NEW YORK – December 1, 2021 – To close 2021, the One Free Press Coalition today released its “Top 10 List for December 10, which features a list of 10 global press freedom cases that embody the most alarming trends threatening journalists in 2021. and beyond – from impunity and imprisonment to surveillance and harassment. December list, titled “The Year of Press Freedom”, highlights press freedom violations which, if left unchecked, can continue to threaten journalists and their search for the truth .

Each month, a united group of leading editors and editors known as the One Free Press Coalition releases a ranking of the “10 Most Urgent” list of press freedom cases to put journalists in the spotlight. whose freedom of the press is suppressed or whose affairs demand justice. . Posted this morning on www.onefreepresscoalition.com and by all Coalition members, this special edition of the monthly ranking features the following journalists from around the world, listed in order of urgency:

1. Zhang zhan (China)

Zhang Zhan is on a hunger strike behind bars and is now in critical condition. It has been nearly a year since the freelance journalist was sentenced to four years in prison for “choosing quarrels and causing unrest” after posting videos criticizing the government’s response to Wuhan’s COVID-19.

2. Olivier Dubois (Mali)

French journalist Olivier Dubois disappeared in May while covering the Al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaa Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). A few days later, a video of Dubois was released, revealing that he was being held by JNIM. He is still missing, as his family continues to fight tirelessly for answers to his plight.

3. April Ehrlich (UNITED STATES)

In September, police arrested local radio reporter April Ehrlich in Portland, OR, while covering evictions of people living in a city park. Police charged her with second degree criminal trespassing, interfering with a peace officer and resisting arrest. Some of these offenses could result in jail terms of up to 364 days and fines of up to $ 6,250.

4. Lázaro Youri Valle Roca (Cuba)

Cuban journalist Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca, who covers Cuban social and political affairs on his YouTube channel, has been in pre-trial detention for almost six months now following an investigation into crimes of contempt and sharing of life. enemy propaganda. The day before his arrest, he published a video chronicling pro-democracy leaflets thrown from a building in Havana.

5. Juan Lorenzo Holmann and Miguel Mendoza (Nicaragua)

Juan Lorenzo Holmann, editor of La Prensa, and journalist Miguel Mendoza have been jailed since this summer – in a prison known for its poor conditions and torture – on false charges in retaliation for their critical reporting and comments. Their imprisonment comes at a time when the crackdown on the press intensifies in the country and as dozens of journalists have gone into exile.

6. Hanthar Nyien (Myanmar)

Hanthar Nyien, a news producer at Kayamut Media, was jailed in March 2021 under section 505 (a) of the penal code and another criminal charge for his journalism. His colleagues said that during his incarceration, he was tortured and deprived of food and water.

seven. Ayşenur Parıldak (Turkey)

Ayşenur Parıldak, court reporter for the closed daily Zaman, was arrested in 2016 as part of a wider crackdown on the press following the 2016 coup in Turkey. He was refused parole, despite the fact that other journalists accused of the same charges have since been released.

8. Ksenia Lutskina (Belarus)

Ksenia Lutskina, a freelance journalist, was arrested after attending an event at Press Club Belarus, where five club members were also arrested and all charged with tax evasion. If found guilty, she faces seven years in prison. Lutskina, who suffers from a brain tumor, was denied medical treatment while in detention.

9. Mina Khairi (Afghanistan)

Mina Khairi, a presenter for local television station Ariana News TV in Kabul, was killed last June after unidentified assailants detonated an improvised explosive device attached to a van carrying Khairi and the news director. Ariana TV, Ahmad Farshad Saleh. Afghanistan ranks 5th on CPJ’s 2021 Impunity Index.

ten. Rana ayyoub (India)

In June, Uttar Pradesh police filed a criminal complaint saying they were investigating columnist and journalist Rana Ayyub, as well as Thread, and two other journalists. Ayyub has long been the target of harassment and misinformation campaigns online in response to his comments and reporting.

The One Free Press Coalition is made up of 32 distinguished international members, including: Agency Efe; Al Jazeera Media Network, AméricaEconomía; The Associated Press; Bloomberg News; The Boston Globe; Corriere Della Sera; From Standard; Deutsche Welle; Estadao; EURACTIV; the Financial Times; Forbes; Fortune; HuffPost; India today; Insider Inc .; The weather ; Middle East broadcasting networks; Cuba Broadcasting Bureau; Quartz; Free Asia Radio; Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty; Republic ; Reuters; The times of the straits; Süddeutsche Zeitung; TIME; Azteca TV; Voice of America; the Washington Post; 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 released on the first working day of each month.

The Coalition’s mission is to use the collective voices of its members – who reach out to over a billion people around the world – to “stand up for journalists attacked for seeking the truth”. News organizations around the world can join the Coalition by sending an email to [email protected].

Members of the public are also encouraged to join the conversation by using the hashtag #OneFreePress and following developments on Twitter @OneFreePress.

A coalition of the free press

Each month, the One Free Press Coalition highlights the “10 most urgent journalists” whose press freedom is threatened around the world. The Coalition uses the collective voices of participating news organizations to spotlight courageous journalists whose voices are silenced or have been silenced by “defending journalists attacked for seeking the truth”. To view the “10 Most Urgent” list each month and to view a full list of participating news organizations and supporting partners, please visit onefreepresscoalition.com or @OneFreePress on Twitter.

Contacts:

PR of the One Free Press Coalition: [email protected]

Committee to Protect Journalists: Bebe Santa-Wood, [email protected]