Three photographers arrested while covering protests in Medellín, Colombia
On June 15, 2020, police assaulted, arrested, and detained overnight photographers Harrison Agudelo, Juan Carlos Londoño, and Juan Pablo Herrera, according to Londoño who spoke to CPJ via phone and the Bogotá-based group Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP). The incident happened as the three were covering an anti-government protest in the western Colombian city of…
Mozambican journalist Omardine Omar convicted of civil disobedience, fined
New York, July 2, 2020 – Mozambican authorities should not contest journalist Omardine Omar’s appeal and should allow him and all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 30, the Ka Mpfumo court in Maputo, the capital, convicted Omar, a reporter for the privately owned news…
In Ghana, private individuals threaten 1 journalist, police harass 2 others
Abuja, July 2, 2020 — Authorities in Ghana should investigate the recent threats to and harassment of journalists Emmanuel Ohene-Gyan, Rebecca Asheley Amarh, and Philip Akutey Azu and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, Ohene-Gyan, an editor with the privately-owned radio broadcaster Empire FM, reported that Kobina Kurentsir…
Tajikistan parliament approves amendments imposing fines, detentions for ‘false news’ amid COVID-19 pandemic
New York, June 30, 2020 – Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon should not ratify proposed legal amendments that would threaten free expression in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 26, the country’s National Assembly, its upper house of parliament, unanimously approved amendments to the country’s administrative code making it illegal to…
Independent media advocate and journalist tell of challenges covering Belarus’s upcoming elections and coronavirus
As Belarus’s August 9, 2020, presidential election nears with President Aleksandr Lukashenko vying to remain in power after 26 years in office, press freedom advocates say Belarusian authorities are cracking down on journalists and government critics. Over three days starting June 25, Belarusian authorities arrested several popular bloggers: Ihor Losik, Serhei Petrukhin, Aleksandr Kabanau, Volodimir…
German injunction against BuzzFeed story in place since September due to COVID-19
On September 18, 2019, the Berlin Regional Court issued a temporary injunction ordering BuzzFeed Germany, the local branch of the U.S. media outlet, to remove two articles from its website, according to news reports from the time. Due to the country’s lockdown to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the court has not held…
Local officials arrested, attacked, and confiscated equipment of radio journalists in western Uganda
Between April 3, 2020, and May 28, 2020, officials in the western Uganda district of Kabale arrested journalist Rogers Asiimwe of Freedom Radio; assaulted journalist Bob Rumanzi, also of Freedom Radio; and temporarily confiscated the phone of Richard Akandwanaho, then of Voice of Kigezi radio, the journalists told CPJ in interviews via messaging apps. …
Two Zimbabwean journalists charged with violating COVID-19 lockdown
New York, June 23, 2020 — Zimbabwean prosecutors should drop the charges filed against two journalists for violating the country’s COVID-19 lockdown regulations and ensure that they can report freely about alleged abuses by security forces, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Frank Chikowore, a freelance journalist, and Samuel Takawira, a reporter for the…
Turkish courts to resume journalists’ trials after COVID-19 freeze
Istanbul, June 23, 2020 – Turkey should stop prosecuting journalists and ensure that necessary safety measures are taken for trials held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 16, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül wrote on Twitter that trials would resume in the country, following a three-month suspension due to…
Bangladeshi authorities investigate 5 journalists, detain 2 under Digital Security Act for COVID-19 reporting
New York, June 22, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in Bangladesh to immediately and unconditionally release political cartoonist Kabir Kishore and writer and commentator Mushtaq Ahmed and to stop using the Digital Security Act to silence critical reporting on the coronavirus pandemic. On May 6, Kishore, Ahmed, and three…