Europe & Central Asia

  
Russian lawmakers are seen in the State Duma on May 22, 2018. The Duma recently considered amendments that would restrict foreign print media in the country. (AP/Pavel Golovkin)

Russian draft legislation would ban distribution of foreign print media without government permission

New York, April 4, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Russian parliament to drop legislative amendments that would ban the distribution of foreign print media in the country without government permission.

Read More ›

Fireworks are seen in Istanbul on April 1, during elections. A court in the city convicted eight individuals of anti-state charges for their role in a solidarity campaign with the pro-Kurdish newspaper, Özgür Gündem. (Reuters/Kemal Aslan)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 31, 2019

Eight sentenced over Özgür Gündem campaign An Istanbul court on April 3 sentenced seven guest editors who took part in a solidarity campaign with the now shuttered daily, Özgür Gündem, the television and news website Medyascope reported.

Read More ›

Women rest on a ship run by the Maltese non-governmental group Moas and the Italian Red Cross after a rescue operation in the Mediterranean in November 2016. In Italy, journalists say they are regularly harassed and threatened online over their coverage of migration issues. (AFP/Andreas Solaro)

Italy’s migrant beat beset with smear campaigns, harassment

When Annalisa Camilli spent eight days on an Open Arms ship that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean, she knew her reporting for the Italian news magazine Internazionale may attract trolls. Camilli has covered the migrant beat for years and this was her second trip with the non-profit rescue operation. But, the reporter said, she was…

Read More ›

A man reads on a bridge in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 6, 2018. A Sarajevo politician recently attacked a journalist in the city. (Amel Emric/AP)

Politician attacks journalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Berlin, April 2, 2019 – Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina should quickly and thoroughly investigate the attack and harassment of journalist Adi Kebo by Sarajevo politician Huso Ćesir, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Slovakia's president-elect Zuzana Čaputová, pictured talking to the press outside a polling station in Pezinok on March 30. CPJ and other rights organizations are calling on the newly elected leader to ensure the safety of journalists. (AFP/Vladimir Simicek)

Calls for Slovakia’s new president to respect press freedom

CPJ and a coalition of eight other international press freedom groups today called on the newly elected president of Slovakia to respect press freedom and ensure the safety of journalists.

Read More ›

Roberto Saviano seen at the 69th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin on February 12, 2019. Saviano is facing criminal defamation charges issued by Italy's interior minister. (Annegret Hilse/Reuters)

Italy’s Matteo Salvini pursues criminal defamation against journalist Roberto Saviano

Berlin, March 29, 2019 — The Italian interior minister, Matteo Salvini, should immediately drop criminal defamation charges against freelance investigative journalist and author Roberto Saviano, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, pictured at an event in Istanbul, in October 2018. A judge dismissed a complaint filed by Albayrak and his brother over a Cumhuriyet reporter's Paradise Papers coverage. (Reuters/Murad Sezer)

Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of March 24, 2019

Court dismisses trial of Paradise Papers reporter Pelin Ünker The trial of Pelin Ünker, a former reporter for the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, who faced charges related to her coverage of the Paradise Papers, was closed on March 28 after the judge ruled that the statute of limitations had expired, Medyascope reported. Ünker was accused of…

Read More ›

The Slovak Parliament is seen on October 11, 2011. CPJ calls on the country not to pass an amendment to its press law that would require publications to feature replies to their coverage by politicians and public officials. (Petr Josek/Reuters)

CPJ calls on Slovakia not to adopt press law amendment

Berlin, March 25, 2019 — Slovak lawmakers should not pass an amendment to the country’s press law that would expand its right of reply mandate to include politicians and public officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Soltan Achilova, as seen in November 2017 in her house in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The journalist was recently barred from leaving Turkmenistan. (Photo: CPJ via Khronika Turkmenistana)

Turkmenistan journalist Soltan Achilova barred from traveling abroad

New York, March 25, 2019 — Turkmenistan authorities should allow freelance reporter Soltan Achilova to freely travel outside the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Protesters wave Albanian flags in Tirana, Albania, on March 16, 2019. A British journalist living in Albania has recently been attacked in a smear campaign after she gave comments on the RT network. (Florion Goga/Reuters)

British journalist in Albania targeted in smear campaign

British freelance journalist and blogger Alice Taylor, who writes for various international publications and for the Albania-focused news website Exit, has been targeted in a smear campaign by pro-government news outlets in Albania and had her residency permit renewal denied, the journalist told CPJ.

Read More ›