Attacks on the Press 2009: Russia
Top Developments• International community intensifies pressure to halt impunity.• Authorities restart investigations into Klebnikov, Politkovskaya murders. Key Statistic 19: Journalists murdered in retaliation for their work since 2000. Murder convictions have been won in one case. After a deadly decade for the press, the tone set by the Kremlin appeared to have changed. President Dmitry Medvedev said…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Ukraine
Top Developments• Broadcast media face strong political pressure.• Ex-Interior Ministry official arrested in Gongadze murder. Key Statistic 5: Years since the Orange Revolution. Optimism has since dimmed. A deep recession, tensions with neighboring Russia, and a coming presidential election placed greater stress on the country’s already weak and fractured political leadership. While the media remained freer and…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Uzbekistan
Top Developments• Nation is a persistent jailer of journalists.• Security agents enforce rigid censorship. Key Statistic 4: Years EU human rights sanctions were in place before being lifted in 2009. President Islam Karimov’s authoritarian government held at least seven journalists in prison, retaining its notorious distinction as the region’s leading jailer of journalists. Authorities harassed independent…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Middle East and North Africa Developments
ATTACKS ON THE PRESS: 2009 • Main Index MIDDLE EAST and NORTH AFRICA • Regional Analysis:Human rights coverage spreads despite government pushback Country Summaries • Bahrain • Egypt • Iran • Iraq • Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories • Libya • Morocco • Sudan • Tunisia • Yemen • Other developments ALGERIA Police confiscated a manuscript…
Attacks on the Press 2009: Europe and Central Asia Developments
ATTACKS ON THE PRESS: 2009 • Main Index EUROPE and CENTRAL ASIA Regional Analysis: • Why a killing in Chechnya is an international issue Country Summaries • Armenia • Azerbaijan • Belarus • Croatia • Georgia • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Russia • Ukraine • Uzbekistan• Other developments ALBANIA The independent daily Tema was abruptly…
Kazakh court censors at request of president’s son-in-law
New York, February 4, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a court order issued on Monday that banned all Kazakh media and printing houses from publishing “any information that discredits the honor and dignity” of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s son-in-law, a high-ranking energy executive.
Tajik judges seek millions from weeklies in civil libel case
New York, February 3, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on judges in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, to drop their defamation lawsuits against three popular independent weeklies for damage amounts that would bankrupt them.
Karimov chastises Uzbekistan’s ‘toothless’ reporters
Addressing the joint session of Uzbekistan’s parliament on Wednesday, President Islam Karimov urged his lawmakers to be more active in their work, saying that laws should address public needs, and blaming the local press corps for being “toothless” in its reporting, regional news Web site Ferghana reported. In his speech, available on the parliament’s Web site, Karimov, at…
In Russia, Novaya Gazeta server disabled
We issued the following statement today in response to sustained distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on the server hosting the Web version of the independent Moscow-based newspaper Novaya Gazeta; the Web site has been disabled since January 26 according to newspaper staff who spoke with CPJ…
Journalist charged with defaming Uzbeks, faces 8 years jail
New York, January 22, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Uzbek authorities to immediately drop all charges against Umida Akhmedova, a prominent photojournalist and documentary filmmaker who covers gender, ethnic, and cultural issues, and allow her to continue to do her work without fear of reprisal.