Russia
2006
Ukrainian TV reporter jailed covering anti-G8 rally
New York, July 17, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the jailing of a Ukrainian television reporter who attempted to cover a demonstration against the Group of Eight (G8) meeting of industrialized nations in St. Petersburg. Maksym Butkevych of the Kyiv-based television channel 1+1, was arrested yesterday while filming police breaking up a…
Independent weekly newspaper’s offices searched
JULY 14, 2006 Posted: August 16, 2006 Orlovskye Novosti HARASSED Police searched the offices of the independent weekly newspaper Orlovskiye Novosti in the western Russian city of Oryol. Five police officers, accompanied by two officials from the local Office of Taxation, stated that the newspaper had failed to pay taxes. “The chief editor, Andrei Kanatnikov,…
German student journalists jailed on the eve of G8 summit
New York, July 14, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the arrests on Sunday of Eike Korfhage and Henning Wallerius, photography students at the University of Bielefeld, Germany, and reporters for their campus radio station Hertz 87.9. Korfhage and Wallerius had traveled to St. Petersburg to report on protests surrounding the Group of…
As G8 summit nears, CPJ urges examination of Russia’s press record
New York, July 13, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations to raise concerns about Russia’s press freedom record when they gather in St. Petersburg on Saturday. CPJ is particularly alarmed by Russia’s record of impunity in the murders of a dozen journalists since 2000. In a June…
Russia: Two years after Klebnikov’s murder, still no justice
New York, July 7, 2006 — Two years after the contract-style killing of Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov, his assassins remain at large and judicial secrecy and procedural issues have crippled his family’s quest for justice. Klebnikov, a 41-year-old U.S. journalist of Russian descent, was shot outside his Moscow office on July 9, 2004, in…
Russian Authorities deny British journalist entry visa
New York, July 5, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that Russian authorities have refused an entry visa to British journalist Thomas de Waal. The Moscow-based Union of Russia’s Journalists (RUJ) had invited de Waal to present his book on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was translated into Russian last year. The…
Bill seeks to label critical journalists extremists
New York, June 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a bill before the Russian Parliament that broadens the definition of extremism to include media criticism of public officials. The draft legislation allows for imprisonment of up to three years for journalists, and the suspension or closure of their publication, if convicted of…
Story satirizing Putin’s birth goal prompts government retaliation
New York, May 23, 2006—The Ivanovo regional prosecutor’s office in central Russia has opened a criminal libel investigation against Vladimir Rakhmankov, editor-in-chief of the news Web site Kursiv, for allegedly insulting President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian press reports. On Thursday, Kursiv published an article headlined, “Putin as Russia’s phallic symbol,” in which Rakhmankov satirized…
Opposition editor released from prison after 48-hour delay
New York, May 19, 2006—Authorities in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan today finally implemented a Supreme Court ruling to free editor Viktor Shmakov from pre-trial detention after a 48-hour delay, local media reported. Shmakov, the 63-year-old editor-in-chief of Provintsialniye Vesti (Provincial News), said he believed he was kept in jail for an extra two days…
U.S. House condemns impunity in journalist murders
New York, May 17, 2006—The U.S. House of Representatives has called on Russian authorities to pursue justice in the July 2004 murder of Forbes Russia Editor-in-Chief Paul Klebnikov and the unsolved murders of 11 other journalists in Russia. On Tuesday, the House unanimously approved Resolution 499, urging Russian authorities to “continue inquiries into the murder…