Europe & Central Asia

Istanbul, October 21, 2025—The authorities in Turkey should ensure the security of journalists Rabia Önver, Şule Aydın, and Murat Ağırel, each of whom have received threats recently due to their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.  “The threats targeting journalists Rabia Önver, Şule Aydın, and Murat Ağırel are worrying, especially at a time when physical…

Berlin, October 20, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Italian authorities to swiftly identify and prosecute those responsible for a car bomb that targeted investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci on October 17, 2025. The explosive device detonated outside Ranucci’s home in Pomezia, south of Rome, destroying his car and damaging another family vehicle and the property’s gate, as seen here in a video. No…

Istanbul, October 15, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Turkish authorities to investigate the armed assault on journalist Nafiz Koca and determine whether it was carried out in retaliation for his work.  Koca, chair of the Elazığ Press and Media Society and publisher of the local newspapers Günışığı and Yeni Ufuk in the eastern province of Elazığ,…

The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight partner organizations urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday to raise the issue of the escalating press freedom crisis in the Western Balkans, particularly in Serbia, during her visit to the region this week. The joint statement highlights the severe deterioration of press freedom in…

On the eve of the anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, CPJ joins 17 press freedom and journalists’ organizations to call on Malta to set up a national action plan on media freedom and journalist safety.  Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack on October 16, 2017….

Istanbul, October 14, 2025—CPJ demands that Turkish authorities conduct a comprehensive investigation into the death of freelance reporter and documentary filmmaker Hakan Tosun to determine whether his killing was in retaliation for his journalism. Istanbul police have arrested two suspects, who have not yet been charged. “The death of filmmaker Hakan Tosun is tragic and must be…

Istanbul, October 6, 2025—Turkish authorities in the eastern province of Elazığ must investigate the recent assault of journalist Evren Demirdaş and ensure his attackers and anyone behind the assault are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On October 1, three men beat the journalist and broke his nose. Demirdaş, the Elazığ reporter for the…

New York, October 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing of French photojournalist Antoni Lallican in a Russian drone attack on Friday.  “CPJ is deeply alarmed by the Russian drone strike that killed French journalist Antoni Lallican and injured Ukrainian photojournalist Heorhii Ivanchenko, and calls on Russian and Ukrainian authorities to immediately investigate…

New York, October 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to repeal restrictive new laws covering foreign donor grants as Georgian authorities open investigations into the funding of at least five independent news outlets and a leading press association. Earlier this year, the Georgian Dream party overhauled legislation governing the foreign donor funding on which many independent…

New York, October 1, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to end the prosecution of Russian journalist Svetlana Khustik, who faces up to 10 years on charges of spreading “fake” information about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and to release her immediately. On September 30, a court in the east-central city of Krasnoyarsk placed her under arrest for two months,…