Demonstrators set fire to El Mercurio de Valparaíso newspaper office in Chile
On October 19, 2019, at around 8 pm, demonstrators broke into the headquarters of Chilean newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso and started a fire that damaged the newspaper’s offices and the offices of La Estrella de Valparaíso, a daily owned by the El Mercurio conglomerate, according to news reports and a report by El Mercurio…
Iranian journalist in exile arrested, gives televised confession in Iran
On October 14, 2019, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested journalist and activist Roohollah Zam, manager of Amad News, a popular anti-government news channel on the messaging app Telegram, according to a statement by the guard corps that was broadcast on state media.
Nigerian police beat two Inspiration FM journalists after covering protest in Uyo
Owoidoho Udofia and Okodi Okodi, two journalists with the privately owned Inspiration FM radio station in Akwa-Ibom State, in southern Nigeria, on September 24, 2019, were forced by police to take off their shirts and roll on the ground, and were beaten with sticks after covering a protest in Uyo, the state capital, according to…
Lebanese newspaper Nida al-Watan sued over alleged presidential criticism
On September 12, 2019, Lebanese judge Ziad Abu Haidar filed a criminal defamation suit against the Nida al-Watan newspaper as well as its editor-in-chief Beshara Charbel and managing director George Barbari, according to news reports and a report by regional press freedom group Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom.
Croatian journalist detained and fined for satirical tweet
On September 16, 2019, Croatian police arrested Gordan Duhaček, a reporter working for news website Index.hr, as he was about to leave the country at Zagreb airport, and detained him until a court hearing the following day, according to a report by his employer and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.
Uttar Pradesh police arrest, investigate multiple journalists since August 31
Police in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, have arrested, investigated, and filed complaints against journalists in several separate incidents since August 31, 2019, according to news reports and the journalists, who spoke to CPJ.
Moroccan authorities arrest journalist Hajar Raissouni
Moroccan security forces arrested Hajar Raissouni, a reporter for independent news website Akhbar al-Youm, on August 31, 2019, as she was leaving her doctor’s office with her fiancé in Rabat, according to her employer and Huffington Post Maghreb. Akhbar al-Youm reported that plainclothes agents also arrested her fiancé, the doctor, and two medical staff from…
Italian photojournalist Claudio Lattanzio’s car destroyed in arson attack
On August 15, 2019, in Sulmona, central Italy, unidentified individuals burned the car of Claudio Lattanzio, a photojournalist for local daily Il Centro and collaborator with Italian news agency Ansa, according to a report by the daily.
Journalist detained in Iraqi Kurdistan without charge since August 21
On August 21, 2019, in Topzawa, Iraqi Kurdistan, Asayish security forces affiliated with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) arrested Roj News journalist Bryar Muhamad Mustafa, according to a report by his employer and a statement by the Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy, a local press freedom group.