Russia’s repression record
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its media has experienced an unprecedented crackdown. Hundreds of journalists have been forced into exile, where they continue to face transnational legal persecution, and their families have been harassed back home. Meanwhile, reporting from inside Russia has become increasingly difficult, with journalists and media outlets often silenced…
Russian journalist Nika Novak missing from prison
Berlin, December 2, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on Russian authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of journalist Nika Novak, who has gone missing from a prison in Bozoy, in the Siberian region of Irkutsk. Novak is serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted in November 2024 on charges of “confidential cooperation with a foreign organization,”…
Kazakhstan police raid Orda, charge top editor over ‘false information’
New York, December 2, 2025—Kazakh authorities should drop criminal “false information” charges against Gulnara Bazhkenova, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Orda, and allow the outlet and its staff to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 1, armed police raided Orda’s editorial offices in the capital, Astana, and in the southern city of…
Journalist found guilty of threatening Turkish president
Istanbul, December 1, 2025—Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Farih Altaylı pending his appeal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. An Istanbul court on November 26 found prominent commentator Altaylı, who was arrested pending trial in late June, guilty of the charge of threatening Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and sentenced him to four years and two months in prison….
Crimean journalist Vilen Temeryanov sentenced to 14 years in jail
New York, November 26, 2025—Russian authorities should immediately release Crimean Tatar journalist Vilen Temeryanov and end their crackdown on independent voices in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On November 26, the Southern District Military Court in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don convicted Temeryanov on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization and preparing for a violent…
CPJ joins international press freedom mission to Turkey
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the International Press Institute and six other press freedom and human rights organizations in the seventh year of a joint press freedom mission to Ankara, Turkey. The delegation also included representatives from the ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa as…
‘Life goes on without you’: Q&A with Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko
Captured by Russian security services and sentenced on false charges, Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko spent over four years in a Russian prison, enduring torture while trying to maintain his sanity and physical strength. Yesypenko, who covered Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea for the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was released in June. He was first detained by Russian authorities…
Swiss public broadcaster executive receives death threat
Berlin, November 21, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urgently calls on Swiss authorities to investigate an anonymous email death threat targeting Pascal Crittin, director of Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). “In Switzerland, where threats against the press are exceptionally rare, this incident is deeply worrying,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Intimidating journalists and media leaders…
Georgia upholds Mzia Amaglobeli’s 2-year prison sentence
New York, November 18, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to release journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, a prominent media manager, after a Georgian appeals court upheld a decision on November 18 that sentenced her to two years in prison. The journalist, who has been widely recognized domestically and internationally as a political prisoner, reportedly plans to challenge…
Belarus court sentences 4 journalists to years of house arrest
New York, November 17, 2025—Belarusian authorities should immediately revoke the house arrests of journalists Natallia Semianovich, Mikita Piatrouski, Ruslan Raviaka, and Ludmila Zeliankova, and stop prosecuting journalists for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On August 19, a court convicted the four on charges of “promoting extremist activity,” according to a source close to the case who…