Europe & Central Asia

Berlin, March 28, 2022 – In response to an announcement Monday that the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta would suspend publication after receiving a warning from the country’s media regulator, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of concern: “In their attempt to quash all independent coverage of the war in Ukraine, Russian…

Paris, March 25, 2022 – Russian authorities should stop harassing journalists from the independent news website Sota.Vision, and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since March 7, authorities have detained at least seven journalists with Sota.Vision, including two who were sentenced to multiple days in…

As journalists flee Russia fearing prosecution for their coverage of the invasion of Ukraine or their affiliation with outlets deemed “foreign agents,” the country’s Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) is trying to help them. A non-governmental trade union with some 600 active members, the group defends labor rights, provides assistance to journalists, and stands…

New York, March 25, 2022 – Georgian authorities should thoroughly investigate two recent attacks on camera crews working for independent and pro-opposition television stations Mtavari Arkhi and Formula TV and ensure that all perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. At around 7 p.m. on March 17, Formula TV reporter…

Berlin, March 25, 2022 — Iceland authorities must ensure that journalists are not subject to police investigations as retaliation for their work, and should drop their criminal probe into journalists who recently covered the Samherji fishing company, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. In November 2019, Iceland’s public broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), the privately owned…

Istanbul, March 24, 2022 – Turkish authorities should thoroughly investigate a recent threat against journalist Altan Sancar, determine whether it was related to his work, and ensure the journalist’s safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday around 12:30 a.m., Sancar, a reporter for independent news website Diken and independent online radio Özgürüz…

Paris, March 23, 2022 — In response to the death of Russian journalist Oksana Baulina amid Russian forces’ attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the safety of journalists and all civilians to be respected during the conflict: “We are profoundly saddened by the death of…

Paris, March 23, 2022 — Russian authorities should stop harassing independent journalists and let all members of the press work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 5, officers with the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Center for Combating Extremism and the OMON special riot police raided the office of Pskovskaya Guberniya, an…

Berlin, March 22, 2022 — Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Andrey Novashov, drop all charges against him, and refrain from threatening journalists with prison over their work and commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, March 21, authorities in the Siberian region of Kemerovo detained Novashov, a reporter with the U.S. Congress-funded…

Paris, March 22, 2022 – Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin should come forward at once, and Russian and Ukrainian security forces should ensure that journalists can cover the conflict safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On March 13, Levin, a freelance photojournalist and documentary filmmaker who has…