Europe & Central Asia

  
People look across at the city central square from the mall viewing platform covered with snow in Kiev, in January 2019. A court in the city on August 6 ruled against Hromadske TV in a case over the outlet's tweet about a nationalist group. (AP/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine court orders Hromadske TV to pay costs in case over C14 tweet

On August 6, 2019, the Kiev Commercial Court ruled that a tweet posted by the independent news outlet Hromadske TV in May 2018 had harmed the reputation of C14, a Ukrainian nationalist group, according to Hromadske TV and other outlets.

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People help a wounded man during a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to the Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia, on July 27, 2019. Police in Moscow attacked, threatened, and detained journalists covering protests in Moscow on July 27 and August 3. (Reuters/Tatyana Makeyeva)

Moscow police detain, assault journalists covering protests

Washington, D.C., August 8, 2019–Russian authorities should allow journalists to cover protests freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today, after the detention of several journalists and the use of force by police against the media during demonstrations in Moscow on July 27 and August 3.

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Journalists hold placards on January 10, 2016, during a march in Istanbul as they protest against the imprisonment of journalists. On July 16, 2019, a Turkish court ordered service providers to block access to several news sites. (AFP/Ozan Kose)

Turkish court orders service providers to block access to news sites

Istanbul, August 6, 2019–An Ankara court on July 16 ordered Turkish internet service providers to block access in Turkey to 136 web addresses, independent news website Bianet reported today. The blocked addresses include the websites of news outlets Bianet, ETHA news agency, Halkın Sesi TV, Özgür Gelecek, osp.org, geziyisavunuyoruz.org, Gazete Fersude, Yeni Demokratik Gençlik, Umut…

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Employees of a regional TV company work during the broadcast of an annual nationwide televised phone-in show attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Krasnoyarsk, Russia June 20, 2019. Journalist Mikhail Romanov found guilty of "abuse of freedom of information" and "false" news in the city of Yakutsk on July 25. (Reuters/Ilya Naymushin)

Russian journalist Mikhail Romanov found guilty of ‘abuse of freedom of information’ and ‘false’ news

Washington, D.C., August 2, 2019–Journalist Mikhail Romanov, a correspondent with the weekly Yakutsk Vecherniy, was found guilty on July 25 by the city court of Yakutsk, in eastern Russia, on charges of “abuse of freedom of information by publishing false information that poses a threat to the public,” according to news reports. He was fined…

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Members of the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine sit near a screen displaying election results at the commission's headquarters in Kiev, on July 22. On July 30, a group of people disrupted a press conference in the city about alleged election fraud, and attacked staff of the state news agency Ukrinform. (Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)

Assailants disrupt Ukrinform press conference, attack staff in Kiev

On July 30, 2019, a group of men disrupted a press conference at the Kiev offices of Ukrinform, according to the state-run news agency and Ukrainskaya Pravda.

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Journalist Azimjon Askarov is seen in a courtroom in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on October 11, 2016. A court today upheld his life sentence in prison. (AP/Vladimir Voronin, file)

Kyrgyz court upholds life sentence for Azimjon Askarov

Washington, D.C., July 30, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep disappointment and concern over today’s court decision in Kyrgyzstan to uphold the life sentence of journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov.

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Police officers detain an opposition supporter as journalists take pictures during a protest against presidential election results in Almaty, Kazakhstan, June 10, 2019. The blocking of news websites during the leadership transition suggests that recent moves to control the internet are about censorship, not security. (Reuters/Pavel Mikheyev)

Kazakhstan’s move to control internet prompts censorship, surveillance concerns

A state-controlled internet service provider in Kazakhstan is requiring at least some of its subscribers to submit to having their internet traffic intercepted when they use specific websites–including social media sites, email and messaging services, and Google News, according to research published this week by Censored Planet, a project at the University of Michigan.

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Police officers are seen in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on June 12, 2019. A group of journalists were recently attacked at a press conference in Almaty. (Reuters/Pavel Mikheyev)

Demonstrators attack reporters, damage equipment at press conference in Kazakhstan

Washington, D.C., July 25, 2019 — Kazakhstan authorities should immediately investigate the attack on journalists at a press conference in Almaty and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Kazakh police block an area to prevent protests against presidential elections in Nur-Sultan, the capital city of Kazakhstan, on June 10, 2019. Local internet users are being asked to download a security certificate that could allow the authorities to monitor or censor encrypted websites. (AP Photo/Alexei Filippov)

Kazakhstan government-backed security certificate raises censorship, surveillance concerns

New York, July 22, 2019 — Telecommunications providers in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan, have requested internet users to install a security certificate issued by government authorities onto their personal devices, which could compromise their digital security, according to a report by the BBC and Adil Nurmakov, a political scientist and digital media expert based in Nur-Sultan,…

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Police officers are seen in Magas, Ingushetia, on October 8, 2018. FSB agents in Ingushetia recently detained and allegedly tortured journalist Rashid Maysigov. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

Ingushetia court orders journalist Rashid Maysigov to remain in pre-trial detention for two months

Washington, D.C., July 22, 2019 — Authorities in the Republic of Ingushetia must release journalist Rashid Maysigov unconditionally and investigate allegations that he was tortured in custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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