Category: Committee to Protect Journalists

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Four journalists set up a refugee-led news outlet in Madrid after fleeing Syria

Three male journalists around a wooden table in front of a large window looking out toward an adjacent building in Spain.
Three journalists who set up shop in Madrid after fleeing Syria.

Baynana and Okba Mohammad

  • After fleeing war-torn Syria, four journalists founded Spain’s first refugee-led news site.
  • The journalists are Ayham al-Gareeb, Mohammad Shubat, Mousa al-Jamaat, and Okba Mohammad.
  • The site, called Baynana, publishes news in both Arabic and Spanish and aims to cater to the growing Arabic-speaking community in Spain.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Four journalists set up shop in Madrid after upending their lives and fleeing their homes in Syria due to war and other difficult conditions.

The journalists – Ayham al-Gareeb, Mohammad Shubat, Mousa al-Jamaat, and Okba Mohammad – were among a group of 11 rescued from dire conditions in Syria by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

At this time in Syria, the Middle Eastern country was wrapped up in the Daraa insurgency. The Syrian army and anti-government forces have long been engaged in a conflict that’s still ongoing today. The conflict has led to tension between the Syrian government and rebel forces, as well as hundreds of armed clashes.

In the midst of this conflict, the four men fled Syria and arrived in Madrid in May 2019. Two years later, they founded Baynana, Spain’s first refugee-led news site, according to the CPJ.

The site publishes news in both Arabic and Spanish, aiming “to provide useful information for the growing Arabic-speaking community in Spain and counter negative stereotypes surrounding migrants and refugees,” the CPJ said in a press release.

The journalists who started the news site credit and extend thanks to the CPJ.

“CPJ has helped us in so many ways,” said al-Gareeb, who serves as the site’s editor. “Firstly, they helped us to get out of war and relocate to a safe country like Spain. In my case, they also helped my wife and daughters to get here.”

“CPJ also helped us to start Baynana and that will help us to continue to work in journalism, something we love,” al-Gareeb added.

They started Baynana with the help of porCausa, a Spanish foundation dedicated to the advancement of investigative journalism and migration-related news, the CPJ said.

“The launching of Baynana is one of the most exciting developments in the Spanish media landscape in recent years,” CPJ program director Carlos Martinez said in the press release. “It will consistently bring other voices and perspectives to the conversation on key topics and issues, and will enrich the overall journalism community.”

Insider is covering this news as part of The One Free Press Coalition, which raises awareness of the world’s persecuted journalists.

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A Russian journalist who covered protests in support of the release of Putin critic Alexei Navalny is facing the possibility of detention

Navalny protests
A protester holding a gold-painted toilet brush at a rally against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, on January 31, 2021, in Central Moscow, Russia.

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

  • Daria Komarova, a Russian journalist, faces the possibility of detention for covering “unsanctioned” protests, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
  • She documented protests where demonstrators called for the release of Putin critic Alexei Navalny.
  • Komarova covered the demonstrations while on assignment for an outlet funded by the US Congress.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

A Russian journalist is facing three trials and the possibility of fines or detention after covering protests in support of Alexei Navalny earlier this year.

Navalny, a strong critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence in a Russian prison for skipping parole meetings. His lawyer said he had missed the meetings because he was in Berlin undergoing treatment for nerve-agent poisoning. Navalny has accused Putin of ordering the poisoning.

Daria Komarova documented the pro-Navalny demonstrations while on assignment for Idel.Realii, a local affiliate of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which is congressionally funded.

The Russian government, however, claims Komarova participated in unsanctioned protests last year and in January of this year.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Russian authorities to drop all charges against Komarova.

“Russian authorities continue unjustly prosecuting and legally harassing journalists for their coverage of protests, but the measures unsurprisingly have proved incapable of stopping the protests and opposition movements themselves,” said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza, according to the CPJ. “Russian authorities should drop all charges against RFE/RL journalist Daria Komarova and allow her and other members of the press to work freely and safely.”

In prison, Navalny went on a 23-day hunger strike, demanding that officials provide him with access to medical treatment. His doctors warned that he could die any minute from lack of treatment.

Navalny’s detention has drawn the ire of prominent politicians, including President Joe Biden, and human rights organizations.

Biden denounced Navalny’s treatment in prison, characterizing it as “totally inappropriate” and “unfair.” In a more aggressive move, Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last month that Russia will face sanctions if Navalny dies in state custody.

If convicted, Komarova might be forced to pay a fine of up to 50,000 rubles, or $651, for each protest she’s charged with attending unlawfully. She might also be punished with 15 days of administrative detention for each protest, according to the CPJ.

“The rationale offered by Russian authorities for violating RFE/RL journalist Daria Komarova’s right to report about local news events is both laughable and frightening,” RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement published in Idel.Realii. “Journalism is not a crime.”

Insider is covering Daria Komarova’s case as part of The One Free Press Coalition, which raises awareness of the world’s persecuted journalists.

Read the original article on Business Insider