Russia
2015
CPJ condemns death threats against Elena Milashina, calls for investigation
New York, June 11, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns death threats issued against Elena Milashina, an award-winning investigative reporter for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and Moscow correspondent for CPJ, and calls on authorities to ensure her safety.
CPJ condemns Putin’s decree banning coverage of military casualties
New York, May 28, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s presidential decree that extends a ban on coverage of military casualty figures to “peacetime, during special operations,” as well as in wartime. Such coverage, deemed to be disclosure of state secrets, is punishable by prison terms up to 20 years, according to local press…
Moscow court closes case against accused mastermind in Domnikov murder
New York, May 14, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed that the statute of limitations in the case of the 2000 killing of a Russian journalist ran out with authorities failing to take timely action against the individual accused of being the mastermind.
Media wars create information vacuum in Ukraine
More than a year after the December 2013 mass attack against journalists at Kiev’s Maidan Square, which coincided with the Ukrainian police’s violent dispersal of protesters rallying against the policies of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, the press in the beleaguered nation continue the battle for survival. The biggest problem remains impunity in attacks against journalists.
Russian blogger beaten and warned to leave Dagestan
New York, April 8, 2015–A Russian blogger is under police guard in hospital after being abducted and attacked by at least three masked men in Derbent, in the southern republic of Dagestan, on Sunday, according to news reports citing his account. Vyacheslav Starodubets was forced into a car and taken to the outskirts of the…
In landmark case, Russia charges alleged mastermind in Domnikov murder
In an unprecedented move, investigators in Moscow officially filed charges today against Sergei Dorovskoi, a former deputy governor of Lipetsk region who is accused of being behind the murder of Igor Domnikov, according to Novaya Gazeta.
In Russia, last key suspect charged in 2000 murder of Igor Domnikov
New York, March 11, 2015–Moscow investigators today charged former regional governor Sergei Dorovskoi in the 2000 attack on Novaya Gazeta journalist Igor Domnikov that led to the journalist’s death, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the move and calls on authorities to move quickly and thoroughly to resolve the case.
Murder of Boris Nemtsov highlights Russia’s impunity record
The brazen contract-style killing of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on Friday night–carried out within range of a dozen security cameras and yards from the Kremlin walls in Moscow–serves as a grim reminder of the risks government critics face in Russia.