Russia / Europe & Central Asia

  
A National Guard officer is seen in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on March 26, 2020. CPJ recently spoke with several people close to imprisoned journalists in Europe and Central Asia about the challenges of observing Ramadan behind bars. (AFP/Vyacheslav Oseledko)

COVID-19 lockdowns pose challenges for imprisoned journalists observing Ramadan

This year, the Islamic month of Ramadan, which started on April 24 and will continue through May 23, is particularly challenging for Muslim journalists in jail to observe safely, their family members and friends told CPJ.

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Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva spoke with CPJ about facing terrorism charges for her reporting. (Artiom Avanesov)

Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva says charges against her are ‘an act of intimidation’

In February 2019, police in Pskov, in northwestern Russia, raided the home of journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva.

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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is seen in Grozny, Russia, on May 10, 2019. Kadyrov recently threatened journalist Elena Milashina. (AP/Musa Sadulayev)

Chechen leader threatens journalist Elena Milashina over COVID-19 reporting

Vilnius, Lithuania, April 15, 2020 — Russian authorities should condemn Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s threats to journalist Elena Milashina and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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New charges were recently filed against Chernovik editor Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, who has been detained since June 2019. (Chernovik)

Russian authorities bring new charges against jailed journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev

Vilnius, Lithuania, April 14, 2020 — Authorities in the Russian republic of Dagestan should immediately release journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and drop all the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Journalist Igor Rudnikov is seen in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 17, 2019. Rudnikov was released from prison last year, but has faced opposition from local Kaliningrad officials and is struggling to continue publishing his paper. (AFP/Olga Maltseva)

For Russia’s Igor Rudnikov, coronavirus makes fight with Kaliningrad even tougher

Igor Rudnikov is the editor-in-chief of the independent Novye Kolyosa newspaper, based in the western Russian city of Kaliningrad. In 2017, agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Rudnikov over his paper’s reporting, as CPJ documented at the time.

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A woman wearing a protective mask is seen on a bus in Moscow, Russia, on March 23, 2020. Russia's media regulator recently censored two outlets reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina)

Russian media regulator orders 2 outlets to take down COVID-19 reports

Vilnius, Lithuania, March 24, 2020 — Russian authorities should stop censoring news outlets reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak and allow journalists to report freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A screen shot of Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov broadcasting on one of his YouTube channels. Abdurakhmanov, a prominent blogger critical of the Chechen authorities, survived a violent assault in his home in Swedish town of Gävle on February 26, 2020.

Chechen blogger and government critic Tumso Abdurakhmanov: ‘I am constantly at risk’

Tumso Abdurakhmanov, a prominent blogger critical of the Chechen authorities, survived a violent assault in his home in Swedish town of Gävle on February 26, 2020. Two Russian nationals have been arrested in connection with the attack, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. CPJ documented the incident and spoke to the blogger after his…

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A view of downtown Grozny, the capital of Russian North Caucasus region of Chechnya, on July 26, 2019. Russian journalist Elena Milashina was attacked in Grozny on February 6, 2020. (AFP/Alexander Nemenov)

Russian journalist Elena Milashina attacked in Chechnya

Vilnius, Lithuania, February 7, 2020 — Russian authorities should conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack against journalist Elena Milashina and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A woman poses with a Ukrainian and a Russian passport in the Crimean city of Simferopol on April 7, 2014. Ukrainian journalist Taras Ibragimov was recently barred from entering Crimea and was banned from entering Russia for 34 years. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

Ukrainian journalist Taras Ibragimov banned from entering Russia for 34 years

Vilnius, Lithuania, January 30, 2020 — Russian authorities should immediately lift the ban imposed on journalist Taras Ibragimov and allow him to freely report in Crimea, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Russian blogger Yegor Zhukov is seen in Moscow on December 6, 2019. That day, a Moscow court sentenced him to a three-year suspended sentence on charges of “inciting extremism directed against the Russian state." (AFP/Kirill Kudryavtsev)

Russian blogger Yegor Zhukov handed suspended sentence for 2017 protest coverage

Vilnius, Lithuania, December 12, 2019 — Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Yegor Zhukov and should allow him to work without fear of prosecution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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