Russian court sentences journalist Andrey Novashov to 8 months of correctional labor
Paris, March 6, 2023 – In response to multiple news reports that a Russian court Monday sentenced journalist Andrey Novashov to eight months of correctional labor, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Russian journalist Andrey Novashov’s case demonstrates how authorities are using wartime censorship measures to silence members of the…
Russian legislature adopts bill extending censorship on war reporting
Paris, March 2, 2023 – In response to multiple news reports that the lower house of the Russian parliament adopted amendments on Thursday, March 2, to expand existing penalties for spreading “fake” information about or discrediting participants on Russia’s side of the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of…
Turkish authorities jail 2 journalists over earthquake coverage, detain a third overnight
Istanbul, March 2, 2023–Turkish authorities should immediately release two journalists detained over their coverage of the recent earthquakes in the country and ensure that members of the press do not face criminal charges for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the evening of Monday, February 27, police in the eastern province…
Slovak radio host Marta Jančkárová receives death threats following bias allegation
Berlin, March 2, 2023 — Slovak authorities should follow through on pledges to ensure the safety of radio host Marta Jančkárová and her family and thoroughly investigate death threats made against them as a result of her work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Jančkárová, who hosts the weekly debate show Sobotné Dialógy (Saturday…
CPJ, press freedom groups express support for Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr following libel verdict
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 12 other international press freedom organizations reiterated their support on Wednesday for journalist Carole Cadwalladr after the U.K. Court of Appeal ruled in a libel lawsuit against her on February 28. Cadwalladr reports for the Guardian newspaper and its Sunday sister paper, the Observer. Millionaire businessman and political donor…
Georgia draft laws seek to brand media outlets as foreign agents
Stockholm, March 1, 2023 – Georgian legislators should reject attempts to designate media outlets as foreign agents, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 20, the Georgian Parliament approved for further discussion a draft bill that would require media outlets and nongovernmental organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign…
Three journalists face criminal investigation in Bosnia and Herzegovina leak probe
Berlin, March 1, 2023 – Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities should immediately drop an investigation into three journalists with the print daily EuroBlic and privately owned news website SrpskaInfo, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 24, police in the northwestern city of Banja Luka questioned crime reporter Nikola Morača on suspicion of violating…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül sentenced to 10 months in prison under new disinformation law
Tatvan, Turkey, February 28, 2023 – A court in Turkey on Tuesday, February 28, sentenced journalist Sinan Aygül to 10 months in prison for allegedly spreading disinformation, according to news reports. Aygül is the first journalist prosecuted under Turkey’s new disinformation amendment, passed in October 2022, that CPJ has documented. He remains free pending an…
Editor Tamás Bodoky on threats to Hungary’s independent media funding
“Átlátszó” means “transparent” in Hungarian. Since launching an independent nonprofit media outlet under that name, editor-in-chief Tamás Bodoky and his colleagues have worked hard to live up to it, publishing detailed funding reports on their website, he told CPJ in a recent interview. But that hasn’t stopped pro-government institutions from accusing Átlátszó of serving foreign…
CPJ calls on authorities to arrest organizers of attacks on independent journalists in Kazakhstan
Stockholm, February 23, 2023 – Kazakh authorities must thoroughly investigate a fresh wave of attacks on independent journalists and ensure that all involved are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In at least four incidents since February 5, journalists and their family members in various cities across Kazakhstan have faced attacks…