NEW YORK – February 3, 2020 – The One Free Press Coalition, a united group of pre-eminent editors and publishers using their global reach and social platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide, today issued its latest “10 Most Urgent” list of journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice. Iranian Journalist Arash Shoa-Shargh tops the February list, as he continues his 10-year prison sentence following extradition from Turkey on multiple charges including insulting the Supreme Leader. As of late 2019, Shoa-Shargh was detained in Lakan prison, in the northern Iranian city of Rasht, but the isolated location and reluctance from authorities to provide updates has left his current status largely unknown.

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Notably, The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been featured on the list for nine consecutive months following his brutal murder within the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, which many have reported was at the direction of the Saudi crown prince himself.

Published this morning by all Coalition members and at www.onefreepresscoalition.com, the 12th “10 Most Urgent” list includes the following journalists, ranked in order of urgency:

1. Arash Shoa-Shargh (Iran)  

While living in exile in Turkey, Arash Shoa-Shargh, a reporter for 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 and family have reportedly been pressured by authorities not to publicize the case.

2. Aleksandr Valov (Russia)

The Editor-in-Chief and founder of local news site BlogSochi, Aleksandr Valov, 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, and was placed in solitary confinement last month due to anticipated retaliation and disagreement with the court’s verdict.

3. Samuel Wazizi (Cameroon)

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.

4. Azory Gwanda (Tanzania)

While investigating mysterious killings in rural Tanzania, freelance journalist Azory Gwanda went missing on November 21, 2017, and was reported to have “disappeared and died” by Foreign Minister Palamagamba Kabudi in 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)

In July 2019, 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)  

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)

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)

Last 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)

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)

In November of last year, 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.

The One Free Press Coalition is comprised of 37 prominent international members including: 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

NEW YORK – January 6, 2020 – The One Free Press Coalition, a united group of pre-eminent editors and publishers using their global reach and social platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide, today issued its monthly “10 Most Urgent” list of journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice. Topping the list was Malta journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered in October 2017 after receiving numerous death threats regarding her controversial political reporting. Only recently has the Malta government acknowledged their mishandling of the murder case, with the country’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, announcing his forthcoming resignation on January 12th as a result.

Since its inception, the monthly “10 Most Urgent” list has brought attention to journalists throughout the world who may not have otherwise had a voice. Of the 56 journalists featured on this year’s monthly lists, at least 10 have been released from prison, including Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in Myanmar, and Miguel Mora and Lucía Pineda Ubau in Nicaragua. In addition, the case of Turkish journalist Pelin Unker was recently dismissed by courts shortly after being featured in March, and Moroccan journalist Hajar Raissouni, featured on the October list, recently celebrated her wedding after her release from prison.

Published this morning by all Coalition members and at www.onefreepresscoalition.com, the 11th “10 Most Urgent” list includes the following journalists, ranked in order of urgency:

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1. Daphne Caruana Galizia (Malta) 

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 prime minister Joseph Muscat’s administration stepped down over allegations of involvement in the murder, while three men are currently in detention in relation to the events.

2. Esraa Abdel Fattah (Egypt) 

Reports surfaced on December 16th that Esraa Abdel Fattah of banned website Tahrir News had been hospitalized in connection with her hunger strike following allegations of mistreatment and torture while in prison. The reporter and social media coordinator had been detained for two months at that point, charged with membership in a banned group, spreading false news and misusing social media platforms to disrupt national security. 

3. Ilham Tohti (China)

Uighur scholar, writer and blogger Ilham Tohti is currently 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.

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

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 face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges of undermining state security.

5. Aleksandr Valov (Russia)

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, and since, his lawyer has not been able to contact or locate him.

6. Jesús Medina (Venezuela)

The trial of freelance photographer Jesús Medina has repeatedly been postponed, with the date currently set for January 30, 2020. The only Venezuelan journalist imprisoned, according to CPJ’s 2019 prison census, Medina has been held in pretrial detention at Ramo Verde military prison since August 2018,  accused of criminal association and inciting hate. 

7. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia)

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)

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)

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.

10. Nariman Memedeminov (Russia)

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. This 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.

The One Free Press Coalition is comprised of 37 prominent international members including: 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 https://www.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

NEW YORK – Dec 2, 2019 – The One Free Press Coalition, a united group of pre-eminent editors and publishers using their global reach and social platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide, today issued its monthly “10 Most Urgent” list of journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice. Chinese journalist Sophia Xueqin Huang – who was arrested in October, was moved into residential surveillance after being released from prison last week – tops the list. She was detained in Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, for the ambiguous charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” according to reports, ostensibly in retaliation for her coverage of the Hong Kong protests and ongoing gender discrimination in China, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports.

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Meanwhile, Nazli Ilicak, a Turkish journalist featured on the August One Free Press Coalition’s “10 Most Urgent” list, was released during a retrial in early November. Ilicak, along with several other journalists, had previously been sentenced to life without parole for allegedly using their journalism to aid the network of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Published this morning by all Coalition members and at www.onefreepresscoalition.com, the tenth “10 Most Urgent” list includes the following journalists, ranked in order of urgency:

1. Sophia Xueqin Huang (China)

The Hong Kong protests reporter continues to remain under residential surveillance. CPJ notes that China is the second-leading country for imprisoned journalists.

2. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia)

October marked the solemn anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder inside the Kingdom’s Istanbul consulate and no independent criminal investigation has come in 13 months. Pressured by recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities, the Kingdom’s crown prince spoke out in September denying any role in the murder but did claim responsibility for the “mistake” on behalf of consulate workers in Istanbul. Yet, findings from the UN and CIA point to his involvement. Stateside, President Donald Trump blew a Congressional deadline to release intelligence reports under the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act.

3. Luis Carlos Díaz (Venezuela)

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 Nov. 12 or the case against Díaz could be closed. Authorities have ignored their deadline, leaving the dual Spanish citizen and Unión Radio News reporter prohibited from leaving the country.

4. Svetlana Prokopyeva (Russia)

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,” and was placed on a list of “terrorists and extremists.”

5. Qazi Shibli (India)

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.”

6. Hamid al-Mahdaoui (Morocco)

Hamid al-Mahdaoui, an editor and reporter for Moroccan online news outlet Badil, 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. 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)

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 Nov.15 hearing for charges of “evading customs and tax” was postponed.

8. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan)

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, Askarov’s deteriorating health and limited access to medication.

9. Esraa Abdel Fattah (Egypt)

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. Two pro-government outlets accused her of lying about officials beating, hanging and choking her.

10. Azory Gwanda (Tanzania)

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.

The One Free Press Coalition is comprised of 37 prominent international members including: 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 https://www.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