Belarusian journalist Yury Hantsarevich sentenced to 2.5 years on extremism charges
Stockholm, July 14, 2022 – In response to a Belarus court’s sentencing of journalist Yury Hantsarevich to two years and six months in prison on an extremism charge Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for authorities not to contest his appeal. “Sentenced today for taking photographs, Yury Hantsarevich is merely…
Italian police seize and search journalist Francesco Pesante’s phone in leak investigation
Berlin, July 14, 2022 – Italian authorities should drop any investigation into journalist Francesco Pesante and refrain from harassing members of the press in leak investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On June 21, police in the southern town of Foggia summoned Pesante, managing director of the news website L’Immediato, to appear for…
Journalist Slava Radulov ejected from parliamentary session in Moldova
Paris, July 14, 2022 — Authorities in Moldova should investigate journalist Slava Radulov’s recent expulsion from covering a public parliamentary meeting, and ensure that the members of the press can work freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 5, Dmitry Konstantinov, chair of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia in…
Tajikistan authorities arrest 2 journalists who criticized other journalists’ detentions
New York, July 14, 2022 – Tajik authorities should immediately provide information on the whereabouts of journalist Zavqibek Saidamini and blogger Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda and ensure they are released from custody at once, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the evening of July 8, plainclothes law enforcement officers in the capital, Dushanbe, detained Saidamini,…
Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva convicted of treason, sentenced to additional 8 years imprisonment
Paris, July 13, 2022 — In response to a Belarusian court’s conviction Wednesday of journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva on treason charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement condemning the decision. “By convicting journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva on ludicrous treason charges only a few months before the end of her first prison term, Belarusian authorities…
Russian authorities move to shutter journalist union JMWU over Ukraine war content
Paris, July 11, 2022 — In response to news reports that the Moscow prosecutor’s office has requested the closure of the independent Russian Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) trade group, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for authorities to cease harassing the union and to let it work freely: “Russian…
At least 5 journalists face court hearings over reporting in Belarus
Paris, July 11, 2022 – Authorities in Belarus should immediately stop harassing and prosecuting members of the press, and release all journalists imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. This week, at least four members of the press are scheduled to appear in court because of their work, and another was…
Ukraine: Guide to movement of personal protective equipment
For journalists operating in hostile environments, having the correct safety equipment such as helmets and flak jackets can be the difference between life and death. Nowhere has this been clearer than in Ukraine, where personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply, and where journalists have been gravely – and even fatally – injured throughout…
Russian journalist Andrei Alekseyev injured by shrapnel in Donetsk
Paris, July 6, 2022 – Ukrainian and Russian authorities should ensure that all journalists covering the war in Ukraine can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, July 4, Andrei Alekseyev, an assistant camera operator with the Russian public broadcaster TV Centre, was hit by shrapnel in his head…
Kazakhstan journalist Makhambet Abzhan detained for alleged extortion
Stockholm, July 6, 2022 – Kazakhstan authorities should release journalist Makhambet Abzhan immediately, and ensure that members of the press are not prosecuted in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the morning of Sunday, July 3, officers from the official Anticorruption Agency in the capital, Nur-Sultan, detained Abzhan, an…