Mexican journalist Heber López was shot dead in Oaxaca state on February 10, the latest in a string of journalist killings in the country. López is the fifth reporter killed in Mexico – the deadliest country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere – this year. “These killings will only stop with genuine, decisive actions by Mexican authorities,” said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico representative.
In Canada, journalists covering a trucker-led protest against COVID-19 restrictions were insulted, threatened, and attacked for doing their jobs. Two journalists covering the protests in the capital Ottawa spoke to CPJ about their safety concerns and strategies for reporting amid online and physical threats and harassment.
- Pirambu News founder Givanildo Oliveira shot dead in Brazil
- Ghanaian journalist Eric Nana Gyetuah assaulted after photographing police
- ARY News crew beaten, electrocuted, forced to strip while covering alleged corruption at Pakistan intelligence agency
- Azerbaijani journalists detained, beaten for covering protest
- Security forces in northern Syria detain two journalists
- CPJ calls on U.S. Justice Department to stop compelling media outlets to register as foreign agents
- Unidentified men attack residence of Sri Lankan journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama
- Mali expels French reporter Benjamin Roger, suspends media accreditation process
- New Azerbaijan media law increases restrictions on the press
Spotlight
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Thursday. CPJ called on von der Leyen this week to speak out on media freedom during the meeting as Egypt continues to crack down on the press.
CPJ also took part in a joint rally outside the Royal Palace in Brussels on Wednesday, while el-Sisi met with the Belgian king.
What we are reading
- The ‘Freedom Convoy’ and the press — Jon Allsop, Columbia Journalism Review
- As journalists face deadly violence, Mexico’s president attacks the media — Editorial Board, The Washington Post
- Europe’s growing trail of lawsuits threaten to stifle journalism — Nik Williams, POLITICO Europe
- “If elections are upcoming, the Internet’s going to be switched off in some countries!” — Bahia Albrecht, Deutsche Welle
[Editor’s note: The text in the Spotlight section has been updated to correct the spelling of von der Leyen’s name.]