The US jailing and silencing of journalists follows the autocrat's playbook

American leaders have long condemned authoritarian regimes for jailing reporters like Khaled Mamdouh, an Egyptian journalist accused of "publishing and broadcasting fake news," among other fabricated charges. In his case, the Egyptian government continues to manipulate the law to detain him.

Now, the U.S. government is using its own draconian methods to detain Mario Guevara. The Committee to Protect Journalists says that he is the only journalist in custody in the U.S. for actions related to newsgathering.

On June 14, Guevara was arrested while live-streaming a protest near Atlanta. He was standing on a sidewalk when he briefly stepped onto the street, deemed off limits by police.

Wearing a red shirt marked “PRESS,” he identified himself to officers, saying, “I’m a member of the media.”