Protesters assault Bolivian journalists from Unitel TV and El Deber
Bogotá, June 16, 2020 – Bolivian authorities’ investigation into attacks on journalists from Unitel TV and El Deber should be thorough and transparent, and those responsible should be held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 11, a crowd of about 50 protesters in the central Bolivian town of Entre Ríos…
French TV crew assaulted by armed gang members
Berlin, June 16, 2020–French authorities must immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault of three journalists by members of an armed gang and bring those responsible for the attack to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 15, a group of armed men assaulted three members of a news team working for public…
Audit finds that Argentine intelligence services compiled files on hundreds of journalists
New York, June 16, 2020 – Argentine authorities should conduct a transparent and impartial investigation into allegations that intelligence agents compiled dossiers of journalists in 2017 and 2018, and should ensure that such programs are not conducted in the future, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 5, a federal prosecutor conducting an…
EUobserver reporter Eszter Zalan on covering the EU amid coronavirus, disinformation, and economic crisis
Eszter Zalan is a correspondent for the Brussels-based EUobserver. She covered conflict and war zones for Népszabadság, the now-shuttered Hungarian daily, for several years, and covered Hungary for Agence France-Presse, before joining EUobserver in 2015. Recently, she has reported on EU affairs, including Brexit, Hungary, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. CPJ spoke with Zalan via…
Russian journalists investigated, fined over COVID-19 reporting
Vilnius, Lithuania, June 16, 2020 — Russian authorities should stop harassing journalists reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and allow them to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Russia has more than 500,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the most in Europe, and had recorded 7,091 deaths from the virus as of…
Police investigate Indian journalist Vinod Dua for alleged sedition
New Delhi, June 16, 2020 – Indian authorities should immediately drop all criminal investigations into journalist Vinod Dua, and officials of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party must stop harassing him over his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, Himachal Pradesh police arrived at Dua’s home in Delhi and issued him…
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…
Local prosecutor subpoenas Cleveland newsroom for protest material
Washington, D.C., June 15, 2020 — The Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office in Ohio should withdraw its subpoena served to the Cleveland.com news website and The Plain Dealer newspaper, and refrain from asking reporters to turn over unpublished material, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The county prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction in the city…
Internal CDC memo forbids staff from speaking with Voice of America
Washington, D.C., June 15, 2020 — In response to a newly published internal email showing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prohibited its employees from accepting interviews with the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “It is reprehensible that a government agency…