Russia / Europe & Central Asia

Paris, March 30, 2023—Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, drop all charges against him, and allow the media to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Thursday, March 30, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that it had detained Gershkovich, a…

Paris, March 28, 2023—Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea should allow journalist Iryna Danylovych access to swift and thorough medical care, and should release all members of the press held for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Russian authorities have held Danylovych, a nurse and freelance journalist covering the healthcare system, since April 2022….

Paris, March 13, 2023 – In response to news reports that a Russian court declared Monday that the local branch of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was bankrupt, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The bankruptcy of RFE/RL in Russia demonstrates how the country’s legislation on so-called…

Paris, March 6, 2023 – In response to multiple news reports that a Russian court Monday sentenced journalist Andrey Novashov to eight months of correctional labor, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Russian journalist Andrey Novashov’s case demonstrates how authorities are using wartime censorship measures to silence members of the…

Paris, March 2, 2023 – In response to multiple news reports that the lower house of the Russian parliament adopted amendments on Thursday, March 2, to expand existing penalties for spreading “fake” information about or discrediting participants on Russia’s side of the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of…

Paris, February 15, 2023 – In response to news reports that a Russian court on Wednesday sentenced journalist Maria Ponomarenko to six years in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Russian authorities should be ashamed of the six-year prison sentence given to journalist Maria Ponomarenko, whose sole so-called crime…

Paris, February 13, 2023 — Russian authorities should not interfere with the renewal of Finnish journalist Arja Paananen’s accreditation and visa and let her work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On February 9, the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had failed to renew Paananen’s accreditation to…

Paris, February 7, 2023 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Maria Ponomarenko and columnist Iskander Yasaveyev and stop prosecuting members of the press over their reporting and commentary on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 6, authorities in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, arrested…

Paris, February 3, 2023 – Russian authorities must stop their efforts to silence reporting on the country’s invasion of Ukraine and stop harassing foreign outlets covering the conflict, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 24, the Leninsky District Court in the western city of Vladimir summoned the Kazakhstan-based independent news website Arbat.Media…