Europe & Central Asia

2019

  
A newsstand in Rome in May 2019. Over 20 journalists in Italy are provided with round-the-clock police protection because of threats from groups including the mafia. (Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane

‘I was the first to lose my freedom’: How police protection impacts Italy’s investigative reporters

Explaining the sudden presence of two grim-looking bodyguards in a way that wouldn’t scare her children was never going to be easy for Federica Angeli, a reporter for la Repubblica. So when Angeli returned home with police protection for the first time in July 2013, she tried to turn the situation into a game. “I…

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This screenshot from the El Tuz channel on YouTube shows poet and journalist Mahmud Rajabov. One journalist who covered his protest march was sent to a psychiatric ward, while another was briefly detained.

A blogger forced into psychiatric clinic in Uzbekistan

Washington, D.C., October 8, 2019 – Uzbekistan authorities must immediately release journalist Nafosat Olloshukurova and allow her to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Police officers are seen in Moscow, Russia, on August 3, 2019. Authorities in Pskov recently harassed journalists covering the case of Svetlana Prokopyeva. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russian authorities harass journalists reporting on Svetlana Prokopyeva terrorism case

Vilnius, October 4, 2019 — Russian authorities should drop the charges against journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva and stop harassing reporters covering her case, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alisher Saipov is seen on October 24, 2007, the day he was killed. Kyrgyzstan authorities recently reopened an investigation into his killing. (Photo provided to CPJ by Saipov family)

Kyrgyzstan reopens investigation into 2007 killing of journalist Alisher Saipov

Washington, D.C., October 3, 2019 — Kyrgyzstan should conduct an open and thorough reinvestigation into the killing of journalist Alisher Saipov, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A woman gets out of a polling booth prior to casting her vote at a polling station during the governor's election in Saint Petersburg on September 8, 2019. Russia's internet regulator blocked independent news website Fergana on October 1, 2019. (AFP/Olga Maltseva)

Russian internet regulator blocks independent Fergana news website

Vilnius, October 2, 2019–Russian authorities should immediately reinstate access to the independent news website Fergana, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Demonstrators are seen in Barcelona, Spain, on October 1, 2019. Journalist Laila Jiménez was assaulted by protesters during the demonstration. (Reuters/Enrique Calvo)

Spanish reporter Laila Jiménez assaulted by protesters during Catalonia independence march

Berlin, October 2, 2019 — Local authorities should quickly and thoroughly investigate an incident in Barcelona in which journalist Laila Jiménez was assaulted by protesters, and ensure that journalists can safely cover demonstrations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Police officers are seen in Zagreb, Croatia, on August 1, 2019. Police recently arrested journalist Gordan Duhaček in Zagreb. (AFP/Denis Lovrovic)

Croatian journalist detained and fined for satirical tweet

On September 16, 2019, Croatian police arrested Gordan Duhaček, a reporter working for news website Index.hr, as he was about to leave the country at Zagreb airport, and detained him until a court hearing the following day, according to a report by his employer and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

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A court where journalists from the Zaman newspaper were tried is seen in Istanbul on July 6, 2018. CPJ joined 12 other groups in issuing a statement calling on U.N. member states to urge Turkey to improve its freedom of speech record. (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

CPJ joins call to UN rights council for end to press crackdown in Turkey

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 12 other press freedom and freedom of expression organizations calling on the member states of the U.N. Human Rights Council to urge Turkey to end its repressive policies against independent reporting and free speech.

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Marija Pejcinovic Buric is seen after being elected as Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on June 26, 2019. CPJ and other organizations recently sent a letter to Pejcinovic Buric, urging her to prioritize press freedom issues. (AFP/Patrick Hertzog)

CPJ joins call for new Council of Europe head to prioritize press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 21 other press freedom and freedom of expression organizations in sending an open letter to Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric yesterday, calling on her to prioritize press freedom and the safety of journalists among the council’s 47 member states.

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CPJ calls on UN Secretary-General Guterres to push for release of Azimjon Askarov in Kyrgyzstan

CPJ writes to UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging him to call on the government of Kyrgyzstan to release unjustly imprisoned journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov.

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2019