Muzaffar Suleymanov, research associate for CPJ's Europe and Central Asia Program, has a master’s degree in international peace studies from the U.N. University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica.
A year ago today, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on the first mass assaults on press freedom in Ukraine, after police were ordered to disperse protesters in the capital, Kiev, and other cities. At least 51 journalists--including local and international reporters--were attacked by police and protesters while covering the early days of the standoff that led to the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych three months later.
On Sunday, which marked the first United Nations-backed International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, CPJ joined a coalition of international press freedom and human rights groups in urging Russian investigators to serve justice for our murdered colleagues.
Russian actor Mikhail Porechenkov has joined basketball star Dennis Rodman, who declared North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un his best friend, and Jennifer Lopez who sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to the authoritarian leader of Turkmenistan, on the list of celebrities who have made human rights faux pas.
A coalition of international press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, today called on Azerbaijani authorities to lift the travel ban and end the politicized prosecution of Khadija Ismayilova, an award-winning investigative reporter. In the past week authorities in Baku detained Ismayilova upon her arrival from Strasbourg where she had traveled to brief European politicians on Azerbaijan's human rights record; put her on trial over accusations of libel against a resident; and barred her from attending a pro-democracy forum in the Czech Republic, alleging that she was a witness in an unspecified criminal inquiry.
"There are no [independent] Ukrainian journalists left in Donetsk," said Aleksei Matsuka, chief editor of the regional news website Novosti Donbassa (News of Donbass). "They have fled the region since pro-Russia separatists started targeting and kidnapping reporters," Matsuka told CPJ during our brief meeting in Kiev.
On Wednesday, we reported that in Ukraine this week, at least two journalists had gone missing, while pro-Russia separatists abducted a fixer and briefly detained a reporter. Also, the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic said it was banning journalists from the conflict area. We noted that press freedom violations "are happening at dizzying speed in eastern Ukraine."
Today,
the U.N. Human Rights Committee begins its two-day review of Kyrgyzstan's
compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. By ratifying
the treaty in October 1994, Kyrgyz authorities pledged to enforce internationally
recognized provisions regarding the protection of human rights, and freedom of
expression, in their country.
But
CPJ research shows that Kyrgyzstan has consistently violated ICCPR provisions. Attacks against reporters; impunity in journalist
murders, including of journalist Alisher Saipov; blocking of the news
website Ferghana News;the politicized prosecution
of ethnic Uzbek media owners, including Dzhavlon Mirzakhodzhayev of Mezon TV and Khalil Khudaiberdiyev of Osh TV; and the ongoing
imprisonment of investigative reporter Azimjon Askarov have marred the
climate of press freedom in Kyrgyzstan.
Last week, I was preparing to write a column about the
anniversary of Paul
Klebnikov's murder. The American editor of Forbes-Russia was murdered contract-style nine years ago in Moscow
at the age of 41. He had investigated connections between Russian business and
organized crime, as well as ethnic and political tensions in Chechnya. Despite
numerous official promises to solve the July 9, 2004, killing, Klebnikov's
murderers--as well whoever ordered him killed-- are still nowhere near the dock.
In the year since Vladimir Putin returned to the Russian
presidency, independent media, civil society groups, and opposition activists
have been under
attack. But as he has done in the past, Putin recently
asserted that his government is not engaged in political repression.
Kyrgyzstan
has endured a turbulent past and continues to face significant challenges, but
its leaders are committed to a democratic future, Djoomart Otorbayev, the
nation's deputy prime minister, told human rights and press freedom advocates in
New York this week. The country still grapples with the repercussions of the brutal
June 2010 ethnic conflict that left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.
Journalist Azimjon Askarov remains
in prison on charges that CPJ and numerous human rights groups have determined
to be in retaliation for his work in uncovering official abuses during the
unrest.
Do you believe the free flow of information must be protected? Sign the #RightToReport petition and demand that President Obama immediately:
1. Issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations.
2. Limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers.
3. Prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border.
Or click here to see the full petition, and join leading journalists like Christiane Amanpour, The Guardian’s Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the AP Kathleen Carroll, and Arianna Huffington in signing on.
