New Russian immigration laws require regular medical tests, fingerprinting
New York, February 2, 2022 – Russian authorities should ensure that international journalists can work freely and safely and are not singled-out by new medical regulations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On December 29, 2021, new amendments to two laws – “On legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation” and “On…
CPJ joins call for Turkey to release journalist Sedef Kabaş
On February 1, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined the International Press Institute and 25 other international groups in a joint letter calling for Turkish authorities to release journalist Sedef Kabaş immediately. Authorities detained Kabaş, a freelance journalist and former television anchor, on January 22 for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an appearance…
Syrian journalist Amer Matar on facing his torturer in court
Syrian journalist Amer Matar was regularly blindfolded, handcuffed, and beaten with cables, whips, and fists during the eight months he was held in a Syrian prison. When a German court sentenced one of his torturers – Syrian army colonel Anwar Raslan – to life in prison earlier this month, Matar finally felt that at least…
Greek journalists summoned over criminal investigation into corruption reporting
Berlin, January 26, 2022 – Greek authorities should drop their investigations into journalists Kostas Vaxevanis and Ioanna Papadakou and ensure that members of the press do not face criminal charges over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Prosecutors with the Special High Court in Athens recently summoned Vaxevanis, publisher and reporter with…
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabaş arrested for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan
Istanbul, January 25, 2022 – Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sedef Kabaş, drop the charge of “insulting the president,” and cancel the fine and ban imposed on TELE1 TV, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 22, 2022, an Istanbul court charged Turkish freelance journalist Sedef Kabaş with insulting President Recep Tayyip…
Kazakh authorities detain 5 suspects in attack on journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov
New York, January 25, 2022 – Kazakh authorities should continue their investigation into the attempted murder of journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov and ensure that all those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At about 11 p.m. on January 3, in the central city of Saryagash, an unidentified man tried to…
Kyrgyzstan journalist Bolot Temirov says police planted drugs on him during raid
Stockholm, January 24, 2022 – Kyrgyzstan authorities should immediately and credibly investigate claims that police planted drugs on journalist Bolot Temirov and ensure that employees at his news outlet can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At about 7:30 p.m. on January 22, more than a dozen masked narcotics police officers raided…
CPJ cautiously welcomes UK court decision on Assange, says US must now drop charges
New York, January 24, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists cautiously welcomed a British court’s decision on Monday allowing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to apply to appeal against a lower court’s ruling that he could be extradited to face criminal charges in the United States. “We are glad that Julian Assange will be allowed…
Kazakhstan authorities jail, question journalists in protest aftermath
Stockholm, January 20, 2022 – Authorities in Kazakhstan must stop jailing and summoning for questioning journalists who covered the recent nationwide protests, and allow the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since January 7, Kazakh authorities have sentenced at least three journalists to periods of detention ranging from 10 to…
‘Nothing like this ever happened here before’: Journalists describe covering mass protests in Kazakhstan
The nationwide antigovernment protests that erupted in early January 2022 in Kazakhstan – which left 225 dead, according to official figures – upended the country’s reputation as one of Eurasia’s most stable authoritarian regimes. They also posed an enormous challenge to Kazakh journalists. Journalists working to cover the unrest were detained by riot police and…