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…
Slovak investigative reporter Peter Sabo receives pistol cartridge in mailbox
Berlin, June 26, 2020 — Slovak authorities should conduct a quick and thorough investigation into threats to journalist Peter Sabo and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, Sabo, a reporter for online news site Aktuality.sk, found a pistol cartridge in his mailbox in Bratislava, according to a report from his…
Bosnia and Herzegovina journalist Nikola Vučić receives death threats
On May 26, 2020, multiple anonymous and pseudonymous Facebook and Twitter users sent threatening messages to Nikola Vučić, a reporter and presenter for the privately owned N1 TV station, according to the journalist, who communicated with CPJ via email, and a report by SafeJournalists.net, a regional press freedom group. One anonymous Twitter user sent Vučić…
Indian journalist shot and killed after reporting on land dispute; 3 suspects arrested
New Delhi, June 23, 2020 — Police in India’s Uttar Pradesh state must thoroughly and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Shubham Mani Tripathi, and ensure that all responsible are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 19, two assailants shot and killed Tripathi, a reporter with the local Hindi…
Iraqi Kurdistan attorney general calls for closure of NRT broadcaster
New York, June 22, 2020 — Authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan should allow the NRT broadcaster to cover the news freely and without official harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 15, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s attorney general’s office sent a letter to the Iraqi Culture Ministry calling for the closure of NRT’s…
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…
Bolivian journalist takes leave of absence citing government intimidation
On June 3, 2020, Junior Arias, host of the news program “Behind the Truth” on the privately owned broadcaster Gigavisión, announced on-air that he was stepping down from his job, saying he felt threatened by the Bolivian government’s response to his work and would take a temporary furlough for his safety. On May 31, Arias…
Slovenian reporter Eugenija Carl receives threatening letter with white powder
Berlin, June 8, 2020 — Slovenian authorities should conduct a quick and thorough investigation into the threats against journalist Eugenija Carl and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 1, Carl, a reporter for public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, received an envelope mailed to her work address in the city of…
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…
Mexican reporter’s car firebombed in Sonora state
Mexico City, May 29, 2020 — Mexican authorities should immediately provide journalist Marco Antonio Duarte Vargas with protective measures and credibly investigate threats against his life, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 27, at about 11:30 p.m., unknown assailants set fire to Duarte’s car at his home in Ciudad Obregón, in the…