Journalists serve the public by speaking truth to power. Unfortunately, the pursuit of this critical mission puts some reporters in peril.
To highlight the dangers some members of the press endure, Fortune is part of the One Free Press Coalition, an organization of more than a dozen leading news organizations—including the Associated Press, Reuters, Financial Times, Forbes, and Time—who vow to use their collective audience to stand up for journalists under attack for doing their work.
For the past three months, the One Free Press Coalition has been listing the most urgent press freedom cases in no specific order, but for the fourth list (below), published on Monday, it has ranked the top 10 cases in order of urgency.
This month, the coalition also notes a triumph: Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were released from prison in Myanmar shortly after earning the Pulitzer Prize and appearing on the coalition’s list.
Following are the 10 most urgent examples of journalists who are or were incarcerated, under threat, or facing injustice for their work. (You can read last month’s list here.) That list follows, and will be revised monthly.
1. Azory Gwanda (Tanzania): Independent Tanzanian journalist remains missing
Azory Gwanda, a freelance journalist working in rural Tanzania, has been missing since November 21, 2017. Before his disappearance, Gwanda had been investigating mysterious killings in his community. The Tanzanian government has so far failed to launch a credible investigation into his case.
2. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia): Justice denied for murdered Saudi journalist
Months after his brutal murder at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, and despite findings from the CIA that point to the Saudi crown prince’s involvement, there has been no independent UN criminal investigation. Calls for the White House to release intelligence reports have gone unheeded, along with a deadline to reply to Congress as required under the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act.
3. Aasif Sultan (India): Imprisoned for covering conflict
Aasif Sultan, a reporter for Kashmir Narrator, was arrested on “anti-state” charges in August 2018. Sultan, who has health issues, has been repeatedly interrogated by police, demanding that he reveal his sources.
4. Claudia Duque (Colombia): Officials who tortured investigative reporter remain free; harassment continues
Lack of security and safety in Colombia for journalists has forced some to flee the country; two journalists fled after being harassed online by officials. Others, like local journalist Claudia Duque, have endured kidnapping, illegal surveillance, and psychological torture for decades. Courts convicted three high-ranking security service officers for torturing Duque and put another eight on trial. As of January 2019, none has served a day in prison.
5. Miguel Mora and Lucía Pineda (Nicaragua): Nicaraguan journalists detained amid media crackdown
In December 2018, Nicaraguan police raided TV station 100% Noticias and arrested station director Miguel Mora and Lucía Pineda, its news director. Both journalists have been held for over five months on charges of “inciting hate and violence.” While behind bars both have experienced health issues and been denied access to their lawyers.
6. Truong Duy Nhat (Vietnam): Blogger denied asylum, now imprisoned
Truong Duy Nhat, a blogger with the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA), went missing in January in Bangkok, where he had applied for refugee status. The Vietnamese blogger is currently held without charge in a detention center in Hanoi. Nhat was previously sentenced to two years in prison in 2013 in connection to his critical reporting on the government.
7. Sevinc Osmanqizi (Azerbaijan): Extortion threats in retaliation for reporting
The pro-government Azerbaijani news channel Real TV harassed and attempted to extort Sevinc Osmanqizi in retaliation for her political reporting. Osmanqizi, who lives in exile in the U.S., hosts a TV program covering Azerbaijani politics on YouTube. Real TV published audio from one of the journalist’s private phone conversations and, in a separate segment, an anchor threatened to release intimate photos of Osmanqizi unless she ceased broadcasting.
8. Abderrahmane Weddady and Cheikh Ould Jiddou (Mauritania): Imprisoned after reporting on corruption
Bloggers Abderrahmane Weddady and Cheikh Ould Jiddou have been behind bars since March after being accused of spreading false news. Both report on corruption in Mauritania. Authorities questioned the bloggers and confiscated their passports and identification cards. Both are being detained in Dar Naim prison.
9. Seyoum Tsehaye (Eritrea): Nearly 20 years behind bars for doing journalism
Seyoum Tsehaye is one of several Eritrean journalists arrested after the government summarily banned the privately owned press in 2001, in response to criticism of President Isaias Afwerki. Eritrean authorities have never accounted for the whereabouts, health, or legal status of Seyoum and the others.
10. Mina Karamitrou (Greece): No arrests after car bomb attack
A makeshift explosive device was detonated under the car of Mina Karamitrou, a police reporter for CNN’s Greek edition, in May 2019. No one was injured in the explosion, which went off outside the journalist’s home. Karamitrou said she believes the attack was related to her coverage of a man who is serving multiple life sentences for murders. As of late May, no arrests had been made.
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