Europe & Central Asia documents by Year:
Police, 'yellow vest' protesters both target journalists in France, Belgium
December 17, 2018 10:36 AM ET
Dozens of journalists covering anti-government protests in France and Belgium in November and December of 2018 suffered attacks by the demonstrators and the police, according to press and social media reports....
Spanish police search newsroom, seize journalists' equipment in leaks investigation
December 13, 2018 5:50 PM ET
Berlin, December 13, 2018--Spanish authorities should immediately return equipment and documentation seized from the news agency Europa Press and from journalists working for the Diario de Mallorca daily newspaper and ensure that journalists can protect the confidentiality of their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of December 6, 2018
December 13, 2018 1:22 PM ET
Anti-state charges for 5 journalists Five journalists from the opposition daily Sözcü were indicted for "willingly and knowingly helping a [terrorist] organization without being in its hierarchical structure," BBC Turkey reported on December 10. Chief editor Metin Yılmaz, online chief editor Mustafa Çetin, online news coordinator Yücel Arı, and...
Hundreds of journalists jailed globally becomes the new normal
December 13, 2018 12:00 AM ET
For the third year in a row, 251 or more journalists are jailed around the world, suggesting the authoritarian approach to critical news coverage is more than a temporary spike. China, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia imprisoned more journalists than last year, and Turkey remained the world’s worst jailer. A...
Serbian investigative journalist targeted with arson attack
December 12, 2018 3:45 PM ET
New York, December 12, 2018--Serbian authorities must ensure the safety and well-being of investigative journalist Milan Jovanović and bring those responsible for today's arson attack on his property to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering protests in France and Belgium
December 6, 2018 3:12 PM ET
Despite the French government announcing it will drop a proposed fuel tax rise, the gilets jaunes (yellow jackets) group, truckers, and farming groups have called for more protests, according to The Guardian. Mass demonstrations have taken place across France and Belgium as initial protests over the proposed increase in...
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of December 2
December 6, 2018 12:37 PM ET
Journalists in court A Diyarbakır Court on December 5 ordered Rojhat Doğru, a journalist formerly with the northern Iraq outlet Gali Kurdistan TV, to be detained pending investigation, the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency reported. According to the report, Doğru was taken into custody in Istanbul on the accusation of "being...
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week beginning November 25, 2018
November 29, 2018 1:27 PM ET
Court upholds Özgür Gündem sentences A local appeals court in Istanbul on November 29 upheld the earlier prison sentences handed to five of the participants of a solidarity campaign with the daily Özgür Gündem, the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency reported....
US has filed secret charges against Julian Assange, reports say
November 16, 2018 4:14 PM ET
New York, November 16, 2018--The Committee to Protect Journalists is closely monitoring news reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has secretly filed charges against the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange....
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of November 8, 2018
November 15, 2018 12:40 PM ET
Court sentences former Zaman journalist A court in Uşak on November 14 convicted Ali Ünal, a former columnist for the shuttered daily Zaman, of "founding and leading an armed terrorist organization" and sentenced him to 19 years and six months in prison, the news website Diken reported. The court...