Russian journalist Mariya Nuykina repeatedly jailed over protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 25, 2021 — Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Mariya Nuykina and should stop prosecuting journalists covering political protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 19, police in the eastern city of Khabarovsk detained Nuykina, a correspondent with the independent newspaper Arsenyevskiye Vesti, while she was…
RFE/RL contributor Vladislav Yesypenko arrested, accused of espionage in Crimea
New York, March 18, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Vladislav Yesypenko and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 10, Federal Security Service officers in Russian-occupied Crimea detained Yesypenko, a freelance journalist, according to news reports and a lawyer hired by his family, Emil Kurbedinov,…
Russian journalist Aleksey Mironov interrogated, charged over Navalny protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 9, 2021 — Russian authorities should drop all charges against journalist Aleksey Mironov and allow the press to cover protests and other political events without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 5, police in Cheboksary, the capital of the central Russian autonomous republic of Chuvashia, detained Mironov, a…
Russian journalist Ilya Azar sentenced to 15 days for allegedly organizing protests
On March 3, 2021, the Tverskoy District Court in Moscow sentenced Ilya Azar, a correspondent for the liberal Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, to 15 days of detention and a fine of 150,000 rubles (US$2,014) for allegedly organizing illegal protests on Facebook, according to news reports and a statement from his employer. On March 5, the…
Women ‘have finally started talking’: Three female journalists on covering sexual violence in Russia
Reporting on gender-based violence in Russia has become more challenging in recent years. In 2017 the government controversially decriminalized some forms of domestic violence, leading to a sharp drop in reported incidents, which journalists told CPJ does not reflect the true scope of the problem. And last year, Russia passed a new libel law to punish false accusers of sexual assault, leaving journalists…
Russian journalist Natalia Zubkova in hiding following attack, death threats
New York, March 3, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately investigate the attack on journalist Natalia Zubkova, and ensure that the perpetrator is held accountable and the journalist can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the evening of February 25, an unidentified hooded man in dark clothes attacked and threatened Zubkova,…
Anonymous Telegram channel publishes financial information of Russian journalist Elena Solovyova
New York, February 17, 2021 – Russian authorities should investigate the nonconsensual release of journalist Elena Solovyova’s financial information online and ensure that the perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In several posts on February 4 and 10, the anonymous Telegram channel “Komi-Telega,” which has over 6,000 subscribers, published…
Meet Mediazona, the punk rock-founded Russian news outlet whose editor was jailed for a tweet
Of the more than 100 Russian journalists who have been arrested or fined covering rallies in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Mediazona chief editor Sergey Smirnov has become a symbol of the absurd lengths to which Russian authorities are willing to go to quash coverage of the events. On January 20, Smirnov retweeted another person’s tweet saying…
Russian blogger jailed for 25 days over coverage of Navalny protests, hospitalized after hunger strike
New York, February 10, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Dmitry Bairov, drop all charges against him, and allow him to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 28, plain-clothed law enforcement officers detained Bairov near his home in Ulan-Ude, a city in the eastern Russian Republic…
Russian police detain or harass more than 100 journalists amid January 31 pro-Navalny protests
New York, February 2, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all journalists detained during recent protests, and allow members of the press to cover political demonstrations without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. During nationwide protests by supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny on January 31, as well as…