In Greece, reporters’ killings unsolved, critical journalists complain of growing threats
In Greece, two unsolved journalist killings over the last 12 years as well as threats of violence and physical attacks against reporters have contributed to a climate of fear and self-censorship. Adding to the sense of insecurity is the wiretapping of two reporters by Greek intelligence services; a phone belonging to one of the two reporters was also infected by spyware. On a fact-finding mission…
CPJ: Kyrgyzstan’s block of RFE/RL website ‘a flagrant act of censorship’
Stockholm, October 27, 2022 – Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy on Wednesday announced a two-month block of the website of Radio Azattyk, the local service of U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, under the country’s false information law after the outlet refused to remove a video report on recent border…
Belarus court sentences journalist Siarhei Satsuk to 8 years in prison
Paris, October 26, 2022 – Belarusian authorities must immediately release Siarhei Satsuk, who was sentenced to eight years in prison, along with all other journalists currently behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Wednesday, October 26, a court in Minsk, the capital, found Satsuk, chief editor of the independent Yezhednevnik news website,…
At least 11 journalists in custody after police raids in Turkey
Istanbul, October 25, 2022—Turkish authorities should immediately release the Kurdish journalists in police custody and stop harassing them with secret investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. Early Tuesday morning, Turkish police simultaneously raided several homes and one newsroom in the cities of Ankara, Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Mardin, Urfa, and Van, as part of…
Jailed Tajik journalist Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda describes severe physical abuse, forced confession in letter
Stockholm, October 25, 2022 – Tajikistan authorities must provide a complete and convincing response to allegations that jailed journalist Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda has been subjected to severe physical abuse and mistreatment, and that he and other jailed journalists were forced to record false confessions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Friday, October 21, the…
Pro-government Turkish daily Sabah publishes locations of exiled journalists
New York, October 24, 2022—Turkish authorities and their allies at pro-government media outlets should take steps not to expose the physical locations of exiled journalists, which puts them at great risk, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. The leading pro-government Turkish daily newspaper Sabah revealed the locations of at least three exiled Turkish journalists…
CPJ welcomes final sentencing over Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack
Berlin, October 24, 2022 – A court in Paris on Thursday sentenced Ali Riza Polat to life imprisonment for complicity in a terrorist attack and Amar Ramdani to 13 years for conspiring with the attackers during the 2015 attack on the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo. “CPJ welcomes the sentencing of Ali Riza Polat…
Proposed amendments to Georgia’s broadcasting law raise censorship fears
Stockholm, October 21, 2022—Georgian authorities should withdraw contested amendments to the country’s broadcasting law and work with stakeholders to devise a regulatory framework that enjoys broad industry support, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. In a first reading on September 20, Georgia’s parliament passed a package of amendments to the country’s broadcasting law that…
CPJ condemns 10-year prison sentence for Tajik journalist Daler Imomali
Stockholm, October 18, 2022—In response to news reports that independent journalist Daler Imomali on Monday, October 17, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Tajikistan on multiple charges related to his reporting, including participation in banned organizations, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement condemning the ruling: “From the start, it has…
SOTA, one of the last independent news outlets in Russia, doubles down on coverage
Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia has sought to stamp out independent reporting on the war, prompting journalists to flee and newsrooms to shut down or to self-censor under threat of criminal prosecution. Remarkably, one local outlet has continued to produce robust reporting despite the repressive environment. SOTA, which counts a staff of 40 journalists and support workers,…