Russia / Europe & Central Asia

  
Image of three journalists spliced together.

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,”…

Read More ›

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…

Read More ›

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,…

Read More ›

Sergey Mingazov (left), seen after he was released to house arrest on April 27, is one of several journalists targeted by Russian authorities in ongoing attacks on press freedom. (Screenshot: 7x7/Telegram)

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…

Read More ›

On April 18, Russian authorities raided Fontanka correspondent Ksenia Klochkova's apartment in St. Petersburg. (Photo: St. Petersburg Union of Journalists)

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)…

Read More ›

Journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar in an August 2023 interview with Washington Post Live. (Screenshot: Washington Post Live/YouTube)

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…

Read More ›

CPJ honored Mikhail Zygar, then editor-in-chief of the independent Russian TV station Dozhd, with its 2014 International Press Freedom Award. Here he speaks with The Associated Press in Moscow, January 30, 2014. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia issues arrest warrant for exiled journalist Mikhail Zygar

New York, April 9, 2024—Russian authorities must drop all charges against Russian journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar and stop harassing exiled members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. “The shameful issuing of an arrest warrant for Mikhail Zygar by the Russian authorities shows both their determination to intimidate journalists in exile…

Read More ›

CPJ condemns Russian journalist Igor Kuznetsov’s 6-year prison sentence 

New York, April 5, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the conviction and six-year prison sentence issued to Russian journalist Igor Kuznetsov on Friday and called on authorities to drop all charges, and release him immediately. A Moscow court convicted Kuznetsov, a reporter with the independent news website RusNews, on charges of inciting mass disturbances…

Read More ›

Russia extends detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva by 2 months

New York, April 1, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned a Russian court’s decision on Monday to extend the pretrial detention of U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until June 5 and called for her immediate release. “Russian authorities have been holding journalist Alsu Kurmasheva for over five months on charges directly connected with her journalistic work. Today’s extension…

Read More ›

Russia detained journalist Antonina Favorskaya for 2 months for reporting on late opposition leader Navalny

New York, March 29, 2024—Russian authorities must release journalist Antonina Favorskaya, drop all charges against her, and refrain from persecuting members of the press in retaliation for their reporting on late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, authorities did not release Favorskaya, a journalist with independent news outlet…

Read More ›