Russia / Europe & Central Asia

New York, July 23, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Tuesday’s sentencing of exiled journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar to 8½ years in jail in absentia, on charges of spreading “fake” information about the Russian military in Ukraine, and called on Russian authorities to stop harassing journalists in exile. “The punitive sentence handed down by…

New York, July 22, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns Friday’s sentencing of U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to 6½ years in prison on charges of spreading “fake” news about the Russian army. “Russia’s appalling assault on the media continues to escalate with the secret sentencing of Alsu Kurmasheva,” said CPJ Director of Advocacy and Communications Gypsy…

New York, July 19, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns as outrageous a Russian judge’s decision on Friday to jail U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich for 16 years on fabricated espionage charges.  “Russia’s decision to jail Evan Gershkovich for 16 years on sham charges is outrageous,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna. “Journalists…

Berlin, July 15, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday urged Russian authorities to stop the prosecution of exiled journalist Masha Gessen and immediately drop all charges against them. On July 15, the Basmanny district court in Moscow convicted Russian-American journalist and writer Masha Gessen, who uses the pronouns they/them, in absentia on charges of disseminating “fake” information…

Berlin, June 26, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly condemns the Russian foreign ministry’s Tuesday decision to block access to 81 European media outlets in Russia in response to the EU’s recent ban on four pro-Kremlin media outlets.  “Russian authorities’ blocking of 81 European media outlets betrays their deep-seated fear of truthful…

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 17 press freedom organizations, journalists associations and rights groups on Wednesday in calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to act immediately to declare Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and an editor with the Tatar-Bashkir service of the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as “wrongfully detained” by…

New York, June 26, 2024—As the closed-door trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich opened in a Russian court on Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists denounced it as a travesty of justice and renewed its call for the journalist’s immediate release. “U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich goes on trial today after nearly 15 months of unjust…

Berlin, June 21, 2024—Russian authorities must release journalist Artyom Krieger, drop all charges against him, and stop persecuting the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On June 18, the Basmanny district court in the capital Moscow placed Krieger, a journalist with the independent news outlet Sota.Vision, under pretrial detention for two months, news…

By Lucy Westcott/CPJ Emergencies Director Threats, repression, conflict, and unrest: across the world, these and other factors are pushing journalists into exile in record numbers. In a striking development, exiled or soon-to-be exiled journalists now make up more than half of the people CPJ assists. Between January and June 2024, CPJ provided financial support to…

New York, June 17, 2024—As a Russian court on Monday set the beginning of the trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich for June 26, the Committee to Protect Journalists renewed its call to immediately release him and drop all charges against him. “The start of Gershkovich’s trial comes after he has already spent more than…