Europe & Central Asia

New York, February 27, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Swiss authorities to ensure exiled journalist and human rights defender Emin Huseynov’s safety after Huseynov said he was followed on multiple occasions, including by at least one man he said was carrying a gun. “Claims that Emin Huseynov is being surveilled and followed by armed men are deeply…

Istanbul, February 23, 2026—Turkish authorities must free journalist Alican Uludağ without delay and stop actively intimidating the news media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Uludağ, a court reporter for the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, was detained by the police who raided his house in Ankara on the evening of February 19. He was transferred to…

New York, February 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for a swift and thorough investigation into the alleged monitoring of at least 10 Ukrainian journalists covering corruption.  Ukraine’s national police opened a criminal investigation into the alleged surveillance to determine whether the privacy of journalists who cover corruption was violated, according to the February 11 Facebook post…

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its media has experienced an unprecedented crackdown. Hundreds of journalists have been forced into exile, where they continue to face transnational legal persecution, and their families have been harassed back home. Meanwhile, reporting from inside Russia has become increasingly difficult, with journalists and media outlets often silenced…

Berlin, February 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to immediately stop throttling the messaging service Telegram, warning that the restrictions represent a deliberate escalation in the Kremlin’s campaign to curtail access to independent information. Users across Russia have reported widespread disruptions on February 9 and 10, according to data from internet…

New York, February 10, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for a thorough investigation into a recent Russian attack in Ukraine that wounded Igor Levinok, a war correspondent with the privately owned Ukrainian TV channel Inter.  On the morning of February 8, a Russian aerial bomb exploded near the entrance to the building where the Inter TV crew was staying in Kramatorsk,…

Berlin, February 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Italian authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack on two RAI journalists who were assaulted while reporting on a protest, and to ensure that those responsible are held to account. RAI is an Italian public broadcaster. “The physical attack on the RAI crew in Turin is part of a deeply…

New York, February 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgia’s parliament to reject proposed amendments to media and civil society funding laws that would further restrict the country’s shrinking space for independent reporting.  The proposals, which follow last year’s passage of a punitive “foreign agent” law and legislation requiring government approval for foreign grants, widen the definition of a “grant” to…

New York, January 30, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release exiled Iranian journalist Kaveh Taheri and halt all efforts to deport him to Iran, where he faces serious risks, including but not limited to imprisonment. Taheri, an independent and freelance journalist and human rights advocate recognized as a refugee by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees…

Ahead of a February 2 decision by Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court, the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven other human rights groups called on Kyrgyzstan authorities to comply with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s opinion and release journalist Tajibek kyzy without delay. Director of anti-corruption investigative outlets Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese,…