CPJ calls on Serbia not to extradite Belarusian journalist Andrey Gnyot
New York, May 14, 2024 — Serbian authorities should not extradite Belarusian journalist Andrey Gnyot to face criminal charges in Belarus and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Serbian authorities detained Gnyot upon his arrival in the country on October 30, 2023, based on a September 21 Interpol arrest warrant issued…
Georgian parliament passes ‘foreign agent’ law despite widespread opposition
Stockholm, May 14, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled that as thousands of protesters waited for the results amid a heavy police presence equipped with water cannons and riot gear, the Georgian parliament voted Tuesday to adopt the controversial Russian-style “foreign agents” law that would target foreign-funded media. Georgian President Salome…
Georgian journalists threatened after covering ‘foreign agent’ law protests
Stockholm, May 10, 2024—Georgian authorities should thoroughly investigate widespread harassment and threats against journalists covering a bill that would designate media outlets as “foreign agents” and Parliament should reject the draft law, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since May 7, more than 30 journalists covering the bill “on transparency of foreign influence” and…
CPJ, partners urge North Macedonia authorities to stop harassment of journalist Furkan Saliu
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined calls urging North Macedonia authorities in a May 3 letter to end the ongoing harassment of journalist Furkan Saliu and his colleagues. The letter, also signed by 10 other groups, including international and regional press freedom organizations, requests that Minister for Internal Affairs Pance Toskovski refrain from publicly commenting…
Journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva harassed by Russian authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea
New York, May 9, 2023—Authorities in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea must stop intimidating journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva and let members of the press work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, May 6, an officer with Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city of Dzhankoi, in northern Crimea, came to Zudiyeva’s home…
Turkish court sentences 5 journalists from shuttered newspaper to prison
Istanbul, May 9, 2024 — After an Istanbul court on Thursday sentenced five journalists for “aiding a terrorist organization without being a member” in connection to their work at the shuttered pro-Kurdish daily Özgürlükçü Demokrasi (Liberal Democracy), the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Turkish authorities to not fight their appeals and end the judicial…
In Serbia, a ‘witch-hunt’ for journalists who don’t toe government line
“A real epidemic of attacks.” That’s the way Serbian journalist, advocate, and professor Dinko Gruhonjić characterized the state of press freedom in his country in a recent op-ed for the media-focused news site Cenzolovka. Gruhonjić faced severe online harassment after a doctored video in which he appears to praise a war criminal was circulated online…
Appeals court upholds 25-month sentences for 2 Turkish documentary filmmakers
Istanbul, May 3, 2024—Turkish authorities should stop fighting the appeals of documentary filmmakers Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and Çayan Demirel and allow all journalists to work freely without fear of retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On April 26 in the southeastern city of Batman, an appeals court upheld a 25-month sentence for Mavioğlu and…
CPJ calls for release of Turkish journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 press freedom and human rights organizations in a Friday statement condemning the surge of arrests of Kurdish media workers in Turkey and calling on authorities to release journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat. The three journalists were jailed by an Istanbul court on April 27,…
Turkish court sentences journalist Barış Terkoğlu to 2 years under terror law
Istanbul, May 2, 2024 — Turkish authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Barış Terkoğlu after he was sentenced to two years on terrorism-related charges and review the related legislation to prevent retaliatory prosecution against journalists for their critical reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The 13th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes…