Russian police detain, interrogate journalist Yana Toporkova, raid her home
New York, October 29, 2020 – Russian authorities should immediately return equipment confiscated from journalist Yana Toporkova and ensure that members of the press are not harassed by law enforcement, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 2, three men in plainclothes who identified themselves as police officers raided Toporkova’s apartment in the…
Italian journalist Mimmo Rubio threatened over coverage of COVID-19 protests, organized crime
Berlin, October 29, 2020 — Italian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the threats to journalist Mimmo Rubio and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 19, a group of about 20 people driving scooters and demonstrating against the coronavirus lockdown in Arzano, in southern Italy, staged…
Hungarian police question journalists for ‘illicit data collection’ after use of drone footage
Berlin, October 28, 2020 — Hungarian police must stop harassing journalists Gabriella Horn and Balázs Gulyás, and drop any investigation into their sources and their use of drone footage to report on information of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 26, the business crime unit of the Hungarian police in…
Getting Away with Murder
CPJ’s 2020 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and their killers go free By Elana Beiser/CPJ Editorial Director Published October 28, 2020 Incremental progress toward reducing the murders of journalists worldwide is fragile and could be thwarted by legal appeals and lack of political leadership, CPJ found in its latest report on…
Russian journalist Irina Slavina dies of self-immolation after harassment by authorities
New York, October 26, 2020 – Russian federal authorities should investigate the circumstances of the death of journalist Irina Slavina, who died of self-immolation in early October after a campaign of legal harassment by authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 2, 2020, Slavina, founder and chief editor of independent news website Koza.Press,…
Kazakh police assault, injure journalist Saniya Toiken covering protests in Nur-Sultan
New York, October 26, 2020 – Kazakh authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault on journalist Saniya Toiken, punish the perpetrators, and ensure that members of the press can work safely in Kazakhstan. On October 24, Kazakh police officers assaulted Toiken, correspondent for Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio…
Berlin police shove journalists with batons, prevent them from covering eviction
Police in Berlin physically attacked journalists to prevent them from covering a controversial eviction on October 8, 9, and 10, 2020, in which police removed activists who had been squatting at a house in the city, according to journalists Björn Kietzmann and Christina Gutsmiedl, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app and email respectively, journalists’ social…
Turkish courts pursue trials, asset seizures in multiple cases against journalists
October 22, 2020, Istanbul – Turkey must stop harassing journalists and prosecuting them on trumped up charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a court Istanbul rejected an appeal by exiled journalist Can Dündar, thereby allowing authorities to seize his assets in Turkey, the news website Duvar English reported. Today, another Istanbul court…
Unidentified attackers open fire on journalist Shkumbin Kajtazi’s car in Kosovo
Berlin, October 22, 2020 — Kosovo authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the shooting attack on the car of journalist Shkumbin Kajtazi and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 18, just after midnight, unidentified attackers shot five or six times at the car of Kajtazi, a…
Q&A: Financial Times reporters Dan McCrum and Stefania Palma on Wirecard and pressures on business journalists
Dan McCrum and Stefania Palma, business reporters for the Financial Times, spent years investigating German payments company Wirecard and revealed in a series of articles that the darling of the stock markets and the German tech scene faked its accounts. When it filed for insolvency in June 2020, Wirecard owed creditors billions of dollars, and…