Georgian pro-opposition journalist Nika Gvaramia sentenced to 3.5 years in prison
New York, May 19, 2022 – Georgian authorities should release journalist Nika Gvaramia and allow him and all other press members in Georgia to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, May 16, the City Court in the Georgian capital Tbilisi convicted Gvaramia, a TV presenter and general director at pro-opposition…
Belarusian journalist detained for 2 months, charged over reporting
Paris, May 19, 2022 — Belarus authorities should immediately release and drop all charges against journalist Dzmitry Luksha and let the press report freely on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On March 11, law enforcement searched the home of Luksha, a freelance journalist with the Kazakh state-funded television station…
As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, Ukrainian journalists get help from Polish colleagues
On a recent April morning in Warsaw, Joanna Krawczyk was sitting inside a café in the city center, her phone pinging nonstop. The head of Wyborcza Foundation, a Polish media support initiative, Krawczyk was fielding messages from colleagues coordinating the passage of a truckload of reporting equipment from Poland to Ukraine. “It’s like a rotating menu…
Two Estonian journalists fined over article on money laundering
On April 14, 2022, a court in Estonia fined journalists Tarmo Vahter and Sulev Vedler, of the weekly newspaper Eesti Ekspress, 1,000 euros (US$1,040) each for an article about alleged money laundering at one of the country’s largest banks, Swedbank, according to a report by Estonian public broadcaster ERR News and the journalists, who communicated…
Proposed Russian legislation threatens to shut down all independent media
Paris, May 18, 2022 – The Russian State Duma should withdraw a draft law that would facilitate the arbitrary shutdown of media outlets and increase the number of journalists prosecuted for sharing information, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s legislature, is set to consider legislation that…
Some Ukrainian journalists are leaving the media for the military in the name of patriotism
Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its third month, has already claimed an alarming number of journalists’ lives: at least seven killed in crossfire while reporting and at least six more who died in circumstances that CPJ continues to investigate. There are at least 10 more names that do not appear on CPJ’s list of journalists killed…
Journalist Iryna Danilovich charged, detained by Russian authorities in Crimea
Paris, May 16, 2022 — Russian authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea must drop all charges against journalist Iryna Danilovich, release her immediately, and cease prosecuting journalists for their reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 11, Danilovich, a Crimea-based journalist who went missing on April 29, was found by her lawyer in a…
CPJ joins call expressing concern over EU draft legislation that threatens encryption
On May 12, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined dozens of free expression groups, technology organizations, and individuals in a statement expressing concern over legislation proposed by the European Commission that could threaten digital encryption. The legislation, known as the Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse, which the commission proposed on May 11, would compel…
Albanian journalists reporting on prosecutor’s vetting intimidated, personal data breached
On April 23, 2022, the wife of Albanian journalist Edmond Hoxhaj received a notification from the government’s official e-Albania website that a notary public named Agron Bajri had downloaded personal information about their family, according to a report by Safejournalists.net, a regional website tracking violence against journalists, and Hoxhaj, who corresponded with CPJ via email….
Turkmenistan journalist Nurgeldi Halykov facing retaliation in prison following coverage of his case
New York, May 12, 2022 – Turkmen authorities should cease retaliating against imprisoned journalist Nurgeldi Halykov, and should release him immediately and unconditionally, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Authorities first arrested Halykov in July 2020 and sentenced him to four years in prison that September. During his imprisonment, authorities have placed Halykov, a…