2021

New York, March 31, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should immediately release journalist Aigul Utepova from house arrest, drop all charges against her, and allow her to work safely and freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 15, the Saryarkinsky District Court in Nur-Sultan, the capital, commenced Utepova’s trial on charges of participating…

New York, March 31, 2021 – Montenegro authorities should not contest journalist Jovo Martinović’s request to have his case reviewed by the Supreme Court and prosecutor general, and should allow him to work freely and without legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 28, the Court of Appeals in the capital,…

New York, March 30, 2021 –Belarusian authorities should immediately release journalist Andrzej Poczobut, and stop detaining and fining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Between March 18 and 27, Belarusian authorities detained at least 16 journalists and fined at least three members of the press, according to news reports, and…

Vilnius, Lithuania, March 29, 2021 — Russian authorities should investigate the threats made to journalist Vasiliy Vaysenberg and ensure that those behind them are held responsible, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 25, an unidentified person called Vaysenberg’s wife, Alisa, and threatened the couple’s son, saying, “I don’t want [your son] Misha to…

Istanbul, March 29, 2021 – Turkish authorities must conduct an impartial and depoliticized investigation into the killing of journalist Hrant Dink, and ensure that all those involved in planning and committing the killing are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 26, the 14th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes acquitted…

CPJ has joined over 100 civil society organizations to call on the Council of Europe to issue a recommendation to address strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in Europe. SLAPPs are abusive lawsuits filed by powerful officials, businesspeople, or corporations against individuals, including critical journalists or news outlets, to restrict or censor critical reporting. They…

The European Union yesterday adopted a new regulation on exports of dual-use surveillance technology by EU-based companies. The legislation seeks to prevent human rights harm, including in countries where journalists are targeted and under surveillance because of their work.  CPJ joined six other freedom of expression and human rights organizations in a statement welcoming the…

Vilnius, Lithuania, March 25, 2021 — Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Mariya Nuykina and should stop prosecuting journalists covering political protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.  On March 19, police in the eastern city of Khabarovsk detained Nuykina, a correspondent with the independent newspaper Arsenyevskiye Vesti, while she was…

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined dozens of civil society organizations today in urging the European Parliament to reject a draft regulation on terrorist content online when it is proposed for a vote in April.  The letter, which was sent to every member of parliament, notes that the draft would allow national authorities to order…

On March 19, 2021, police in Turkey’s Istanbul Airport barred French freelance journalist Sylvain Mercadier from entering the country, detained him overnight, and deported him back to France, according to news reports, tweets by the journalist, and Mercadier, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Officers took Mercadier into custody soon after his flight…