The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday that the arrest of the CNN crew during a live report covering the Minnesota protests over the death in Minneapolis police custody of an African American man was outrageous
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday that the arrest of the CNN crew during a live report covering the Minnesota protests over the death in Minneapolis police custody of an African American man was outrageous.
Earlier in the day, CNN reporter Omar Jimenez and his crew were arrested by Minnesota state police during an on-air broadcast while covering the ongoing riots in Minneapolis. They were released an hour later upon the intervention of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and an outcry on social media.
"The Minnesota State Patrol arrested a @CNN reporter reporting live on television while covering the #Minneapolis protests, without giving any reason, and led him and three crew members away in handcuffs. This is an outrageous treatment! #RightToKnow," the IFJ wrote on Twitter.
"Journalists must be able to report freely and safely on public demonstrations. Attacking their freedom to work violates the right of citizens to be informed on public interest events! #MediaFreedom #RightToKnow," it added.
In the notorious reportage, Jimenez can be heard clearly and repeatedly identifying himself and his CNN affiliation to police officers who approached the crew as they were shooting the report with security officers lined up in the background. The journalists were handcuffed and taken to a public detention center.
CNN broke out with rage over its reporters being arrested while on professional duty, calling it an infringement on their freedom of expression granted by the First Amendment.
Violent protests have been shaking Minneapolis for three days. They came in response to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man who presumably died from excessive use of force during an arrest by a white police officer. The scene was captured in a video that shows the officer pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes as the latter says he is suffocating.
