DW's Freedom of Speech Award honors journalists persecuted for coronavirus reporting

DW
03/05/2020 | Helena Kaschel

Intimidation, violence, arrests: Around the world, journalists face harassment or persecution for their coverage of the COVID-19 crisis. DW honors their work by presenting them with this year's Freedom of Speech Award. Deutsche Welle is presenting journalists from four continents with this year's Freedom of Speech Award for their coverage of the coronavirus crisis.

... The disappearance of several Chinese citizen journalists in connection with the outbreak made headlines around the world. Before he disappeared on February 6, lawyer Chen Qiushi had used Twitter and YouTube to keep followers informed about the situation in the quarantined megacity of Wuhan. "I am afraid," Chen said just a few days before his disappearance in a YouTube video that has since been viewed nearly 3 million times. "The disease is in front of me, and China's police and judiciary are behind me."

... The case of Elena Milashina in Russia also gained international attention. The award-winning investigative journalist has been writing for the newspaper Novaya Gazeta since 1996. Milashina became the target of regional ruler Ramzan Kadyrov for her critical reporting on how the Russian Federation republic of Chechnya is handling the coronavirus outbreak... Milashina, who has been researching human rights violations and corruption in Chechnya for years, was attacked and beaten in February at a hotel in the republic's capital, Grozny.

... On March 21, Venezuela's Special Action Forces (FAES) arrested the 25-year-old journalist Darvinson Rojas at his apartment in the capital, Caracas, for his reporting on the coronavirus pandemic. After 12 days in prison, Rojas was released on bail and charged with "instigation to hatred" and "public instigation," among other crimes. Amnesty has described the charges as "an attempt to silence the reporting of Darvinson Rojas on the pandemic in Venezuela."

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https://www.dw.com/en/dws-freedom-of-speech-award-honors-journalists-persecuted-for-coronavirus-reporting/a-53297922