Crimean journalist forced into exile after interrogation
New York, September 9, 2014–Independent reporter and blogger Elizaveta Bogutskaya has fled Crimea after authorities in the peninsula raided her home on Monday, confiscated notebooks and other reporting equipment, and detained Bogutskaya for six hours over allegations of extremist activity, according to news reports.
Russian photojournalist Andrei Stenin killed in Ukraine
New York, September 3, 2014–Russian authorities and news outlets reported today that Andrei Stenin, the 33-year-old Russian photojournalist for the state-owned news agency Rossiya Segodnya, who went missing in Ukraine in early August, was killed in the country’s Donetsk region. “We condemn the killing of Andrei Stenin, which calls attention once again to the dangers…
Journalist severely beaten in Nakhchivan republic of Azerbaijan
New York, August 29, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the savage beating of Ilgar Nasibov, an independent journalist and human rights defender based in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR)–a mountainous exclave of Azerbaijan where the practice of journalism is severely restricted.
Ukraine must reverse ban on Russian TV channels
New York, August 20, 2014–On Tuesday, Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov ordered cable operators in the country to stop airing 14 Russian TV channels in an effort to curb Russia’s war propaganda, according to news reports. The Interior Ministry cited Russia’s decision to ban Ukrainian TV channels in Crimea as a justification for…
Journalist’s death in North Caucasus calls for independent investigation
On July 31, 26-year-old reporter, blogger, and civil activist Timur Kuashev disappeared in Nalchik, the regional capital of Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkariya. When such news breaks in the volatile region–where journalists and human rights defenders are slaughtered regularly and with impunity–families prepare for the worst. The next day, a body resembling Kuashev’s turned…
French news site Rue89 suffers cyberattacks, staffers harassed
Brussels, August 13, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns repeated cyberattacks on Paris-based news website Rue89 and the harassment of members of its staff and their families since the site published a profile of an Internet hacker last month.
Ukraine must clarify status of Russian journalist
New York, August 12, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ukrainian authorities to clarify the status of Andrei Stenin, the Russian photojournalist for the state news agency Rossiya Segodnya (previously RIA Novosti) who was reported missing on August 5 in eastern Ukraine. According to Russian news reports, Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of…
Russian photojournalist missing in eastern Ukraine
New York, August 11, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the safety of Andrei Stenin, Russian photojournalist for the state news agency Rossiya Segodnya (previously RIA Novosti). The agency said it had not heard from Stenin since August 5, when he was reporting on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including from the cities…
Turkish prime minister publicly chastises Economist correspondent
New York, August 8, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by comments made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against a journalist on Thursday. At an election rally in southern Turkey, Erdoğan called Amberin Zaman, local correspondent for The Economist, “a shameless militant disguised under the name of a journalist,” and urged her to…
In Azerbaijan, media watchdog raided, equipment confiscated
New York, August 8, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to stop harassing the Baku-based media freedom group Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety. Detectives with Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office raided the IRFS premises today, the local press reported. A journalist who was at the raid told CPJ that the detectives confiscated…