Russian military court to hear appeal of journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva in terrorism case
New York, February 1, 2021 – Tomorrow, the Military Court of Appeals in Vlasikha, a Russian town near Moscow, will hear journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva’s appeal of her July 2020 conviction for “justifying terrorism” in her commentary, the journalist told CPJ via messaging app. “The absurd case against journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva, who did nothing but practice…
Russian regulator announces fines for RFE/RL outlets under expanded ‘foreign agent’ law
New York, January 14, 2021 – Russian authorities should repeal the country’s foreign agents law to ensure that local and foreign news outlets can work freely, and in the meantime refrain from fining media organizations over alleged violations of the law, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 12, Roskomnadzor, the country’s media…
Authorities harass, obstruct journalists covering Kazakhstan parliamentary elections
On January 10, 2021, Kazakh law enforcement officers and electoral officials harassed and interfered with the work of at least seven journalists who were covering parliamentary elections in the country, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. In Nur-Sultan, the capital, a police officer grabbed the phone of Saniya Toiken, a correspondent…
Afghan RFE/RL journalist Elyas Dayee killed in car bomb attack
New York, November 12, 2020 — Afghan authorities must thoroughly investigate the car bomb attack that killed reporter Elyas Dayee and injured three others, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This morning, a bomb attack in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, killed Dayee, a reporter with…
Demonstrators attack RFE/RL office in Armenia, assault 2 journalists
New York, November 11, 2020 – Armenian authorities should thoroughly investigate the attack on the office of the Azatutyun broadcaster and two of its journalists, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 4 a.m. yesterday, a group of approximately 40 people attempted to break into the Yerevan…
Head of USAGM removes firewall regulation aimed to protect editorial independence
Washington, D.C., October 27, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a move by the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media to eliminate a regulation designed to protect editorial independence for the agency’s networks, including Voice of America. USAGM CEO Michael Pack said in a statement late yesterday that the regulation would be…
Kazakh police assault, injure journalist Saniya Toiken covering protests in Nur-Sultan
New York, October 26, 2020 – Kazakh authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault on journalist Saniya Toiken, punish the perpetrators, and ensure that members of the press can work safely in Kazakhstan. On October 24, Kazakh police officers assaulted Toiken, correspondent for Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio…
Journalists attacked, obstructed during and after parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan
New York, October 6, 2020 – Kyrgyz authorities should create safe conditions for members of the press covering post-election unrest in Kyrgyzstan, and stop attacking journalists who are doing their job, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Officials in Kyrgyzstan today voided the results of the October 4 parliamentary election after mass protests broke…
Belarus authorities continue to arrest, detain journalists amid protests
Vilnius, Lithuania, September 21, 2020 — Belarusian authorities should release all reporters detained covering recent protests, and allow them to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 16, the Frunze District Court in Minsk, the capital, tried and convicted two journalists who had covered the protests in the country calling…
Crimean Tatar civic journalists risk persecution to cover their community in Russian-annexed Crimea
After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, some Crimean Tatars–the indigenous population of the Crimean peninsula–had to flee for the Kyiv-controlled part of Ukraine. But most have chosen to remain. As the Russian-appointed new authorities established blanket censorship, squeezing out independent media outlets, a new phenomenon emerged–civic journalism. Members of the Crimean Tatar community–who had not…