Azimjon Askarov, Jailed Journalist At High Risk For Contracting COVID-19, Tops May Ranking Of One Free Press Coalition’s “10 Most Urgent” Press Freedom Cases
New York – May 1, 2020 – Azimjon Askarov, an award-winning journalist in Kyrgyzstan, tops the May ranking of the One Free Press Coalition’s “10 Most Urgent” list of press freedom cases. The “10 Most Urgent” list, issued today by a united group of pre-eminent editors and publishers, spotlights journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice. Askarov, who has spent nine years in jail for reporting on human rights violations, is faced with deteriorating health because of limited access to medication, making him high-risk for contracting the COVID-19 virus. Amid the global health crisis, journalists continue to face harsh punishment for using their voices to share the truth worldwide. Since publishing its May list, the coalition has noted that at least half of the journalists on its lists are currently behind bars and at heightened risk for exposure to the virus.
In observance of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday, May 3, the One Free Press Coalition continues to use its global reach to bring awareness to the importance of free press and advocate for those whose freedoms are under attack. To date, the Coalition has played a critical role in successfully advocating for 71 individuals, supporting in the release of 10 journalists featured on their monthly “10 Most Urgent” lists. By bringing attention to this, the One Free Press Coalition has sparked critical conversations globally, with more than 19,000 mentions of the initiative on social media, totaling 1.17 billion total potential impressions globally.
Published this morning at https://www.onefreepresscoalition.com/and by all Coalition members the 15th 10 Most Urgent list includes the following journalists, ranked in order of urgency:
1. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan)
Jailed journalist in deteriorating health at high risk for contracting COVID-19. Award-winning journalist Azimjon Askarov has spent nine years in prison after receiving a life sentence for reporting on human rights violations. Letters home have described run ins with guards, detainee punishment after visiting days, and his deteriorating health because of his limited access to medication.
2. Abdulkhaleq Amran, Akram al-Waleedi, Hareth Hameed and Tawfiq al-Mansouri (Yemen)
Yemeni journalists long held captive in prison now sentenced to death. On April 11, four Yemeni journalists—Abdulkhaleq Amran, Akram al-Waleedi, Hareth Hameed and Tawfiq al-Mansouri—were sentenced to death on charges of spreading false news. The individuals have been detained for nearly five years by the Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, at war with the internationally recognized government, a Saudi-led military coalition.
3. Mahmoud al-Jaziri (Bahrain)
Imprisoned reporter punished for telling media about inmates’ coronavirus fears. Mahmoud al-Jaziri was moved to solitary confinement on April 8 as retaliation for an audio clip that surfaced on dissident-run media channel Bahrain Today3 in which he disputed reports that Bahraini authorities had taken measures to protect prisoners from the spread of COVID-19. Al-Jaziri has been imprisoned since December 2015 on a 15-year sentence on charges of belonging to a terrorist group.
4. Solafa Magdy (Egypt)
Prison conditions heighten COVID risk for journalist in deteriorating health. The overcrowding of Egyptian prisons—such as the one in Al-Qanater, where Solafa Magdy is being held – and inhumane conditions threaten to turn detention places into clusters of disease. Magdy, a freelance multimedia journalist, and her husband have been jailed since November 2019 on charges of “membership of a banned group” and “spreading false news.” She has endured medical neglect and even declined treatment for fear of contracting an infection in the facility’s unhygienic hospital.
5. Darvinson Rojas (Venezuela)
Freelance journalist and parents arrested for his reporting on COVID-19. Venezuelan freelance journalist Darvinson Rojas spent 13 days detained after police agents showed up at his home claiming to be conducting a COVID-19 test. Rojas was arrested and later interrogated about sources of his reporting on the disease. According to local press freedom organization Espacio Publico, Rojas was secretly presented before a judge on March 22 and charged under the controversial “Anti-Hate Law” with incitement to hate and instigation.
6. Truong Duy Nhat (Vietnam)
Authorities switch charges to sentence blogger to 10 years behind bars. Truong Duy Nhat, a blogger with Radio Free Asia’s Vietnamese language service funded by U.S. Congress, disappeared from a Bangkok shopping mall in January 2019 and two days later was in pretrial detention where he remained 15 months before sentencing March 9 to ten years in prison. Police initially charged him with illegally acquiring property but after failure to procure enough evidence, he was later charged with “abusing his position and power while on duty” as a reporter.
7. Elena Milashina (Russia)
Journalist fears for her life, after leader rebuffs her coronavirus reporting. On April 12, independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta correspondent Elena Milashina wrote that quarantined Chechens had stopped reporting coronavirus symptoms for fear of being labeled “terrorists.” Since her reporting, she has received serious threats and has sought protection from the Investigative Committee of Russia and the prosecutor general’s office but has yet to receive a response.
8. Mir Shakil ur Rehman (Pakistan)
To silence criticism of pandemic preparedness, government targets broadcast outlet and its CEO. The CEO, owner and Editor-in-Chief of Jang Media Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, was arrested March 12 over a case involving allegations that he illegally acquired land in 1986. The next day, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ordered cable distributors throughout the country to stop transmitting Geo TV, which is owned by Jang Media Group, the nation’s largest TV news channel, or move its broadcasts to a higher, harder-to-find channel. Despite no charges filed, Shakil-ur-Rehman was denied bail on April 7. The channel has criticized the government’s coronavirus preparations.
9. Yayesew Shimelis (Ethiopia)
Journalist charged with “hate speech and disinformation” for COVID coverage. On March 26 journalist Yayesew Shimelis published a COVID-19 report on Facebook and YouTube, which Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health condemned as false. He told a friend he feared government retaliation—and the next day was arrested at a relative’s home. On three occasions, from April 15 to 21, police failed to respect court orders to release Yayesew, instead introducing new allegations against him. He was eventually released on bail until a scheduled May 15 hearing on charges of distributing disinformation, punishable with up to three years in prison or a fine of up to $3,000 under a recently-enacted law.
10. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia)
Turkish and U.S. leaders continue pressuring for murdered journalist’s justice. On March 25 Turkish officials indicted 20 Saudi nationals in the ongoing pursuit for answers surrounding Jamal Khashoggi’s brazen killing in Istanbul in 2018 and the Saudi crown prince’s role. Last December, Saudi Arabia sentenced eight individuals in connection with the 2018 brazen killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
The One Free Press Coalition is comprised of 38 prominent international members including: Agencia Efe; Al Jazeera Media Network, AméricaEconomía; The Associated Press; Bloomberg News; The Boston Globe; BuzzFeed; CNN Money Switzerland; Corriere Della Sera; De Standaard; Deutsche Welle; Estadão; EURACTIV; The Financial Times; Forbes; Fortune; HuffPost; India Today; Insider Inc.; Le Temps; Middle East Broadcasting Networks; NHK; Office of Cuba Broadcasting; Quartz; Radio Free Asia; Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty; Republik; Reuters; The Straits Times; Süddeutsche Zeitung; TIME; TV Azteca; Voice of America; The Washington Post; WIRED; and Yahoo News.
One Free Press Coalition partners with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) to identify the most-urgent cases for the list, which is updated and published on the first business day of every month.
The mission of the Coalition is to use the collective voices of its members – which reach more than 1 billion people worldwide – to “stand up for journalists under attack for pursuing the truth.” News organizations throughout the world can join the Coalition by emailing info@onefreepresscoalition.com. Members of the public are also encouraged to join the conversation using the hashtag #OneFreePress and following developments on Twitter @OneFreePress.
One Free Press Coalition
The One Free Press Coalition every month spotlights the “10 Most Urgent” journalists who press freedoms are under threat worldwide. The Coalition uses the collective voices of participating news organizations to spotlight brave journalists whose voices are being silenced or have been silenced by “standing up for journalists under attack for pursing the truth.” To see the “10 Most Urgent” list every month and to view a complete list of participating news organizations and supporting partners, please visit onefreepresscoalition.com or @OneFreePress on Twitter.
Contacts:
One Free Press Coalition PR: pr@onefreepresscoalition.com
Committee to Protect Journalists: Bebe Santa-Wood, press@cpj.com
International Women’s Media Foundation: Charlotte Fox, cfox@iwmf.org