Europe & Central Asia

  
Başaran Düzgün

Cypriot journalist Başaran Düzgün denied entry into Turkey

On November 16, 2022, Cypriot journalist Başaran Düzgün, chief editor for the Cyprus newspaper Havadis, was denied entry to Turkey, reports said. Düzgün told CPJ via messaging app on November 21 that he had been stopped at customs at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul by the passport police, who told him that he was…

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Belarusian journalist Dzmitry Luksha sentenced to 4 years in prison

Paris, December 2, 2022 — In response to a Belarusian court’s sentencing of journalist Dzmitry Luksha to four years in prison on Friday, December 2, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The four-year prison sentence imposed on Dzmitry Luksha, just for doing his job as a journalist, shows that Belarusian…

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CPJ joint mission finds press freedom concerns in Kosovo and Albania

Between November 15 and 18, 2022, CPJ joined a delegation of press freedom groups on missions to Kosovo and Albania to meet with members of the media and officials.  In Kosovo, the delegation found that political interference in press coverage and physical safety are the main concerns for journalists. In Albania, the delegation found that the climate for free…

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CPJ condemns 14-year jail sentences for Crimean journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev

Paris, November 25, 2022 – In response to news reports that a Russian court on Thursday sentenced Crimean Tatar journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev to 14 years in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The draconian 14-year prison sentences for Crimean Tatar journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev demonstrate just how intent Russian authorities are on eliminating any…

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Kyrgyz authorities deport investigative journalist Bolot Temirov to Russia

New York, November 23, 2022—In response to news reports that Kyrgyz authorities on Wednesday deported investigative journalist Bolot Temirov to Russia, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The deportation of Bolot Temirov, a Kyrgyz citizen and arguably Central Asia’s leading anticorruption investigator, is an outrageously irresponsible and vindictive move, which…

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Staff of Serbian newspaper Danas gets email threatening Charlie Hebdo attack

Berlin, November 9, 2022—Serbian authorities should conduct a quick and thorough investigation into the threats made against staff at the privately owned Danas daily newspaper, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure the journalists’ safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Sunday, November 6, an unknown individual from an email address with the…

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Turkish president asked Sweden to deport exiled journalist Bülent Keneş

New York, November 9, 2022 – In response to news reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asked Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to deport exiled journalist Bülent Keneş back to Turkey on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement, warning Sweden to not to set a dangerous precedent by endangering Keneş’ safety: “Under no…

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CPJ asks British authorities to strengthen protection for London-based Iran International staff

Washington, D.C., November 8, 2022—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday asked British authorities to strengthen their protection of threatened staff members of Iran International, a Persian-language news television channel based in London, and demanded that they hold Iranian authorities accountable for transnational crimes. “Time and again Iranian authorities have acted with impunity in attempting…

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Kyrgyzstan freezes Radio Azattyk bank account under money laundering laws

Stockholm, November 4, 2022—Kyrgyz authorities should immediately restore access to the bank account and website of Radio Azattyk, U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s local service, and cease all attempts to obstruct the outlet’s work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Monday, October 31, staff at the local offices of Turkey-based DemirBank…

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Four Greek investigative journalists say intelligence authorities followed them, tracked their phones

Berlin, November 4, 2022—Greek authorities must conduct a quick, transparent, and independent investigation into claims that investigative journalist Tasos Telloglou was stalked and that intelligence officials used cell phone data to surveil him and reporters Thodoris Chondrogiannos, Thanasis Koukakis, and Eliza Triantafillou, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. In an October 24 article and…

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