Latest news with #CommitteetoProtectJournalists
NBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- NBC News
ICE-detained journalist bonds out after arrest while reporting on 'No Kings' protests
A press freedom group applauded the release of journalist Mario Guevara from immigration detention, but continued to raise concerns that the government considers his coverage of a "No Kings" protest last month to be dangerous. Guevara was released Tuesday from detention in Georgia, following an arrest that generated quick backlash from press freedom and civil rights groups. He was arrested by local officers, turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for detention, and was placed in deportation proceedings. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which was among groups to protest Guevara's arrest and detention, said in a statement it is "concerned by the government lawyer's argument that livestreaming presented a danger to the public by compromising the integrity and safety of law enforcement activities." "The fact that Guevara was arrested while exercising his First Amendment rights as a journalist and was subsequently held for over two weeks by various law enforcement bodies sends an alarming message to the media and has effectively silenced Guevara's coverage of his community," said Katherine Jacobsen, U.S., Canada and Caribbean program coordinator at CPJ. Guevara's attorney has said his client entered the country legally on a tourist visa, has permission to work in the U.S. and has a pending legal permanent residency application. Guevara, an award-winning journalist, reports regularly on ICE and other police and crime news. His Facebook posts show video of ICE activity, but also coverage of community, crime, culture, news from El Salvador and soccer. His work and wide influence in the Atlanta area Latino community was the feature of a short documentary by the New York Times. He has been covering immigration raids in the Atlanta area since 2017, according to The New Yorker. NBC News reached out to Guevara's attorney and to Guevara through his Facebook page but have not received an immediate response. Guevara was arrested June 14, while covering a protest in an Atlanta suburb. Body camera video showed he stepped from a curb into the street as an officer with a shield advanced toward him. Officers can be heard on the video saying he'd been warned multiple times to stay out of the street. Guevara was charged with three misdemeanors: improperly entering a roadway, obstruction of law enforcement officers, and unlawful assembly. Those charges were dismissed after the DeKalb County solicitor general said video evidence showed Guevara "generally in compliance" and didn't show an intent to disregard law enforcement directives." DeKalb County authorities turned him over to ICE, which put a detainer on him. Despite the solicitor general's findings on the misdemeanors and their dismissal, Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, said in a statement Wednesday that Guevara had obstructed Georgia police and did not comply with their orders to move out of the street. She said Guevara has been placed in removal proceedings. McLaughlin also said Guevara had entered the country illegally in 2004, which is in conflict with his attorney's statement that he entered on a visa. Authorities filed additional charges against Guevara related to a May 20 stop — a month prior — when he was livestreaming while driving the actions of an immigration officer. An initial incident report states those charges were reported June 17, but the report gives no details and the names of the two deputies involved were redacted, .
Sydney Morning Herald
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
What happened to my brother, Julian Assange, once felt extraordinary. Today it feels like the norm
The London rain was falling sideways as we walked from Plumstead Station to Belmarsh Prison. My father, John Shipton, had his collar turned up against the wind, but it was no use – we were soaked by the time we reached the gate. Beside us was journalist John Pilger, he moved a bit slower, his presence a quiet anchor in the storm. It was a pilgrimage we would make again and again over the next five years. But this was the first time. We were going to see my brother, Julian Assange. Inside the walls of that maximum-security prison, he was being held in solitary confinement – not for violent crime, but for daring to publish the truth. On the train ride back, still drenched, still angry, we knew we had to do more than visit. Pilger believed there was still a chance the British courts might block Julian's extradition. But we couldn't rely on legal processes alone. We needed a movement. On that dark day, the plan began to take shape. Legal action, yes – but also a broad, public campaign. My dad and Stella Assange would take Julian's case to Europe's parliaments and streets. We would build a grassroots network, organise street protests, mobilise supporters, and begin a media offensive. We needed a film to counter the years of smears. Every step would need funding, persistence, and people. That was the beginning. A small conversation on a wet train ride that became our mission. What we discovered along the way was this: when someone speaks truth to power, the infrastructure to protect them doesn't exist. Governments and institutions often fall silent. Legal defences are slow, expensive, and easily outmatched. Media outlets are inconsistent allies. And too often, the public is left watching from the sidelines, unsure how to help. So we built the response ourselves. What began as a campaign for one man became something bigger – a movement shaped by experience, driven by necessity. We took the lessons, tools and networks we forged during Julian's fight and turned them into something lasting: an organisation dedicated to protecting those courageous enough to speak out. Because what happened to Julian wasn't just a tragedy. It was a template for those who wish to suppress dissent on a global scale. Loading Now, that warning has become impossible to ignore. The silencing of those who seek to hold power to account has picked up a blistering pace. We've watched it unfold before our eyes with the deaths of more than 185 journalists in Gaza according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In the United States, those voicing opposition are facing the threat of deportation to hellish prison conditions in El Salvador. Journalists are being stopped and questioned at the border and in some cases turned away. And in the past 24 hours, President Donald Trump's criticism of CNN and other outlets over reports on US strikes on Iran's nuclear program is creating a climate that discourages open dialogue and may limit the public's access to critical reporting. The same forces that came after Julian are now moving in broad daylight. These are not isolated incidents. They are signals – warnings meant to suppress speech, punish resistance, and make people afraid to resist. If what happened to Julian once felt extraordinary, today it feels like the norm.
The Age
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
What happened to my brother, Julian Assange, once felt extraordinary. Today it feels like the norm
The London rain was falling sideways as we walked from Plumstead Station to Belmarsh Prison. My father, John Shipton, had his collar turned up against the wind, but it was no use – we were soaked by the time we reached the gate. Beside us was journalist John Pilger, he moved a bit slower, his presence a quiet anchor in the storm. It was a pilgrimage we would make again and again over the next five years. But this was the first time. We were going to see my brother, Julian Assange. Inside the walls of that maximum-security prison, he was being held in solitary confinement – not for violent crime, but for daring to publish the truth. On the train ride back, still drenched, still angry, we knew we had to do more than visit. Pilger believed there was still a chance the British courts might block Julian's extradition. But we couldn't rely on legal processes alone. We needed a movement. On that dark day, the plan began to take shape. Legal action, yes – but also a broad, public campaign. My dad and Stella Assange would take Julian's case to Europe's parliaments and streets. We would build a grassroots network, organise street protests, mobilise supporters, and begin a media offensive. We needed a film to counter the years of smears. Every step would need funding, persistence, and people. That was the beginning. A small conversation on a wet train ride that became our mission. What we discovered along the way was this: when someone speaks truth to power, the infrastructure to protect them doesn't exist. Governments and institutions often fall silent. Legal defences are slow, expensive, and easily outmatched. Media outlets are inconsistent allies. And too often, the public is left watching from the sidelines, unsure how to help. So we built the response ourselves. What began as a campaign for one man became something bigger – a movement shaped by experience, driven by necessity. We took the lessons, tools and networks we forged during Julian's fight and turned them into something lasting: an organisation dedicated to protecting those courageous enough to speak out. Because what happened to Julian wasn't just a tragedy. It was a template for those who wish to suppress dissent on a global scale. Loading Now, that warning has become impossible to ignore. The silencing of those who seek to hold power to account has picked up a blistering pace. We've watched it unfold before our eyes with the deaths of more than 185 journalists in Gaza according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In the United States, those voicing opposition are facing the threat of deportation to hellish prison conditions in El Salvador. Journalists are being stopped and questioned at the border and in some cases turned away. And in the past 24 hours, President Donald Trump's criticism of CNN and other outlets over reports on US strikes on Iran's nuclear program is creating a climate that discourages open dialogue and may limit the public's access to critical reporting. The same forces that came after Julian are now moving in broad daylight. These are not isolated incidents. They are signals – warnings meant to suppress speech, punish resistance, and make people afraid to resist. If what happened to Julian once felt extraordinary, today it feels like the norm.
MTV Lebanon
19-06-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Salvadoran Journalist Detained by US Immigration Agents
A Salvadoran journalist who was arrested by local police while covering anti-Donald Trump protests in Atlanta has been held by immigration officers, a media advocacy group has said. Mario Guevara, who has a significant following for his online videos of immigration raids, was detained for obstructing officers and "improperly entering a roadway" by local police during a weekend "No Kings" rally. He was ordered released without bail by a judge Monday until Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers flagged him for detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. Such a request often precedes deportation proceedings. "We are alarmed to learn that reporter Mario Guevara -- who has work authorization in the United States -- was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention after being arrested... while covering a protest," the CPJ said in a statement. "Guevara must be released without delay. His ongoing detention signals a frightening erosion of press freedom in the US." The organization said in a letter to the DeKalb County chief executive that "it is chilling to think that the misdemeanor charges against Guevara could trigger his deportation" -- despite him having US work authorization and a path to residency through his son. Guevara was a subject of a 2019 New York Times mini-documentary, in which he said he was attacked and threatened while working as a reporter in El Salvador, leading to his application for asylum in the US where he has been living since 2004. In recent weeks, agents have stepped up arrests of migrants nationwide. Since his return to power in January, Trump has sought to intensify the targeting and removal of undocumented people. Authorities have overturned previous guidelines that prevented enforcement at sensitive locations, including courthouses, schools, clinics and churches. Protests have mounted against Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown. According to organizers of nationwide marches, as many as five million demonstrators turned out over the weekend in opposition to the billionaire Republican. The Freedom of the Press Foundation said "there is absolutely no reason to deport a longtime journalist who is authorized to work in the United States. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office should not have released Mario Guevara to ICE."
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Salvadoran journalist detained by US immigration agents: CPJ
NEW YORK: A Salvadoran journalist who was arrested by local police while covering anti-Donald Trump protests in Atlanta has been held by immigration officers, a media advocacy group has said. Mario Guevara, who has a significant following for his online videos of immigration raids, was detained for obstructing officers and "improperly entering a roadway" by local police during a weekend "No Kings" rally. He was ordered released without bail by a judge Monday until Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers flagged him for detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. Such a request often precedes deportation proceedings. "We are alarmed to learn that reporter Mario Guevara -- who has work authorization in the United States -- was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention after being arrested... while covering a protest," the CPJ said in a statement. "Guevara must be released without delay. His ongoing detention signals a frightening erosion of press freedom in the US." The organization said in a letter to the DeKalb County chief executive that "it is chilling to think that the misdemeanor charges against Guevara could trigger his deportation" -- despite him having US work authorization and a path to residency through his son. Guevara was a subject of a 2019 New York Times mini-documentary, in which he said he was attacked and threatened while working as a reporter in El Salvador, leading to his application for asylum in the US where he has been living since 2004. In recent weeks, agents have stepped up arrests of migrants nationwide. Since his return to power in January, Trump has sought to intensify the targeting and removal of undocumented people. Authorities have overturned previous guidelines that prevented enforcement at sensitive locations, including courthouses, schools, clinics and churches. Protests have mounted against Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown. According to organizers of nationwide marches, as many as five million demonstrators turned out over the weekend in opposition to the billionaire Republican. The Freedom of the Press Foundation said "there is absolutely no reason to deport a longtime journalist who is authorized to work in the United States. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office should not have released Mario Guevara to ICE."
