Two-fold risk for Serbia’s women journalists as attackers target their work and gender
“In the past five years I was publically called many things. I was an old hag, a sterile, cheap Soros’ prostitute, a hooker, not f***ed enough, in need of a good prick, and destroyer of the Serbian Orthodox Church,” said Tatjana Vojtehovski, a Serbian television journalist with a large presence on social media. “My response…
Press at risk as EU-based companies export surveillance software to hostile regimes
In August, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen told the daily newspaper Information that the government had authorized sales of online surveillance software to several Middle Eastern countries. While acknowledging the potential for human rights violations that could result from the use of these tools, the minister said that Denmark has an interest in the fight…
Turkey convicts Wall Street Journal reporter of terrorism
New York, October 10, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the conviction today of Wall Street Journal reporter Ayla Albayrak, and called on Turkish authorities to stop their relentless crackdown on the press. As the Journal reported, a court in the southeastern city of Cizre convicted Albayrak in absentia of terrorism and sentenced her to…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of October 8, 2017
Two media workers released from state custody, trial ongoing A Turkish court yesterday released Şirin Çoban and İlker İlkan, two employees of the shuttered Kurdish-language daily Azadiya Welat, from state custody during their first trial hearing, according to the online newspaper Gazete Karınca. The trial is ongoing.
Uzbek journalist goes missing, turns up in court trial
New York, October 5, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists called today for the Uzbek authorities to immediately release journalist Bobomurod Abdullaev, who went missing on September 27 and has since been secretly tried in a criminal court in Tashkent, the capital.
Russia and former Soviet states emboldened by declining press freedom in US, Europe
Receding media freedom in established European democracies and in the United States has emboldened authoritarian governments in Russia and other former Soviet countries to crack down on independent voices at home. I am sharing this information today with the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe-known as the Helsinki Commission-and the House Freedom of…
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of October 1, 2017
Turkish court banned coverage of alleged police beating incident A local Turkish court yesterday moved to ban news coverage of a story about two policemen allegedly beating a woman on the street in the southern coastal city of Alanya, the online newspaper Diken reported.
Uzbek journalist detained in Ukraine at risk of extradition
New York, September 27, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Ukrainian authorities to release Uzbek journalist Narzullo Okhunjonov. The journalist could face extradition to Uzbekistan, his lawyer, Aleksei Fyodorov, said.
Syrian-American journalist killed in Turkey
New York, September 22, 2017–Syrian-American journalist Halla Barakat and her mother, Syrian opposition activist Orouba Barakat, were found dead yesterday in their Istanbul apartment, the Turkish news agency DHA reported today. Friends alerted the police when Halla Barakat, 23, did not show up for her reporting job at the Syrian opposition website Orient Net, according…