Belarusian journalist Pavel Padabed sentenced to 4 years in prison
New York, June 30, 2023—In response to a Belarusian court sentencing journalist Pavel Padabed to four years in prison on Friday, June 30, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The sentencing of Belarusian journalist Pavel Padabed to four years’ imprisonment after a hasty two-day trial is a travesty of justice,” said Gulnoza…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering 2023 anti-police protests in France
Violent protests have spread across France and Belgium following the fatal shooting of a 17-old teenager by police during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, June 27. Skirmishes between police and protestors have been reported in cities including Lille, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Montpellier, and the Belgian capital of Brussels….
Azerbaijan police detain, beat journalists covering environmental protest
Stockholm, June 30, 2023—Azerbaijan authorities must ensure journalists can cover protests without obstruction and should investigate reports of police violence against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since June 22, Azerbaijani police have detained, beaten, threatened, or otherwise obstructed the work of at least six journalists reporting on environmental protests…
Protesters throw stones at 5 TV crews covering protests in northern Kosovo
On June 16, 2023, a group of between 15 and 20 protesters threw stones at and chased five ethnic Albanian news crews in the northern Kosovo town of Leposavic, forcing them to flee and abandon their reporting. The news crews worked for Kosovo public broadcaster RTK and private TV stations Tëvë1, RTV Dukagjini, Klan Kosova,…
Russia bans independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, adds to ‘undesirable’ list
New York, June 29, 2023—Russian authorities should stop silencing outlets by labeling them as “undesirable,” and let the independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, June 28, the Russian general prosecutor’s office declared the activity of the outlet’s legal entity, BDR Novaja Gazeta-Europe, “undesirable” and…
Russian authorities request 19-year prison term for journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev
New York, June 29, 2023—Russian authorities should release journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and stop prosecuting reporters for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 22, during a hearing in the Yuzhniy Military Court in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, a prosecutor requested a 19-year prison term for Gadzhiev, the religion editor of…
CPJ joins statement calling for EU to prioritize media freedom and human rights in relations with Turkey
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 19 other journalists organizations and press freedom, human rights, and freedom of expression groups in a joint statement on June 28, 2023, urging the European Union to prioritize media freedom and human rights in dealings with Turkey, following May elections in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice…
Turkish journalist Merdan Yanardağ arrested over political commentary
Istanbul, June 28, 2023—Turkish authorities should release journalist Merdan Yanardağ and stop hindering free speech and commentary in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, June 26, police detained Yanardağ, chief editor for the critical online outlet and TV broadcaster TELE1, at the Istanbul studios of his outlet, after he criticized…
CPJ welcomes pardon for jailed Georgian journalist Nika Gvaramia
New York, June 22, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday welcomed news that journalist Nika Gvaramia was pardoned by Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili. Gvaramia, founder and director of independent broadcaster Mtavari Arkhi, had been serving a 3.5-year prison sentence since May 2022 for alleged abuse of office during his previous role as director of…
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabaş facing new trial for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan
Istanbul, June 22, 2023—In response to an Istanbul court on Thursday, June 22, denying the request to dismiss another charge of “insulting the president” filed against journalist Sedef Kabaş, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Turkish authorities’ persistence in putting journalist Sedef Kabaş on trial for allegedly insulting the president is a…