CPJ urges Russia to drop charges against journalists accused of ‘illegal’ border crossing
Berlin, October 3, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to stop harassing international reporters after the Federal Security Service (FSB) filed criminal charges against three journalists on September 27 for allegedly crossing the Russian border illegally from Ukraine. The criminal cases have been initiated against Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Europe correspondent Kathryn…
Russia fines 11 journalists, restricts 2 outlets with anti-state laws
Berlin, September 20, 2024—Russian authorities have deployed laws penalizing “foreign agents,” “undesirable” organizations, and those who “discredit” the army to issue fines against 11 journalists, at least five of whom live in exile, and to retaliate against two media outlets in the last two months. The latest figures show that Russia’s crackdown has continued apace…
CPJ concerned by Russia’s arrest in absentia of exiled journalist
Berlin, September 19, 2024—The Basmanny District Court in Moscow issued an arrest warrant in absentia for journalist Armen Aramyan on Wednesday, September 18, on charges of justifying terrorism online and spreading false information about the Russian army in unspecified publications. Aramyan, the co-founder of the student publication DOXA, is currently in exile alongside three DOXA…
Crimean journalist faces continued harassment in jail, rights group, attorney say
Berlin, September 13, 2024—Ahead of Crimean journalist Remzi Bekirov’s next expected hearing on October 2, CPJ expressed concern at reports that Russian prison authorities are harassing him with strict scrutiny and placements in solitary confinement. Bekirov, who is an ethnic Crimean Tatar from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied region of Crimea, was a correspondent for independent Russian news…
Russia labels exiled journalist Galina Timchenko a ‘foreign agent’
New York, September 3, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the Russian Ministry of Justice’s latest bid to intimidate the press by adding Galina Timchenko, exiled co-founder of the independent news site Meduza, to its list of so-called “foreign agents.” The ministry accused Timchenko — winner of CPJ’s 2022 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award —…
CPJ joins call urging Apple to reinstate VPNs in Russia after removals
The Committee to Protect Journalist joined 25 civil society, human rights, press freedom and tech organizations, VPN companies as well as over a dozen journalists and activists, in a September 2, 2024, open letter calling for Apple not to comply with requests and orders to remove Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps from its App Store…
Russian journalist Sergey Mikhaylov sentenced to 8 years in prison
New York, August 30, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing Friday of Russian journalist Sergey Mikhaylov to eight years in prison on “fake news” charges and calls on Russian authorities to release him immediately. “The sentencing of journalist Sergey Mikhaylov to eight years in prison on what Russian authorities label as ‘fake…
Russia retaliates against foreign journalists covering Ukraine advance into Kursk
Berlin, August 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Russia’s recent launch of a spate of criminal investigations into foreign journalists reporting on the Ukrainian army’s advance into Russia’s Kursk region. Since the Ukrainian army started its incursion on August 6, Russian authorities have opened probes into seven foreign journalists accompanying Ukrainian forces to report on the conflict in the western town of…
Reuters safety adviser killed, 3 journalists injured in Ukraine
New York, August 26, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing of Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans in an attack that also injured three journalists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. “The missile strike that killed Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans and injured three other journalists is a sad and sobering…
Belarusian journalist Ksenia Lutskina released after serving nearly four years in prison
New York, August 21, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Belarusian journalist Ksenia Lutskina, who has served nearly half of an eight-year sentence, following a presidential pardon. Lutskina was among 30 political prisoners who were involved in “protest activities” and suffered from serious health issues and chronic conditions in jail who were pardoned by…