Europe & Central Asia

New York, November 26, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia to immediately launch an investigation to find all those responsible for a vicious attack on three television journalists and a prominent human rights advocate in the early hours on Saturday. Artyom Vysotsky, Stanislav Goryachikh, and Karen…

New York, November 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the effective closure last week of the local edition of the Moscow-based independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta in the southern city of Samara and the criminal indictment of the edition’s editor for alleged use of counterfeit software. On Thursday, Samara police raided the local bureau and…

New York, November 12, 2007—Azerbaijani newspaper editor Genimet Zahidov of the prominent opposition daily Azadlig (Freedom) was given two months of pre-trial detention on Sunday while authorities investigate charges of “hooliganism” and inflicting “minor bodily harm.” Zahidov was arrested and sent to a Baku pre-trial detention center the same day. The two charges brought against…

New York, November 8, 2007—The Georgian government should immediately allow two private television stations to resume broadcasting, and it must lift a ban on news-gathering imposed on all other private broadcasters, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today. The government shut two popular Tbilisi-based television channels shortly before declaring a state of emergency Wednesday night.…

New York, November 7, 2007—The editor-in-chief of a pro-government daily paper in Azerbaijan has been sentenced to prison on criminal defamation and insult charges, making him the eighth journalist in the country currently serving jail time. This imprisonment cements Azerbaijan position at the top of the list of countries jailing journalists in Europe and Central…

Washington, November 1, 2007—A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists met with the Kyrgyz ambassador to the United States, Zamira Sydykova, today to express alarm at the murder of independent journalist Alisher Saipov in the southern city of Osh last week. “There are strong reasons to believe that Alisher Saipov was murdered because of…

Elisabeth Witchel discusses CPJ’s campaign against impunity in journalist murders

Did a respected military reporter really jump to his death? In the case of Ivan Safronov, there are many questions, few answers, and not much hope.

WASHINGTON–In August 2 testimony on Capitol Hill, CPJ urged the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe to use diplomatic pressure to combat impunity in journalist murders in Russia and other former Soviet states. Here are excerpts of remarks given by Nina Ognianova, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.