Foreign Agents Law

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Georgia parliament very close to making harsher ‘foreign agent’ bill a law

New York, March 20, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists expresses deep concern after Georgia’s parliament on March 18 approved a second reading of a foreign agent bill that will most likely become law as early as April, creating an existential threat to Georgia’s independent press. Media groups fear the bill, which ruling party officials call…

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President of Republika Srpska (Serb Republic) Milorad Dodik addresses his supporters reacting to a court decision on charges that he defied rulings by an international peace envoy, in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 26, 2025.

Bosnian Serbs adopt ‘foreign agent’ law targeting independent media

Berlin, March 4, 2025–-The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority territory Republika Srpska to revoke a “foreign agent” law that poses a significant threat to media freedom and civil society. “Republika Srpska authorities should immediately suspend any plans to enforce this ‘foreign agent’ legislation, which mirrors restrictive measures used…

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Turkey parliament

CPJ, partners call on European Commission to act on Turkey’s foreign influence agent bill

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday joined 55 partner organizations in a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, to ask her to act on Turkey’s temporarily shelved foreign “influence agent bill,” which introduces a vaguely defined new offense called “committing a crime against the security or political interests…

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Turkish parliament

Turkey’s parliament expected to vote on ‘foreign agent’ law this week

Istanbul, October 29, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges members of Turkey’s parliament to vote against the foreign “influence agent law” when it comes up for a vote in the Grand National Assembly this week as expected. “Unfortunately, Turkey seems to be following the regional trend of establishing a judicial tool for demonizing and censoring independent…

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Mission to Georgia

CPJ, partners’ mission to Georgia finds ‘climate of fear’ ahead of elections

On October 1-2, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight partner organizations of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists and members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium on a fact-finding mission to Georgia, ahead of the country’s October 26 parliamentary elections. The mission met with civil…

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Hungarian parliament

CPJ, others express solidarity with journalists, NGOs targeted by Hungary’s Russian-style Sovereignty Protection Office

Berlin, June 28, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists joined nine international press freedom and human rights organizations in expressing solidarity with NGOs Transparency International Hungary and Átlátszó, which Hungary authorities have targeted with investigations. The joint statement urged the European Commission and EU Member States to take immediate and decisive action to protect NGOs and…

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Exiled Russian journalist Bogdan Bakaleyko speaks on his YouTube channel on May 19 about being added to the Interior Ministry's wanted list for people it regards as criminals.

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,…

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Demonstrators protest a bill on "foreign agents" near the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 13, 2024. (Photo: Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze)

Georgian parliament passes ‘foreign agent’ law despite widespread opposition

Stockholm, May 14, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled that as thousands of protesters waited for the results amid a heavy police presence equipped with water cannons and riot gear, the Georgian parliament voted Tuesday to adopt the controversial Russian-style “foreign agents” law that would target foreign-funded media. Georgian President Salome…

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Unknown people put posters outside the offices of Gela Mtivlishvili, editor-in-chief of the independent website Mountain News, (left) and Nino Zuriashvili, head of documentary-maker Studio Monitor, denouncing them as 'foreign agents.' (Photos: Georgian News, Studio Monitor)

Georgian journalists threatened after covering ‘foreign agent’ law protests

Stockholm, May 10, 2024—Georgian authorities should thoroughly investigate widespread harassment and threats against journalists covering a bill that would designate media outlets as “foreign agents” and Parliament should reject the draft law, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Since May 7, more than 30 journalists covering the bill “on transparency of foreign influence” and…

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Giorgi Baskhajauri (left) and Nurlan Gahramanli (right) are two of at least four journalist who were assaulted while covering protests against Georgia's "On Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill. (Photos: Courtesy of Giorgi Baskhajauri and Nurlan Gahramanli)

Georgian police assault at least 4 journalists covering ‘foreign agents’ bill protests

Stockholm, April 19, 2024—The Georgian Parliament should reject a draft law that would designate media outlets as “foreign agents,” and the authorities should investigate allegations of police brutality against journalists, hold those responsible accountable, and protect media members reporting on the ongoing protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. On April 17, the…

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