CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon was quoted in an article on CNN.com carried on November 6 about the nearly fatal attack against Russian journalist Oleg Kashin:
“By failing to prosecute those who have carried out crimes against journalists in the past — including 19 murders committed in the Putin era — the Russian government has created a climate of impunity,” Simon said. “Government statements and expressions of sympathy are simply not sufficient. Arrests, prosecutions and convictions are what are urgently needed.”