Posts Tagged ‘journalist attacked’

Syria: Journalist beaten, arrested in Damascus

March 21st, 2012

A Syrian journalist has been beaten, arrested and detained whilst covering a protest in Damascus. Rudy Othman, a prominent freelance journalist, was arrested by security forces during a protest on Thursday, but his whereabouts, legal status, or condition have not been released by the Syrian government. This is the third occasion on which Othman, who has covered the Syrian uprising for a number of regional news outlets, has been detained.

Philippines: Gunmen seriously wound journalist

March 12th, 2012

Gunmen have shot and seriously injured a journalist in the Philippines. Fernan Angeles, a reporter with The Daily Tribune, was beaten and shot six times by unidentified men near his home in Manila on Sunday night. Angeles, who is assigned to cover President Benigno Aquino III, remains in intensive care. Angeles’ wife speculated that her husband’s attackers were linked to a drug syndicate from their working-class community, who may believe the journalist had leaked information about the syndicate’s operation to authorities.

India: Crowd attacks journalists covering elections

March 7th, 2012

Around 100 journalists were attacked by a large crowd in India yesterday, whilst covering local elections in northern state Uttar Pradesh. The journalists were forced to lock themselves in a school, which was  being used as an election centre, after clashes broke out between supporters of the parties involved in the election. The crowd of approximately 4,000 turned on the journalists on the evening of the election, after the results had been announced. They were assaulted, and their equipment and vehicles were damaged by the crowd. The journalists were able to leave the school early on Wednesday morning.

Venezuela: Globovisión journalists attacked

March 7th, 2012

A team of Globovisión journalists were attacked by supporters of President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela on Sunday. The journalists were covering an opposition political rally when assailants wearing red shirts associated with Chávez supporters threatened them with guns and stole their equipment. The march by opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski had previously been interuppted by armed men who fired weapons in an apparent effort to break up the rally. The footage recorded by the staff from Globovisión, Venezuela’s last critical TV news station, was stolen by the attackers, along with a camera, microphone, and radios.

Russia: GQ writer attacked by journalist and Putin supporter

March 7th, 2012

A writer for the Russian edition of GQ magazine has said he was assaulted by another journalist and a blogger. Political columnist Andrew Ryvkin claims he was attacked by journalist Sergei Minayev and blogger Eduard Bagirov in Central Moscow on Tuesday. Ryvkin tweeted that Minayev and Bagirov grabbed him and hit him in the face. The writer added that his attackers said they would “beat him to death” next time. Minayev admitted his involvement in the assault on Twitter, saying it was in response to the writer having described him in a vulgar way in a recent article.

India: Journalists attacked outside courthouse

March 5th, 2012

Ten Indian journalists were attacked by a group of lawyers outside a court in Bangalore last week. On 2 March, following the high-profile case of a former minister accused of illegal mining, the lawyers attacked journalists, most of whom were TV camera operators, with stones, iron chairs, and flowerpots. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Some reports said the lawyers were angered by “one-sided” coverage of a protest in January, while other news reports said the dispute occurred after the lawyers were angered by television crews blocking the entrance to the courts.

Azerbaijan: Reporters injured while covering clashes

March 2nd, 2012

At least two journalists have been injured whilst covering violent clashes between police and residents in Azerbaijan. During protests calling for the resignation of a local government, Index awards nominee Idrak Abbasov, from the Institute for War & Peace suffered an arm injury as stones were thrown at him, whilst Rashid Aliyev, a reporter for the Internet-based Objektiv-TV was hit in the back of the head. During the protests, demonstrators set fire to government buildings and the governor’s house. Five other journalists reportedly suffered the effects of tear gas, after authorities sent riot police to quell the protesters. Abbasov said: “Me and my colleague Rashad Aliyev were at the center of the developments. I was taking photographs and Rashad was filming. I couldn’t see who threw stones at me, as I was holding the camera in front of my eyes to photograph the developments. A stone hit my left arm and smashed it. But Rashad was more unlucky. A stone hit his head and he received a serious injury to his ear.”

Senegal: Journalists threatened, assaulted amid election

March 2nd, 2012

A number of attacks and threats have been made against journalists covering the Sengalese presidential elections. At least 12 incidents of threats and physical harm have been recorded against journalists in the lead up to and aftermath of the vote. Senegal’s incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade stood against thirteen other candidates in elections for a third term in power on Sunday. No official results have been released.