Europe & Central Asia

Paris, February 17, 2022 — Ukrainian authorities should thoroughly investigate the recent harassment of journalist Yaroslav Bondarenko and ensure that members of the media can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the afternoon of Sunday, February 13, a group of five men approached Bondarenko, a camera operator for the independent newspaper…

Brussels February 17, 2022 – European Union ministers should prioritize press freedom reform in Poland when the EU General Affairs Council meets to discuss rule of law concerns in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “When Poland attacks press freedom, it makes a mockery of European Union values,” said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s…

Stockholm, February 15, 2022 – Azerbaijani authorities should investigate allegations of police brutality against three journalists detained while covering a protest and allow all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. This morning, police in the capital Baku detained Fatima Mövlamli, a reporter for independent news site Azadliq,…

Brussels, February 14, 2022 — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen must speak out on media freedom when she meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi this week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday. “Egyptian President el-Sisi has systematically attacked the press, imprisoned journalists, and silenced critical voices,” said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s…

Berlin, February 11, 2022 — Hungarian authorities should not grant state media preferential access to public facilities, and should ensure that independent news outlets can cover the COVID-19 pandemic freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On February 4, the Hungarian government’s executive branch issued a decree empowering the Operational Corps, the government pandemic…

Stockholm, February 10, 2022 – Azerbaijan authorities should repeal a newly enacted media law that increases state control of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Tuesday, February 8, President Ilham Aliyev enacted the law “On Media,” which replaces existing laws governing media outlets, according to news reports and a copy of…

Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – Turkish authorities must allow all news outlets to work freely, and should not use licensing regulations to harass or censor international outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalist said Wednesday. On Wednesday, February 9, two members of the Radio and Television Supreme Council, the government telecommunications regulator known as RTÜK, announced…

Istanbul, February 9, 2022 – In response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s civil lawsuit seeking damages from journalist Sedef Kabaş and TELE1 television board chair Fırat Sakar, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for the complaint to be dropped. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should drop his civil suit against imprisoned…

Paris, February 8, 2022 — Russian authorities should ensure the safety of journalist Elena Milashina and promptly investigate threats made by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov against Milashina and the independent media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Editors at independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta decided to send Milashina, an investigative reporter for the outlet who covers…

As world leaders launch diplomatic offensives to try to stave off a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian journalists are preparing to cover a conflict that could take a catastrophic toll on their country.       Russia’s amassing of troops at its neighbor’s eastern border follows its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 — a…