Israeli police assault, detain Israeli photographer Tomer Appelbaum during protests in Tel Aviv against West Bank annexation
Israeli police kneed, punched, shoved, and briefly detained Tomer Appelbaum, a photographer for the Israeli daily Haaretz, as he was covering a Tel Aviv demonstration against Israel’s West Bank annexation on June 6, 2020, Appelbaum told CPJ via messaging app. Haaretz also reported on the incident, which was captured in videos shared to social media….
Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva facing trial over terrorism commentary
New York, June 15, 2020 – In advance of tomorrow’s trial of Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva on charges of “justifying terrorism,” the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Russian authorities should drop the absurd charges against journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva, lift the travel ban imposed against her, unfreeze her assets, and allow her to…
Journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan arrested on anti-state charge in Vietnam
Bangkok, June 15, 2020 – Vietnamese authorities should immediately release journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan and drop the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today. On June 12, Ho Chi Minh City authorities arrested Tuan and charged him under Article 117 of the country’s criminal code, a provision that criminalizes “opposing the…
CPJ calls on Philippine authorities not to contest editor Maria Ressa’s cyber libel appeal
Bangkok, June 15, 2020 — Philippine authorities should not contest the appeal of journalists Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos, and should reform the country’s libel laws to ensure that members of the press do not face jail time for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This morning, Branch 46 of the Manila…
Journalists in Syria tell CPJ of fear of humanitarian catastrophe if COVID-19 spreads
Syria hasn’t been greatly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Syrian Health Ministry has counted 123 cases, and six deaths as of June 1, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The country has begun to relax restrictions it imposed in mid-March, including curfews and…
Rappler editor Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libel by Philippines court
Bangkok, June 15, 2020 — In response to the guilty verdict in the cyber libel case against Rappler editor Maria Ressa in the Philippines, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s conviction and sentencing of Maria Ressa of up to six years in jail is an outrageous crime against press freedom,” said…
Niger journalist Samira Sabou jailed, charged with cybercrime over Facebook post
New York, June 12, 2020—Authorities in Niger should immediately release journalist Samira Ibrahim Sabou and drop all charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Authorities arrested Sabou, editor with the privately owned Niger Search news website and manager of the Mides-Niger news website, on June 10 after she responded to a court…
Getty photographer John Moore on how covering Ebola prepared journalists for COVID-19
Getty Images photographer John Moore has covered crises all over the world, from the U.S. border with Mexico to political unrest in Pakistan. But the COVID-19 pandemic has found him capturing devastation closer to home: in Stamford, Connecticut, where he lives, and in the hard-hit suburbs of New York City.
Knife-wielding man briefly holds TV Globo reporter hostage in Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, June 11, 2020 — Brazilian authorities must thoroughly investigate the recent attack on TV Globo and take measures to ensure journalists’ safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday afternoon, an unidentified man broke into the Rio de Janeiro headquarters of TV Globo, Brazil’s biggest privately owned news and entertainment broadcaster,…
Venezuelan journalist Carol Romero arrested while reporting on gasoline protests
Miami, June 11, 2020 – Venezuelan authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Carol Romero, and allow the press to cover protests without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 6 a.m. on June 4, Bolivarian National Guard officers detained Romero, a reporter for the privately owned radio station…