Moroccan press freedom conference in Paris shut down after disruptions, power cut
A conference on press freedom in Morocco held in Paris, France, was shut down on February 15, 2019, when the power was cut to the event after hecklers yelled at speakers and threw stink bombs, according to news reports, videos posted to social media, and witnesses who spoke with CPJ.
Chad publisher handed suspended jail term for critical reporting on president’s brother
Deli Nestor, publisher of the privately owned semi-weekly investigative newspaper Eclairage in Chad, was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence by a criminal court in N’Djamena on February 13, 2019, after he was convicted of defaming the brother of President Idriss Deby, according to Nestor, who spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Italian photojournalist severely injured covering clashes in eastern Syria
Gabriele Micalizzi, an Italian freelance photojournalist, was severely injured by shrapnel while covering clashes between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Islamic State militant group in the eastern Syrian village of Baghuz on February 11, 2019, according to news reports, the pro-opposition Rojava Information Center, and CNN photographer and filmmaker Gabriel Chaim, who was…
Syrian journalist injured in shelling in Idlib province
Ahmed al-Khatib, a reporter for the pro-opposition Edlib Media Center, was injured by shrapnel in Idlib province while covering a town’s shelling by the Syrian army on February 9, 2019, according to his employer, news reports, the local press freedom group Syrian Journalists’ Association, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.
Algerian journalist handed six-month suspended prison sentence
On December 25, 2018, the Bab al-Oued court in Algiers sentenced Adlène Mellah, founder of online news outlets Dzair Presse and Algerie-Direct, to one year in prison on charges of “incitement of armed assembly” in response to his coverage of a gathering, according to news reports and his lawyer, Hassen Brahmi, who spoke to the…
French radio station burned in arson attack, anarchist group claims responsibility
The Grenoble office of regional French public radio station France Bleu Isère was partially destroyed in an arson attack on January 28, 2019, according to the broadcaster. On January 30, a local anti-capitalist anarchist group claimed responsibility for the attack, the station reported.
Indian TV crew assaulted by Hindu far-right protesters over Sabarimala shrine coverage
Two journalists from independent Telugu-language news channel Mojo TV were harassed and assaulted by members of a right-wing group in the city of Hyderabad, India, on January 23, 2019, one of the reporters told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporter Prathibha Priyadarshani Mukkera and camera person Bhanu Mudhiraj were covering a protest when demonstrators attacked…
Taiwan accuses Beijing-sponsored Hong Kong newspapers of disseminating misinformation, opens immigration investigation into journalists
On January 17, 2019, Taiwan’s presidential office issued a statement on Facebook accusing Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper funded by Beijing, of fabricating a story alleging that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen secretly sent an envoy to advise three Hong Kong independence activists. The Taiwan government is currently investigating whether the journalists violated immigration…
Four Iraqi journalists detained in Mosul and Erbil
Between January 16 and 22, 2019, at least four Iraqi journalists were detained in connection with their work in Mosul and Irbil, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, and the local press freedom groups Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq and the Iraqi Center for Supporting Freedom of Speech.