Yeboah Britwum and security forces’ alleged torture of Abugri, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Albania’s journalists tread fine line when covering organized crime, politics
The intersection of organized crime, corruption and politics in Albania is impacting the country’s press. During a joint mission by a coalition of press freedom organizations to Tirana in June, CPJ Europe Correspondent Attila Mong spoke with journalists about challenges including threats, attacks, political interference, and legal harassment.
Armed men raid offices of Iraqi broadcaster and newspaper following corruption investigation
Beirut, July 2, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should investigate the armed raid against the Baghdad offices of Al-Journal and 7C TV and determine if the perpetrators were acting on behalf of a member of parliament, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Discredited, threatened, attacked: challenges of covering South Africa’s election in the digital age
In the lead up to South Africa’s elections in May, the Electoral Commission of South Africa accredited CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal as an international observer, monitoring press freedom. Quintal found that unlike 1994–when she covered the violence of the country’s first democratic elections–journalists in 2019 cited online harassment and threats as the biggest…
Moroccan independent journalists describe climate of pervasive surveillance, harassment
In March 2015, Hicham Mansouri emailed an anti-malware company, suspicious of possible signs that someone was able to access his device remotely, without permission. He remembers exchanging a few messages with the software company, but the correspondence was interrupted after a few days, when around 10 police officers in civilian clothes arrived at his home…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 23, 2019
‘Insult’ trial for Free Journalists Initiative spokesperson Hakkı Boltan, a spokesperson for the Free Journalists Initiative (ÖGİ), is due to stand trial in Diyarbakır on charges of “insulting the president” and “insulting a public servant because of their duty,” the news website Gazete Karınca reported. The charges are related to Boltan’s public statements about President…
Indian journalist G. Muthuvel attacked, threatened after reporting on police officer
New Delhi, June 27, 2019 — Police in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu must promptly investigate and prosecute those behind the attack on journalist G. Muthuvel and protect him from further attacks, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Soldiers block press access to Venezuelan parliament
Since May 7, 2019, the Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard has blocked journalists from accessing the National Assembly, the country’s legislature, during the body’s debates and activities held every Tuesday, according to news reports and local rights organizations.