Russian court summons Kazakh outlet Arbat.Media over Ukraine war coverage
Paris, February 3, 2023 – Russian authorities must stop their efforts to silence reporting on the country’s invasion of Ukraine and stop harassing foreign outlets covering the conflict, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 24, the Leninsky District Court in the western city of Vladimir summoned the Kazakhstan-based independent news website Arbat.Media…
Russian authorities outlaw independent outlet Meduza
Paris, January 26, 2023 — Russian authorities should let the independent news website Meduza work freely and should cease banning outlets and labeling them as undesirable organizations and foreign agents, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Thursday, January 26, the Russian general prosecutor’s office declared the activity of the Medusa Project, the news…
Russia orders journalists Ilya Makarov and Maksim Litvinchuk detained for 15 days
Paris, January 25, 2023 — Russian authorities should immediately release journalists Ilya Makarov and Maksim Litvinchuk and let all members of the press work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On January 19, police in Moscow detained the two reporters for the independent online outlet Sota.Vision while they reported on a local government…
Deadly year for journalists as killings rose sharply in 2022
By Jennifer Dunham/CPJ Deputy Editorial Director Published January 24, 2023 Key Takeaways | Methodology | 2022 Killed Data | Interactive Map | Video The year 2022 was deadly for members of the press. At least 67 journalists and media workers were killed during the year–the highest number since 2018 and an almost 50% increase from…
Forensic tools open new front for using phone data to prosecute journalists
On April 13, police in Russia’s Khakassiya republic arrested Mikhail Afanasyev and seized his digital devices. Afanasyev, chief editor of the online magazine Novy Fokus, was detained based on an article about riot police in southern Siberia refusing to serve in Ukraine. He faces a possible 10-year prison sentence for spreading “false” information. It’s not surprising for…
Russian journalist Valery Badmayev charged with ‘discrediting’ the army
Paris, December 13, 2022 — Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Valery Badmayev and stop harassing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 9, officials with the Russian Investigative Committee detained Badmayev, editor-in-chief of the Sovremennaya Kalmykia newspaper in Elista, the capital of the southern Republic…
CPJ condemns 14-year jail sentences for Crimean journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev
Paris, November 25, 2022 – In response to news reports that a Russian court on Thursday sentenced Crimean Tatar journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev to 14 years in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The draconian 14-year prison sentences for Crimean Tatar journalists Osman Arifmemetov and Rustem Sheikhaliev demonstrate just how intent Russian authorities are on eliminating any…
Killing with impunity: Vast majority of journalists’ murderers go free
By Jennifer Dunham/CPJ Deputy Editorial Director No one has been held to account in nearly 80% of journalist murders during the last 10 years, CPJ’s 2022 Global Impunity Index found, and governments show little interest in tackling the issue. Published November 1, 2022 Statistical table | Methodology | Database: All journalists murdered for their work…
SOTA, one of the last independent news outlets in Russia, doubles down on coverage
Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia has sought to stamp out independent reporting on the war, prompting journalists to flee and newsrooms to shut down or to self-censor under threat of criminal prosecution. Remarkably, one local outlet has continued to produce robust reporting despite the repressive environment. SOTA, which counts a staff of 40 journalists and support workers,…
Russian journalists arrested, detained, charged, summonsed during anti-mobilization protests
Paris, September 26, 2022—Russian authorities must allow the media to report freely on protests against the country’s call-up of reservists to bolster its forces in Ukraine and stop using the threat of conscription against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At least three journalists were arrested, at least 16 more were detained, at…