Europe & Central Asia

7 journalists sentenced in Özgür Gündem trial An Istanbul Court on May 21 sentenced seven journalists from the shuttered pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem to prison after they were convicted of “making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization,” the Mezopotamya News Agency reported.

Berlin, May 23, 2019 — The General Directorate for Internal Security, France’s domestic intelligence agency, should immediately withdraw summons for questioning issued to journalists Ariane Chemin and Michel Despratx, and Le Monde publisher Louis Dreyfus, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The directorate has summoned at least four other journalists in recent months, according…

Journalists beaten, hospitalized in Ankara and Antalya At least six men used baseball bats to beat Yavuz Selim Demirağ, a columnist for the nationalist daily Yeni Çağ, in Ankara on the evening of May 10, the same day that he appeared as a guest on a political talk show on the nationalist Türkiyem TV, his…

Berlin, May 14, 2019 — The General Directorate for Internal Security, France’s domestic intelligence agency, should stop pursuing investigative journalists Geoffrey Livolsi, Mathias Destal, and Benoît Collombat in a leak investigation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Berlin, May 14, 2019 — Greek authorities must ensure the safety of police reporter Mina Karamitrou, thoroughly investigate the bombing of her car overnight, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Unknown perpetrators set fire to the car of Gaetano Scariolo, a reporter at the daily Giornale di Sicilia and the Agi News Agency, on May 10, 2019, in a case that police have linked to Scariolo’s journalism, according to reports by the journalist’s employers.

Investigative journalist Karolina Baca-Pogorzelska of the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna received two menacing messages through an internet-based anonymous text messaging platform on January 28 and March 31, 2019, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ.

New York, May 7, 2019 — Ukrainian authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into an assault on freelance investigative reporter Vadym Komarov and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Washington, D.C., May 7, 2019 — Azerbaijani authorities should swiftly investigate the harassment and attempted extortion of exiled journalist Sevinc Osmanqizi by pro-government broadcaster Real TV, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.