Waging Justice
Criminalizing Reporting
A growing number of governments treat journalists who criticize them as ideological enemies, and reporters are imprisoned for just doing their job. The last few years have seen the highest numbers of journalists in prison than at any time in the past three decades.
TrialWatch has monitored trials in which journalists are prosecuted for their journalistic work—whether through laws that directly target speech or under unrelated laws deployed to silence journalists.
Using a Public Database to Investigate an Attack in Hong Kong
“If left uncorrected, this prosecution will set a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Hong Kong.”
TrialWatch’s expert in the case
Journalist Bao Choy was prosecuted for making ‘false statements’ for accessing a public vehicle registration database to identify the vehicles present at an attack on pro-democracy protestors.
Reporting on Protests in Belarus
“The prosecution’s proffered evidence was inconsistent, contradictory, and wholly insufficient to meet the essential elements of the charged offenses or sustain the conviction.”
TrialWatch Fairness Report
Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova, two young journalists working for an independent media outlet, were convicted of ‘organizing group actions that grossly violated public order’ and given two-year prison sentences simply for live coverage of a protest.
"National Security" Offenses in Morocco
“Credible allegations of rape should be investigated, but the court limited Mr. Radi’s ability to present evidence in his defense. This is especially concerning in light of a recent pattern in Morocco of convicting journalists on similar charges.”
Professor Hannah Garry, TrailWatch Expert in the case
Omar Radi is a Moroccan journalist who has exposed, and is an outspoken critic of, government corruption. In this capacity, he has collaborated with various Moroccan and international media. He was convicted of rape and national security offenses. He has been sentenced to 6 years in prison after being held in pretrial detention for nearly a year. His conviction follows another recent conviction of a journalist on similar charges, who has also been critical of the government.
