As G8 summit nears, CPJ urges examination of Russia’s press record
New York, July 13, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations to raise concerns about Russia’s press freedom record when they gather in St. Petersburg on Saturday. CPJ is particularly alarmed by Russia’s record of impunity in the murders of a dozen journalists since 2000. In a June…
Russia: Two years after Klebnikov’s murder, still no justice
New York, July 7, 2006 — Two years after the contract-style killing of Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov, his assassins remain at large and judicial secrecy and procedural issues have crippled his family’s quest for justice. Klebnikov, a 41-year-old U.S. journalist of Russian descent, was shot outside his Moscow office on July 9, 2004, in…
Russian Authorities deny British journalist entry visa
New York, July 5, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that Russian authorities have refused an entry visa to British journalist Thomas de Waal. The Moscow-based Union of Russia’s Journalists (RUJ) had invited de Waal to present his book on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was translated into Russian last year. The…
Bill seeks to label critical journalists extremists
New York, June 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a bill before the Russian Parliament that broadens the definition of extremism to include media criticism of public officials. The draft legislation allows for imprisonment of up to three years for journalists, and the suspension or closure of their publication, if convicted of…
Story satirizing Putin’s birth goal prompts government retaliation
New York, May 23, 2006—The Ivanovo regional prosecutor’s office in central Russia has opened a criminal libel investigation against Vladimir Rakhmankov, editor-in-chief of the news Web site Kursiv, for allegedly insulting President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian press reports. On Thursday, Kursiv published an article headlined, “Putin as Russia’s phallic symbol,” in which Rakhmankov satirized…
Opposition editor released from prison after 48-hour delay
New York, May 19, 2006—Authorities in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan today finally implemented a Supreme Court ruling to free editor Viktor Shmakov from pre-trial detention after a 48-hour delay, local media reported. Shmakov, the 63-year-old editor-in-chief of Provintsialniye Vesti (Provincial News), said he believed he was kept in jail for an extra two days…
U.S. House condemns impunity in journalist murders
New York, May 17, 2006—The U.S. House of Representatives has called on Russian authorities to pursue justice in the July 2004 murder of Forbes Russia Editor-in-Chief Paul Klebnikov and the unsolved murders of 11 other journalists in Russia. On Tuesday, the House unanimously approved Resolution 499, urging Russian authorities to “continue inquiries into the murder…
Court frees opposition newspaper editor from pre-trial detention
New York, May 16, 2006—The Supreme Court in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan today ordered the release from pre-trial detention of Viktor Shmakov, the 63-year-old editor-in-chief of Provintsialniye Vesti (Provincial News), according to local press reports. The court said authorities did not have enough evidence to hold Shmakov on the grounds that he would continue…
Prosecutor to appeal acquittal in Klebnikov case
New York, May 8, 2006—A Russian prosecutor has said he will appeal the acquittal by a Moscow jury of two Chechens charged with the July 2004 murder of Forbes Russia editor-in-chief Paul Klebnikov. Prosecutor Dmitry Shokhin said on Saturday he would challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court, as allowed under Russian law, because of…
The world’s most censored countries
Could you pick out Equatorial Guinea on the world map? Or Turkmenistan, or Eritrea? Probably not at the first attempt. These countries are usually below the radar of the international media, and the autocrats who run them like it that way. It helps them crush press freedoms and keep their population in the dark. That is why the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based press freedom group, has drawn up a league table of the world’s 10 most censored countries. We hope that the list, issued on World Press Freedom Day, will shine a light into the dark corners of the world where governments and their political cronies decide what people will read, see, and hear.