standing up for journalists under attack for pursuing the truth

List

cases of injustice against journalists

10 Most Urgent, February 2020

On February 3, 2020 the Coalition launched the 12th monthly "10 Most Urgent" list (ranked in order of urgency), calling attention to the most pressing cases of journalists under attack for pursuing the truth.

1. Arash Shoa-Shargh (Iran

Case of imprisoned journalist serving 10 years shrouded in silence. Arash Shoa-Shargh, an Iranian journalist living in exile in Turkey and working for popular anti-government news channel Amad News, was arrested and sentenced in 2018 to 10 years on charges of “insulting the Supreme Leader,” “acting against national security,” “encouraging the public to misconduct” and “spreading corruption on the land of God.” Friends have said authorities pressure the journalist’s family to not publicize the case, while detention in a rural prison has made it difficult to access information on his current status.

2. Aleksandr Valov (Russia)

Russian editor held in Irkutsk punishment cell without just cause. The editor-in-chief and founder of local news site BlogSochi, Aleksandr Valov, was placed in solitary confinement last month, held in close supervision because of anticipated retaliation and disagreement with the court’s verdict. He was arrested in January 2018 and sentenced to six years on trumped up extortion charges. Valov captured and narrated a video livestream of his arrest as police broke his door, cut off the electricity and beat him.

3. Samuel Wazizi (Cameroon)

Arrested journalist’s charge and location unknown for more than five months. Whereabouts of Cameroonian journalist Samuel Wazizi (whose legal name is Samuel Ajiekah Abuwe) are unknown since he was transferred from police to military custody in August. He has been denied access to his lawyers, family and friends and held on undisclosed charges which police say are related to the country’s Anglophone armed conflict. The country held at least seven journalists in prison as of December 1, 2019.

4. Azory Gwanda (Tanzania)

No updates after journalist’s disappearance more than two years ago. Azory Gwanda has been missing since November 21, 2017. The freelance journalist was investigating mysterious killings in rural Tanzania when he “disappeared and died,” as Foreign Minister Palamagamba Kabudi said in an interview last July. However, the official backtracked amid requests for clarification, and the government has failed to conduct an investigation or disclose information.

5. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan)

Imprisoned journalist’s health deteriorating after nine years of life sentence. In July, a Kyrgyz court upheld the life sentence of award-winning  journalist Azimjon Askarov, despite persistent international condemnation. The ethnic Uzbek is the only journalist imprisoned in the country and has been held nine years on trumped-up charges for reporting on human rights violations. Letters home detail his deteriorating health, limited access to medication and prison officials punishing detainees after visiting days.

6. Lu Yuyu (China)  

Imprisoned journalist has requested and been denied help for severe depression. Prison guards have denied medical treatment for reporter Lu Yuyu, diagnosed with severe depression during his four-year prison sentence commenced August 2017. He and his partner were arrested in Dali, Yunnan province on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for publishing photos, videos and text on topics including corruption protests and environmental pollution. The court maintained its decision in 2017, and Lu is currently lodging a second appeal. 

7. Luz Escobar (Cuba)

Cuban authorities barricade independent journalist inside her home. Since November, Cuban authorities have repeatedly barred Luz Escobar from leaving her Havana home. The reporter for the independent Cuban news website 14yMedio says authorities often prevent independent journalists from working on “significant dates” either by detaining them or threatening detention if they exit their homes. A security agent was stationed outside Escobar’s door multiple times last year, including on the anniversary of Fidel Castro’s death and international Human Rights Day.

8. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia)

Demands for answers in Khashoggi murder persist into new decade. In December, Saudi Arabia sentenced eight individuals in connection with the 2018 brazen killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. What the Kingdom may have considered resolution and closure for the high-profile case, CPJ called a “sham trial” and “mockery of justice. Calls remain for the U.S. and UN to conduct an independent criminal investigation and probe the Saudi crown prince’s role in the “extrajudicial killing.”

9. Patricia Kayuni (Malawi)

Authorities fail to protect journalist from protestors’ assault. Protestors beat and attempted to tear clothing off Tuntufye FM reporter Patricia Kayuni on January 10 while she covered a demonstration in Chitipa, in northern Malawi. No arrests have been made against attackers who believed Kayuni was a police officer sent to photograph demonstrators. The same week, authorities in Malawi detained and charged three journalists seeking to cover the EU delegation’s return.

10. Solafa Magdy, Hossam El-Sayyad and Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Three journalists awaiting sentencing on charges of membership in a banned group and disseminating false news. In November, plainclothes Egyptian security forces arrested freelance journalists Solafa Magdy and her husband Hossam El-Sayyad at a cafe in the Dokki area of Giza, as well as freelancer and blogger Mohamed Salah. The officers confiscated their mobile phones and car keys and beat Magdy for refusing to unlock her phone. A state security prosecutor delivered charges of membership in a banned group and disseminating false news. Magdy is experiencing health issues in pre-trial detention, ahead of a February 4 hearing.

Katherine Love
10 Most Urgent, January 2020

On January 6, 2020 the Coalition launched the 11th monthly "10 Most Urgent" list (ranked in order of urgency), calling attention to the most pressing cases of journalists under attack for pursuing the truth.

1. Daphne Caruana Galizia (Malta

Malta acknowledges mishandling of journalist’s murder case. Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has announced he will resign on January 12 in connection with the government’s mishandling of the investigation into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death. The Panama Papers investigative reporter was killed in an October 2017 car bomb blast. Two years later, a public inquiry was initiated, and three senior members of Muscat’s administration stepped down over allegations of involvement in the murder, while three men are currently in detention in relation to the events.

Esraa Abdel Fattah. (Credit Sherif Mansour)

2. Esraa Abdel Fattah (Egypt

Egyptian journalist on hunger strike tortured and hospitalized. Reports surfaced December 16 that Esraa Abdel Fattah of banned website Tahrir News had been hospitalized in connection with her hunger strike. The reporter and social media coordinator had been detained two months at that point, charged with membership in a banned group, spreading false news and misusing social media platforms to disrupt national security. She began a hunger strike in October to demand an investigation into her allegations of mistreatment and torture.

3. Ilham Tohti (China)

Six years in jail for Chinese writer serving life sentence. This month Uighur scholar, writer and blogger Ilham Tohti is serving his sixth year of a life sentence. Uighurbiz, the Chinese- and Uighur-language website he founded in 2006 with a focus on social issues, was shuttered for its “separatist” ideas (a charge Tohti denied) after his arrest in 2014. China is the leading jailer of journalists and allows Tohti’s wife and family members to visit him for only 30 minutes every three months. 

Iwacu's Christine Kamikazi (left) Agnès Ndirubusa. (Credit Iwacu Media)

4. Agnès Ndirubusa and the team at Iwacu (Burundi)

Four Burundi reporters and their driver facing 15 years in prison. Four journalists and their driver were arrested in Burundi in October while covering clashes in the country’s Bubanza Province. Senior political reporter Agnès Ndirubusa, broadcast reporter Christine Kamikazi, English-language reporter Egide Harerimana and photojournalist Térence Mpozenzi remain in detention though their driver, Adolphe Masabarikiza, was released in November. All five face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges of undermining state security.

5. Aleksandr Valov (Russia)

Imprisoned Russian journalist’s whereabouts unknown. Aleksandr Valov’s lawyer has not been able to contact or locate him. The editor-in-chief and founder of local news site BlogSochi was arrested January 19, 2018 and is currently serving a six-year sentence on trumped up extortion charges. Valov narrated a livestream video showing police beating him during the arrest.

6. Jesús Medina (Venezuela)

Trial of detained Venezuelan photographer repeatedly delayed. The trial of freelance photographer Jesús Medina has repeatedly been postponed, with the date currently set for January 30. The only Venezuelan journalist imprisoned, according to CPJ’s 2019 prison census, has been held in pretrial detention at Ramo Verde military prison since August 2018. He is accused of criminal association and inciting hate. 

7. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia)

Demands for answers in Khashoggi murder persist into new decade. The new decade arrives without an independent criminal investigation into the 2018 high-profile, brazen killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside Istanbul’s Saudi consulate. Calls have gone unheeded for the U.S. and UN to probe the Saudi crown prince’s role in the “extrajudicial killing”—though in December a court delivered sentences to eight individuals in what CPJ called a “sham trial” and “mockery of justice.” Meanwhile, the Kingdom ended 2019 holding 26 journalists in prison.

8. Masoud Kazemi (Iran)

Corruption reporter serving time while government bans Internet. While Iran implemented an Internet ban in November in response to protests over rising gas prices, Masoud Kazemi sat in prison on charges stemming from 2018 Twitter posts about government corruption. Editor-in-chief of the monthly Sedaye Parsi political magazine, Kazemi was sentenced in June to four-plus years, found guilty of spreading misinformation and insulting the supreme leader and other Iranian officials. For an additional two years, he will be banned from working as a journalist.

9. Qazi Shibli (India)

Communications blackout slows case of jailed editor in weakening health. Arrests in Kashmir constitute India’s only two cases of jailed journalists, according to CPJ tracking. And the region’s ongoing communications shutdown that started August 5—the longest ever imposed in a democracy—has slowed trial hearings and updates to family members. Kin of Kashmiriyat news website editor Qazi Shibli didn’t know his whereabouts for more than a month after his July arrest for allegedly reporting on Twitter about troop movements. The family has since expressed serious concerns about his health and hired a lawyer’s help to petition for bail.

10. Nariman Memedeminov (Russia)

Freelance journalist serving 2.5 years in Russian prison. In October, a military court in Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Nariman Memedeminov to two years and six months in prison, convicted of making public calls for terrorism online. That followed the 2018 raid of the freelance journalist’s home and his arrest. His coverage included livestreamed trials of Muslim minority Crimean Tatar activists and interviews with their family members and lawyers, since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Katherine Love
10 Most Urgent, December 2019

On December 2, 2019 the Coalition launched the tenth monthly "10 Most Urgent" list (ranked in order of urgency), calling attention to the most pressing cases of journalists under attack for pursuing the truth.

1. Sophia Xueqin Huang (China)

Sophia Xueqin Huang (Credit IWMF)

Reporter covering Hong Kong protests detained for vague crime. China is the second-leading country for imprisoned journalists, according to CPJ. One among them is Sophia Xueqin Huang, a journalist who was detained in Guangzhou in October on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after covering the extended and ongoing unrest in Hong Kong this year and has recently been moved to residential surveillance. The former Xinquaibao and Southern Metropolis Weekly investigative reporter was moved to residential surveillance in November.

2. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia)

Corporate voices meet government silence on journalist’s brazen killing. At least six corporate heads, including that of JPMorgan Chase and Google Cloud, decried Saudi Arabia this year, and Amazon’s CEO appeared at a memorial service marking one year since the death of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. All of this comes as the White House has skirted the subject and repeated pressure to launch an independent criminal investigation into the Saudi crown prince’s alleged involvement in the brazen killing of the Washington Post columnist. 

3. Luis Carlos Díaz (Venezuela)

Authorities ignore deadline for dropping journalist’s charges. After Luis Carlos Díaz was detained for more than 24 hours in March, Venezuelan prosecutors needed to present evidence supporting charges of “public instigation” by November 12 or the case against Díaz could be closed. The decision is still pending, leaving the dual Spanish citizen and Unión Radio News reporter prohibited from leaving the country or speaking publicly about his detention and expected to report to intelligence agents every week. In addition to arrest, officials raided his apartment, confiscating or stealing money, computers, phones and personal items. 

4. Svetlana Prokopyeva (Russia)

Repeated threats and measures to silence Russian reporter. The past year has brought continued attacks against Pskov-based stringer Svetlana Prokopyeva, a freelance contributor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who reported a story about a young man who detonated a bomb inside a government building. Prokopyeva was accused of “publicly inciting terrorism,” was placed on a list of “terrorists and extremists” and endured a raid of her home, seizure of possessions and her passport and freezing of bank accounts. She is facing up to seven years in jail on terrorism-related charges. Reporters covering her case are now being harassed too.

Qazi Shibli (Credit Qazi Umair)

5. Qazi Shibli (India)

Health concerns for imprisoned Kashmiri editor. The family of Qazi Shibli has expressed concerns that The Kashmiriyat news website editor has grown weak since his July detainment. As Kashmir autonomy lessened and Shibli reported on increased troop deployments into the region, he has been held on charges including “waging war against the Union of India,” “creating fear and panic among common people” and being “deeply involved in disrupting the peaceful atmosphere.” He is now imprisoned out of state more than 600 miles away, and the family has hired a lawyer to help file a petition for bail.

6. Hamid al-Mahdaoui (Morocco)

Mistreatment for journalist imprisoned on baseless charges. An editor and reporter for Moroccan online news outlet Badil, Hamid al-Mahdaoui has served half of a three-year sentence for “failure to denounce a crime threatening national security” while traveling to cover anti-corruption protests in 2017. His lawyer calls the charge baseless, stemming from an unsolicited call received from someone claiming to be smuggling weapons. The sentence was upheld this year, and al-Mahdaoui has gone on hunger strike and been denied medicine, nutritious food and access to a doctor.

7. Sofiane Merakchi (Algeria)

Hearing postponed for correspondent in pre-trial detention. Since February, Algerian authorities have expelled or suspended journalists covering protests. Sofiane Merakchi, a freelance correspondent for Beirut-based TV channel Al Mayadeen and other foreign news agencies, was arrested in September at his personal office in Algiers, and his November 15 hearing for charges of “evading customs and tax” was postponed.

8. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan)

Deteriorating health for Kyrgyz journalist serving life sentence. Award-winning journalist Azimjon Askarov has spent nine years in prison on trumped-up charges for reporting on human rights violations. Letters home have described run ins with guards, detainee punishment after visiting days, Askarov’s deteriorating health and limited access to medication. Despite persistent international condemnation, a Kyrgyz court ruled to uphold his life sentence in July.

9. Esraa Abdel Fattah (Egypt)

Journalist accused of lying about abusive imprisonment. At least seven journalists have been arrested in Egypt since anti-government protests began in September, including Esraa Abdel Fattah, a reporter and social media coordinator focused on human rights violations for banned website Tahrir News. She was charged with spreading false news, membership in a banned group and abuse of social media networks (all which she denies) and jailed pending investigation. Two pro-government outlets accused her of lying about officials beating, hanging and choking her.

10. Azory Gwanda (Tanzania)

No answers or credible investigation in case of missing Tanzanian journalist. More than two years ago, freelance journalist Azory Gwanda went missing in Tanzania after investigating rural mysterious killings. The government has failed to conduct an investigation or disclose any knowledge of his whereabouts. In July, Foreign Minister Palamagamba Kabudi said in an interview that Gwanda had “disappeared and died” but backtracked amid requests for clarification.    

The Committee to Protect Journalists maintains safety guidelines for reporting on civil disorder: EnglishFrançaisEspañolРусскийPortuguês中文, and Farsi.




Katherine Love