Europe & Central Asia

New York, February 24, 2020 — Kyrgyzstan authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov and should release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Washington, D.C., February 21, 2020 — The United Kingdom should not extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges in the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

When the U.K. launched an initiative to support media freedom in the waning days of Jeremy Hunt’s tenure as foreign minister, CPJ was skeptical that this government-led effort would be more than a feel-good campaign. However, we chose to engage, given the current vacuum of leadership on press freedom globally. As the U.S. pulls back…

Berlin, February 10, 2020 — Slovak authorities should immediately drop criminal defamation and slander charges against journalist Michal Havran and stop using the country’s criminal code to prosecute journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Vilnius, Lithuania, February 7, 2020 — Russian authorities should conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack against journalist Elena Milashina and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

CPJ joined representatives from the International Press Institute, Reporters Without Borders, the Journalists Union of Turkey, and the European Federation of Journalists yesterday in a joint statement calling for Turkey’s Press Ad Agency, the state regulator of government ads in print media, to lift its ban on advertising in critical leftist dailies Evrensel and BirGün.

New York, February 6, 2020 — Tajikistan authorities should immediately release journalist Daler Sharifov, drop all charges against him, and allow him to work unobstructed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Berlin, February 4, 2020 — North Macedonia authorities should conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the threats made against journalists Meri Jordanovska and Iskra Korovesovska and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Berlin, January 31, 2020 — Greek authorities should overturn the conviction of journalist Kostas Vaxevanis on appeal and reform the country’s outdated criminal defamation laws, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.