Europe & Central Asia
2014
CPJ condemns Twitter ban in Turkey
New York, March 21, 2014–Turkey banned access to the social media platform Twitter on Friday, hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened in a public speech to shut it down, according to news reports. The move comes just ahead of March 30 elections and follows Erdoğan’s threats to ban Facebook and YouTube.
Turkish prime minister threatens to shut down Twitter
New York, March 20, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s threats today to close down Twitter. The threats come only days after he vowed to shut down Facebook and YouTube in Turkey.
Hello, I’m Robert Capa, may I take a picture?
How would Robert Capa and Joe Pulitzer have reacted to the law that came into force on March 15 in their country of birth, Hungary? Let us guess that they would have been stunned. A provision in the new Hungarian civil code forbids taking pictures without the permission of everyone in the photograph.
Putin should reverse steps to restrict independent press
Dear President Putin: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an international press freedom advocacy group, is gravely concerned about recent steps to restrict Russia’s independent media. The measures taken over the past three months threaten to eradicate Russian news outlets’ freedom to freely report and analyze news events.
CPJ condemns journalist’s conviction in Azerbaijan
New York, March 17, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a five-year jail term given today to Tofiq Yaqublu, an Azerbaijani journalist with the opposition daily Yeni Musavat, and calls on authorities to overturn the verdict on appeal. Yaqublu, who was convicted of “organizing mass disorder,” was arrested in January 2013 in connection with anti-government…
CPJ condemns blocking of news websites in Russia
New York, March 13, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the blocking today of independent and pro-opposition news websites in Russia, including Ezhednevny Zhurnal, Grani, Kasparov, and the website of the liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy. The popular blog of anti-corruption activist Aleksei Navalny and the personal blogging platform LiveJournal were also blocked.
More journalists obstructed on the job in Crimea
New York, March 13, 2014–Journalists covering the ongoing crisis in the southern Ukrainian autonomous republic of Crimea continue to be detained, harassed, and obstructed, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on all sides of the crisis to allow journalists to report freely on the events in Crimea and Ukraine.
CPJ condemns Ukraine’s order to take Russian TV off air
New York, March 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a decree by Ukraine’s National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting to cable and satellite providers on Tuesday to cut off the transmission of Russian state-controlled TV stations in the country. The order, which was immediately enforced, appears to be a response to Crimean authorities…
CPJ welcomes release of journalists in Turkey
New York, March 11, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release this week of five Turkish journalists who were imprisoned after being sentenced to jail in connection with the controversial Ergenekon case. Three of the journalists–Yalçın Küçük, Deniz Yıldırım, and Merdan Yanardağ–were convicted because of their work, according to CPJ research. In the cases…