Maty Sarr Niang, a journalist for the independent news site Kéwoulo, was released on March 12 after being detained for nearly 10 months. Her case was considered to be a signal of Senegal’s democratic backsliding.
Foreign Reporting
Silencing Truth: The Persecution of Russian Journalist Ivan Safronov
Less than two years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ivan Safronov, a well-respected military correspondent, was arrested to show Russian journalists that they were no longer allowed to report on the military. Following his arrest, Putin tightened press restrictions in Russia, forcing Safronov’s fiancé to flee the country. Still, even after his appeal was denied and Safronov continues to serve his 22-year sentence in Siberia, his letters to friends remain optimistic.
The Nightmare before New Year’s: The Story of Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim
Egyptian journalist Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim was a man spending time with his family on vacation until he was suddenly detained for his association with his employer Al-Jazeera. After almost 6 years his family and colleagues are fighting for justice.
567 days and counting: Renowned Guatemalan journalist still behind bars
Despite hopes a new anti-corruption president would free José Rubén Zamora, his future remains uncertain ahead of a new trial scheduled for Feb. 20. The award-winning investigative journalist and publisher has been imprisoned for more than a year and a half in a high-profile case that has drawn attention from press freedom groups, U.S. government officials and Guatemala’s new president.
The Fearless Reporting of Elahe Mohammadi
Elahe Mohammadi wanted to write about the funeral for a young woman who died in police custody and to interview the mourning family as they buried their loved one. Instead, the newspaper reporter for Ham Mihan in Tehran was arrested, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international press advocacy organization.
Life amidst war: Ukrainian UMD grad student balances studies, grief
Over the course of weeks, one Ukrainian UMD graduate student helped her relatives escape Ukraine and acclimate to living in Maryland.
As peace declared at home, Ethiopians in Washington area deeply divided
Violence and hate speech leave communal and interpersonal rifts difficult to mend.
Russian and Ukrainian immigrants in Maryland united against war, but connections to Russia bring unease
Russian-speaking community, including Ukrainians, has burgeoned roots in Montgomery County, Maryland after the Cold War.
The man in your dorm lobby, fleeing civil war, befriending college students
For 24 years, Juan Dominguez has been the head housekeeper at the Centreville Hall dormitory, home to nearly 545 students at the University of Maryland. He moves quietly with his broom and vacuum throughout the building’s lobby each day while his team of four others clean bathrooms, empty trash cans and mop floors in the common areas of the eight-story building.
War, violence still haunt Salvadoran immigrants in Maryland
Since the Salvadoran civil war four decades ago, nearly 1.3 million Salvadorans have come to the United States seeking safety from a conflict and its aftermath that is now long-forgotten by many Washington decision-makers but always present for those whose lives were changed forever.