Europe & Central Asia

Paris, August 8, 2022 — Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against Isabella Yevloyeva, and stop using laws on “fake” information about the Russian military and government to intimidate journalists and censor any reporting on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On July 27, authorities opened a criminal case…

Paris, August 5, 2022 — Moldovan authorities should drop the fine imposed on Val Butnaru, reverse the ban on his work activities, and let him and his colleagues work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On July 26, the Buiucani Court in the capital city of Chisinau found Butnaru, founder of independent broadcaster…

Paris, August 3, 2022 — In response to a Belarusian court’s sentencing of journalist Iryna Slaunikava to five years in prison on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Today’s sentencing of journalist Iryna Slaunikava to five years in prison is another example of the deeply cynical and vindictive nature…

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight other press freedom organizations in a joint statement on Friday, July 29, calling on the Maltese government to implement the recommendations put forward in the public inquiry report on investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder and ensure the effective protection of journalists.  On the one-year anniversary of the…

Paris, July 28, 2022 – Ukrainian legislators should revise a draft media law that threatens to restrict press freedom in the country and would move it away from European Union standards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 1, Olga Gerasimyuk, the head of Ukraine’s National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting, the…

Berlin, July 28, 2022 – Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina should swiftly and thoroughly investigate death threats sent to journalists at the independent news website eTrafika and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  Starting in May, Siniša Golub, a man who was previously the subject of eTrafika’s reporting, sent threats of…

A guide for journalists and newsrooms prepared by TrustLaw and the Committee to Protect Journalists Since the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, CPJ Emergencies has been responding to the needs of journalists in Russia as they sought to navigate—or in some cases escape—an increasingly hostile environment.  For journalists and media outlets operating in…

Berlin, July 26, 2022 – Italian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the arson attack on a car used by freelance journalist Francesco Digiorgio, ensure his safety, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At around 2:30 a.m. on July 18, unidentified individuals set fire to…

Paris, July 25, 2022 — Ukrainian and Russian authorities should ensure that artillery attacks do not damage civilian infrastructure, including media offices, and let the press report freely and safely on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On July 15, Russian forces shelled the editorial office of Zorya, a newspaper…

Stockholm, July 22, 2022 – Kazakh authorities must fully and transparently investigate the recent attack on journalist Olesya Vertinskaya and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the morning of Tuesday, July 19, an unidentified man attacked Vertinskaya, a correspondent for the independent news website and advocacy group Dorozhniy Kontrol, outside…