crimea

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RFE/RL contributor Vladislav Yesypenko arrested, accused of espionage in Crimea

New York, March 18, 2021 – Russian authorities should immediately release journalist Vladislav Yesypenko and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 10, Federal Security Service officers in Russian-occupied Crimea detained Yesypenko, a freelance journalist, according to news reports and a lawyer hired by his family, Emil Kurbedinov,…

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Crimean Tatar civic journalists risk persecution to cover their community in Russian-annexed Crimea

After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, some Crimean Tatars–the indigenous population of the Crimean peninsula–had to flee for the Kyiv-controlled part of Ukraine. But most have chosen to remain. As the Russian-appointed new authorities established blanket censorship, squeezing out independent media outlets, a new phenomenon emerged–civic journalism. Members of the Crimean Tatar community–who had not…

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Journalist Nariman Memedeminov's appeal is due to be heard by a Russian miltiary court. (Photo: Crimean Solidarity)

Russian court to hear appeal of Crimean journalist Nariman Memedeminov

New York, May 13, 2020 – Russian authorities should not contest the appeal of Crimean journalist Nariman Memedeminov, ensure his safe return to Crimea, and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (center), head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov (left), and then-Sevastopol Acting Governor Dmitry Ovsyannikov, take part in a video conference in Moscow, December 27, 2016. (Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters)

Crimean journalist faces trial on separatism charges

New York, February 16, 2017–Authorities in Crimea should immediately drop all charges against Mykola (Nikolai) Semena and allow the journalist to work unobstructed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A preliminary hearing in Semena’s trial on charges of separatism is scheduled for tomorrow, according to his employer.

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Russia censors Crimean news website

New York, May 12, 2016 — Authorities in Russia should stop censoring the website of Krym.Realii, the Crimean service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Russian security forces raid homes of Crimean journalists

New York, April 19, 2016 — Russian authorities should stop harassing journalists in Crimea and should allow them to do their work without fear of retribution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Federal Security Service (FSB) officers raided the apartments of at least seven people, including at least three journalists, in Crimea today, according…

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A mural in Sevastopol shows President Vladimir Putin in a Navy uniform. Crimea's press is struggling to survive after Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian region. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Mission Journal: Crimea’s journalists in exile as Russia muzzles free press

“First they asked if my parents had any guns or drugs in the apartment, then they showed my picture to my mother and asked her to identify me,” Anna Andriyevskaya said. The Crimean journalist, who is living in exile in Kiev, was describing a raid on her parents’ home by Russian FSB agents. “Any other…

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Newspapers are sold in Sevastopol in March 2014. Independent journalism has struggled after Crimea was illegally annexed. (AFP/Viktor Drachev)

How patriotism with a Cold War tinge is damaging Crimea’s press

“You should move to Kiev,” I was trying to persuade a friend of mine to leave Crimea. I first met him at the time when cassettes were used in voice recorders, there were no e-mail addresses on business cards, and people preferred to make acquaintances in bars, not online. He asked me not to make…

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In Crimea, press freedom deteriorates at a rapid pace

Dear President Vladimir Putin: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, is writing to express its concern about the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Crimea.

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Authorities in Crimea should allow Ukrainian outlets to broadcast freely

New York, March 24, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Crimea to allow television and radio outlets based in Ukraine to broadcast in the region, following a statement made by Sergey Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed prime minister in Crimea, indicating that Ukrainian broadcasters that have been taken off the air will not be…

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