In Azerbaijan, two journalists jailed for defaming president’s uncle
New York, May 16, 2007—A court in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, sentenced two journalists to 30 months in prison apiece today on charges of defaming President Ilham Aliyev’s uncle. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the verdict to be overturned on appeal, for the journalists to be freed in the meantime, and for the…
Man charged, sought in Politkovskaya murder
New York, May 12, 2008—The Investigative Committee at Russia’s Prosecutor-General’s Office announced today that 34-year-old ethnic Chechen Rustam Makhmudov has been charged in absentia with murdering Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, according to local news reports. The Investigative Committee issued an international warrant for Makhmudov’s arrest. Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told journalists that seven…
Russian police search Novaya Gazeta newsroom, confiscate computers
New York, May 11, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that police in the southern Russian city of Samara have raided the local bureaus of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and the independent news agency Regnum. Three journalists with other news organizations were also detained and interrogated, according to news reports. The…
In sanction talks, EU must consider Uzbek press record
Dear Minister Steinmeier, The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the European Union, to consider the Uzbek government’s appalling press freedom record during your May 14 discussions on the possible lifting of targeted EU sanctions imposed against Uzbekistan in the aftermath of the 2005 Andijan crisis. As Germany holds the EU presidency, we ask you to take a leadership role in bringing this issue to the forefront.
Scorecard: GEORGIA
Positives: Libel is decriminalized. Reporting of state secrets also decriminalized. Assaults on journalists decline slightly. Negatives: Government still harasses media, using such methods as retaliatory tax investigations. Administration pressures media to tone down coverage, replace critical journalists. Pending bill would set a “code of conduct” for news media.
Scorecard: KYRGYZSTAN
Positives: Bakiyev administration shows a more tolerant attitude toward press coverage. President agrees to transform state broadcaster KTR into an independent public station. Negatives: Administration names loyalists to top state media positions, pressures media to tone down coverage. Attacks on journalists and press facilities continue. Bakiyev fails to follow through on pledge to decriminalize libel.
Scorecard: UKRAINE
Positives: Assaults on journalists decline slightly. Suspects charged, tried in Gongadze slaying. Government stops issuing directives dictating news coverage. Advertising market is growing. Negatives: Judicial system remains politicized. Prosecution in Gongadze case does not include suspected masterminds. Pending bill would make libel a criminal offense. Yushchenko has not followed through on promises to reform state…
Journalist freed in Uzbekistan, but conviction stands
New York, May 8, 2007—A Tashkent appellate panel set independent Uzbek journalist Umida Niyazova free from prison today, reducing the jail term handed down last week to a suspended sentence. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed Niyazova’s release but expressed concern at her standing conviction. “We are relieved that our colleague Umida Niyazova is free…
Journalists jailed for inciting religious hatred
New York, May 4, 2007—A court in Azerbaijan jailed two independent journalists today over an article that said Islam was hampering economic and political progress. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which this week named Azerbaijan as one of the top 10 countries where press freedom has deteriorated, condemned the conviction. Reporter Rafiq Tagi and editor…