Europe & Central Asia

MAY 25, 2005
Posted: May 31, 2005

Staff, Corriere della Sera

ATTACKED

Six police officers searched the headquarters of Corriere della Sera, Italy’s leading national daily based in Milan.

The officers spent at least two hours in the newsroom, looking for documents that the daily had used as part of its earlier report on the use of Italian pistols by Iraq militants in Iraq, Raffaele Fiengo, cultural editor at Corriere della Sera told CPJ in a telephone interview.

New York, May 25, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Sunday’s assault on Dmitry Suryaninov, general director of the Media-Samara holding company, which owns several news outlets in the Samara region of southern Russia. At least two assailants battered Suryaninov with baseball bats near his home in Samara, the regional capital, according to local and international press reports.

Suryaninov remained hospitalized today with a concussion, head laceration, and multiple bruises, according to press reports. His condition was stable, but he was expected to stay in the hospital for at least a week. No money was stolen, local news reports said, although Suryaninov was carrying a considerable sum. Assailants struck Suryaninov numerous times, mainly on the head, before fleeing. The victim was taken to the neurosurgical ward of Samara’s main hospital, local press reports said.

Dear Mr. Speaker:

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, encourages you to support pending legislation to reform Albania's criminal and civil defamation laws.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe commissioned the London-based anticensorship organization Article 19 to review Albania's defamation legislation in September 2004. Article 19 concluded that Albania's criminal and civil codes are not in compliance with international press freedom standards and, instead, promote self-censorship. In the Criminal Code, articles 119 (on insult) and 120 (on defamation) set penalties of up to two years imprisonment; articles 239 and 240 of the Criminal Code provide special protection for public officials. Articles 617 and 625 of the Civil Code contain vague definitions that do not clearly establish truth as a defense or set standards of liability.

New York, May 23, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by the continued harassment of Yuri Bagrov, a North Caucasus correspondent for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). A Federal Security Service (FSB) agent prevented Bagrov from covering an opposition rally on Friday, then followed him back to his office and threatened him, the correspondent told CPJ in a telephone interview today.

MAY 21, 2005
Posted: July 15, 2005

Pavel Makeev, Puls
KILLED—UNCONFIRMED

The body of the 21-year-old cameraman was found alongside a road on the outskirts of the Rostov Region town shortly after he arrived to film illegal drag-race competitions. Authorities classified the death as a traffic accident, but colleagues believed he was killed purposely to thwart his report, according to local press reports and CPJ interviews. CPJ is investigating the death.

MAY 4, 2005
Posted: May 17, 2005

Respublika Delovoye Obozreniye
CENSORED

The Kazakh Culture, Information, and Sports Ministry ordered the closing of the leading opposition weekly Respublika Delovoye Obozreniye (Republic Business Review).

New York, May 16, 2005—Uzbek authorities maintained a virtual blockade today on news coverage of civil unrest in the northeastern city of Andijan, expelling journalists from the town and obstructing foreign television news broadcasts. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the moves and called on President Islam Karimov to end the obstruction and harassment of reporters covering the crisis.

CPJ Update May 16, 2005 News from the Committee to Protect Journalists

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MAY 14, 2005
Posted: May 17, 2005

Dmitry Yasminov, Ren TV
Vikrot Muzalevsky, Ren TV
HARASSED

Uzbek authorities detained and expelled journalists covering civil unrest in the northeastern city of Andijan.

MAY 13, 2005
Posted: May 17, 2005

CNN, BBC, and NTV
CENSORED
Ferghana.ru, Lenta.ru, and Gazeta.ru
CENSORED
Didor Radio
CENSORED