Europe & Central Asia

  
European Union flags fly during a special European Council summit in Brussels on February 21, 2020. (AFP/ Ludovic Marin)

CPJ, partner organizations call for strengthened EU accountability on press freedom

CPJ and partner organizations today sent recommendations on the European Rule of Law Mechanism to Didier Reynders, the European Union’s Justice Commissioner, and Věra Jourová, Vice President for Values and Transparency.

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Croatian President Zoran Milanovic is seen in front of a cathedral in Zagreb on March 22, 2020. Two journalists were recently attacked while covering a Mass held against the COVID-19 lockdown in Croatia. (Reuters/Antonio Bronic)

Croatian reporters attacked while documenting Easter Mass amid COVID-19 lockdown

On April 12, 2020, in the coastal Croatian city of Split, several unidentified men attacked Živana Šušak Živković, a reporter working for local news website Dalmatinskiportal, and Ivana Sivro, a camera operator for local broadcaster N1 TV, while they were documenting an Easter Mass held despite a ban on public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic,…

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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is seen in Grozny, Russia, on May 10, 2019. Kadyrov recently threatened journalist Elena Milashina. (AP/Musa Sadulayev)

Chechen leader threatens journalist Elena Milashina over COVID-19 reporting

Vilnius, Lithuania, April 15, 2020 — Russian authorities should condemn Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s threats to journalist Elena Milashina and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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New charges were recently filed against Chernovik editor Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, who has been detained since June 2019. (Chernovik)

Russian authorities bring new charges against jailed journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev

Vilnius, Lithuania, April 14, 2020 — Authorities in the Russian republic of Dagestan should immediately release journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and drop all the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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CPJ calls on European External Action Service to press for jailed journalists’ release amid COVID-19

CPJ calls on the EU External Action Service to push for the release of imprisoned journalists amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Turkey's Deputy Parliament Speaker Levent Gok (center) is seen in the Parliament in Ankara on April 7, 2020. The Turkish parliament is considering an amnesty bill that would release 90,000 prisoners, but not include journalists. (AFP/Adem Altan)

Turkey amnesty bill would release 90,000 prisoners, but no journalists

New York, April 7, 2020 — In response to the Turkish Parliament’s proposed bill that would release 90,000 prisoners to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but which would not free journalists held as political prisoners, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

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Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga told CPJ he has faced harassment from the government over his COVID-19 reporting. (Tomislav Čuveljak)

Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga on facing off against a government fighting COVID-19 coverage

Blaž Zgaga is a freelance Slovenian investigative journalist and a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists who covers national security and defense. In his reporting, he has uncovered corruption and written about arms trafficking in the region.

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Journalist Evrim Kepenek is seen while covering COVID-19 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Evrim Kepenek)

For Turkish journalists, fear of contracting COVID-19 competes with fear of arrest

Journalist Evrim Kepenek works in Istanbul as the women and LGBTI+ news editor for the independent news website Bianet. Like most people, she works from home these days, but she is also a street reporter who recently observed twin fears among the Turkish public: getting infected with COVID-19 and getting arrested for talking about it.

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Crotia's minister of foreign affairs, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, reacts after being elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on June 26, 2019. On March 31, 2020, CPJ and partner organizations called on the Council of Europe to protect press freedom amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP/Patrick Hertzog)

CPJ, partners call on Council of Europe to protect press freedom amid COVID-19 pandemic

On March 31, CPJ and nine partner organizations wrote to the Secretary General and the Committee of Ministers at the Council of Europe to express concern about government restrictions on the media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Journalist Azimjon Askarov has been imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan since 2010 on trumped-up charges. Photo provided by Askarov's family.

Kyrgyz president must release journalist Azimjon Askarov amid COVID-19 epidemic

CPJ today joined eight other human rights and press freedom organizations to call for the immediate release of journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov, who has been serving a life sentence in retaliation for his reporting since June 2010.

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