This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 29 March 2020. As journalists and media covering the coronavirus pandemic’s spread in Africa continue to be subjected to censorship, acts of intimidation and physical violence, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on African governments not to go after the wrong target and to guarantee press freedom, which…
MRA urges Nigerian government to guarantee media their rights
This statement was originally published on mediarightsagenda.net on 30 March 2020. Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today condemned the increasing cases of attacks by law enforcement and security agencies on journalists covering the Coronavirus pandemic and other issues and called on the Federal Government to ensure respect for the fundamental rights of journalists and the media.…
States of emergency: Middle East governments suppress access to information during the COVID-19 pandemic
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 27 March 2020. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned to see Middle Eastern governments taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to step up state censorship and to reaffirm their monopoly of the dissemination of news and information. Ever since the start of the pandemic, many journalists in…
COVID-19: Rights groups call on Turkey to release imprisoned journalists and human rights defenders
This statement was originally published on article19.org on 27 March 2020. Amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, the Turkish government is accelerating the preparation of a draft law that will reportedly release up to 100,000 prisoners. This is a welcome step. Overcrowding and unsanitary facilities already pose a serious health threat…
Journalist interrogated over Facebook post
This statement was originally published on cemespliberia.org on 25 March 2020. Publisher Charles Yates of Integrity Watch newspaper was on Monday, March 23, 2020 invited by the Liberia National Security Agency (NSA) for questioning over an alleged social media post linking the Liberian government to corruption. Following his first appearance at the offices of the…
Restrictions by African governments results in escalated use of technology
This statement was originally published on cipesa.org on 27 March 2020. As the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues to spread globally, various African governments have imposed sweeping measures such as travel bans, curfews, prohibition of mass gatherings, mandatory quarantines, closure of learning institutions, entertainment spots and borders to curb the pandemic. Some of these measures have…
Moscow reacts to COVID-19 by extending surveillance of citizens
This statement was originally published on hrw.org on 25 March 2020. Moscow’s officials are forging ahead with installing one of the world’s biggest surveillance camera systems equipped with facial recognition technology, despite protests from activists. The system is ostensibly to help in the fight against COVID-19 as facial recognition cameras are being used to ensure…
Slovenia: Free press groups call on government to stop harassing journalist Blaž Zgaga
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 27 March 2020. Slovenian investigative journalist and correspondent of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Blaž Zgaga has been targeted by a hate campaign fuelled by the government on social networks and in the media since he sent an official Freedom of Information Request on the COVID-19 pandemic to…