Belarus arrests journalist Raman Pratasevich after diverting flight to Minsk
New York, May 23, 2021—In response to news reports that Belarusian authorities today diverted a commercial passenger flight to Minsk in order to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are shocked by today’s action, even as President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s government has increasingly strangled the press in Belarus…
Journalist Nurgeldi Halykov jailed in Turkmenistan since September 2020 on fraud charges
Stockholm, May 21, 2021 – Turkmen authorities should immediately release journalist Nurgeldi Halykov from prison and allow him and all other journalists to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 15, 2020, the Bagtyýarlyk District Court in Ashgabat, the capital, sentenced Halykov, a freelance correspondent working for the independent Netherlands-based news…
Demonstrators throw rocks, firecrackers at news crews in Berlin
Berlin, May 20, 2021 — German authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate recent attacks on journalists covering protests, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that reporters can cover events of public interest safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 15, members of a pro-Palestine protest in Berlin attacked at least three…
Unidentified men attack crews with Georgian public broadcaster Pirveli Arkhi
New York, May 19, 2021 – Georgian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate recent attacks on employees of the Pirveli Arkhi public broadcaster and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 17, unidentified men attacked and verbally harassed film crews working with the broadcaster in the…
French broadcaster director Jean-Jacques Basier threatened over decision to pull Joan of Arc documentary
Berlin, May 19, 2021 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats made to Jean-Jacques Basier and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since April 30, anonymous people have made phone calls, sent letters, and left online comments containing threats to Basier, the Centre-Val de Loire regional director of the…
Belarusian authorities raid 3 offices of Tut.by, detain journalists in tax case
Vilnius, Lithuania, May 18, 2021 — Belarusian authorities must allow the independent news website Tut.by to work freely, and should immediately and unconditionally release all of its employees in custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, officers of the Belarus Financial Investigation Department raided Tut.by’s headquarters in Minsk, the capital, its regional offices…
Russia freezes RFE/RL bureau’s accounts, designates news website VTimes as ‘foreign agent’
New York, May 17, 2021 – Russian authorities should unfreeze the accounts of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and cease labeling outlets as “foreign agents,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 14, Russian authorities froze the local bank accounts of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for allegedly failing to pay…
Tut.by reporter Lyubov Kasperovich sentenced to 15 days for covering trial
Vilnius, Lithuania, May 17, 2021 — Belarusian authorities must immediately release journalist Lyubov Kasperovich and stop persecuting members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, the Maskouvsky District Court in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, sentenced Kasperovich, a reporter for Belarusian independent news website Tut.by, to 15 days of detention,…
New Tajikistan licensing rules restrict independent reporting, increase state fees
Stockholm, May 17, 2021 – Tajik authorities should rescind new licensing regulations for independent television and radio stations and ensure that all media outlets in the country can operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 10, the Television and Radio Committee, the state-run media regulator, announced new licensing rules for privately…
Belarusian authorities detain 2 journalists covering opposition trial
Vilnius, Lithuania, May 13, 2021 — Belarusian authorities must release journalists Alyaksandr Burakau and Uladzimir Laptsevich immediately, drop all charges against them, and cease jailing members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, police in the eastern city of Mohilev arrested Burakau, a freelance reporter working with German…