Europe & Central Asia

CPJ Update January 14, 2005 News from the Committee to Protect Journalists

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CPJ Update November 16, 2005 News from the Committee to Protect Journalists

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New York, January 7, 2005—The independent Azerbaijani opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat ceased publication indefinitely on December 31, 2004, because a court froze the paperís assets and bank account after ordering it to pay hefty libel damages to several government officials.

The damages, which total nearly 800 million manats (US$160,000), stem from seven different defamation lawsuits launched mainly by government officials against the paper between 2000 and 2003. The court froze the paperís assets on November 15, 2004. Qabil Abbasoglu, Yeni Musavatís acting editor-in-chief, told CPJ it is unclear when or whether the paper will be able to resume publication.

New York, January 4, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is disturbed by a Moscow court’s finding that Kommersant, Russia’s leading independent business daily, must pay millions in damages for a July article that described long lines of customers withdrawing money at a major bank.

An appellate court ruled last week that Kommersant (Businessman) must pay plaintiff Alfa-Bank 300 million rubles (US$10.8 million) in damages for allegedly causing the bank financial problems by publishing the article, according to local press reports. News accounts described the ruling as unprecedented in its severity.