Russia expels Austrian journalist Maria Knips-Witting in retaliatory response
Berlin, June 14, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the expulsion of Austrian journalist Maria Knips-Witting from Russia and calls on the country’s authorities to immediately reinstate the journalist’s credentials and cease turning journalists into political pawns. Russian authorities revoked the accreditation of Knips-Witting, a journalist with the Moscow bureau of public broadcaster Austrian Radio…
Moscow court orders arrest in absentia of exiled journalist, 2 others face administrative charges
Berlin, June 7, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists decries Russian authorities’ crackdown on independent media outlets and exiled journalists, and urges them to cease their harassment immediately. On Wednesday, June 5, the Basmanny district court in the capital, Moscow, ordered the arrest in absentia of exiled journalist Dmitry Kolezev, saying that he distributed false information…
Russia extends detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva for 2 months
New York, May 31, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly denounced a Russian court’s Friday decision to extend the pretrial detention of U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until August 5 and called for her immediate release. “U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has spent more than seven months behind bars for no reason except her work, and she…
Russian authorities prosecute, fine Meduza journalists
Berlin, May 30, 2024—Russian authorities must end the prosecution and harassment of journalists connected with the Latvia-based independent news site Meduza and those who share its content, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On May 2, the Cheryomushki district court in the Russian capital Moscow initiated administrative proceedings against Galina Timchenko, head of Meduza,…
Pegasus spyware targeted exiled journalists from Russia, Latvia, Belarus, report finds
New York, May 30, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by a Thursday report by rights group Access Now and research organization Citizen Lab alleging that Pegasus spyware was used to surveil at least five journalists. The report, “Exiled, then spied on: Civil society in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland targeted with Pegasus spyware,”…
Russia confirms detention of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina
New York, May 29, 2024—Russian authorities must immediately release Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina and end the practice of illegally detaining Ukrainian journalists in occupied territories, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “CPJ strongly denounces Russian authorities’ detention of journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who went missing 300 days ago while reporting in Russian-occupied Ukraine,” said Gulnoza…
Russia bans news site SOTA, penalizes 3 ‘foreign agent’ journalists
Berlin, May 22, 2024—Russian authorities must immediately halt their criminalization of journalists and independent media outlets by labeling them as “undesirable” and by issuing punitive sanctions against those they deem “foreign agents,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 16, the prosecutor general’s office banned SOTA, one of Russia’s last independent news outlets,…
Russia puts Forbes journalist under house arrest, detains 2 others
Berlin, May 1, 2024—Russian authorities must drop legal proceedings against Sergey Mingazov, a journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, and detained journalists Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin and ensure that members of the press are not imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On April 27, a court in the city of Khabarovsk…
Russian authorities raid journalist Ksenia Klochkova´s apartment
Berlin, April 22, 2024— The raid on Fontanka journalist Ksenia Klochkova’s home underscores the ongoing erosion of Russia’s press freedoms, and authorities should immediately end all harassment and punitive actions against journalists in connection with their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On April 18, officers with the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (SKR)…
Russia orders exiled journalist Mikhail Zygar’s arrest in absentia
New York, April 16, 2024—Russian authorities must drop all legal proceedings against journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar and cease their ongoing repression of independent journalism, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday. On April 16, a Moscow court ordered that Zygar, the former editor-in-chief of the now-exiled Russian broadcaster Dozhd TV (TV Rain) and a CPJ 2014…