RSF fully supports journalists suing Ferguson police

Reporters Without Borders condemns the arbitrary arrests of at least 15 journalists during the demonstrations in Ferguson that followed Michael Brown’s death in August 2014.

American journalist Ryan Devereaux (The Intercept) as well as German journalists Ansgar Graw (Die Welt), Frank Herrmann (Der Standard) and Lukas Hermsmeier (Bild) are now suing the Ferguson, Mo. police department for battery, false arrest and unreasonable search and seizure, seeking unspecified punitive damages.

“Arrests of journalists while gathering information and covering demonstrations are inadmissible in the country of the First Amendment. We urge US authorities to not leave police abuses unpunished and to do everything possible to guarantee the safety of journalists during protests”, said Delphine Halgand, Director of Reporters Without Borders USA.

“It may sound naive but I never assumed the possibility of police officers shooting at journalists in a manageable situation like this,” Hermsmeier told The Intercept who published the full complaint.