Committee to Protect Journalists - Lithuania

Attacks on the Press 2006: Europe Snapshots

2007-02-05T16:33:58Z

Attacks & Developments Throughout the Region

Attacks on the Press 2006: Europe and Central Asia Snapshots

2007-02-05T15:08:00Z

Lithuanian security agents seize all copies of newspaper

2006-09-08T16:00:00Z

New York, September 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores Lithuanian security agents’ seizure of all 15,000 copies of the semimonthly Laisvas Laikrastis (Free Newspaper), which was due out today with a story about alleged political corruption. Government agents, who said the story contained classified information, also briefly detained Editor Aurimas Drizius on Thursday.

About 10 plainclothes agents took Drizius to the Department of State Security headquarters for interrogation, the editor told CPJ today. Agents searched the Laisvas Laikrastis newsroom in the capital, Vilnius, and the editor’s home, confiscating the hard drives of all six newsroom computers and Drizius’ home computer.

Attacks on the Press 2005: Europe & Central Asia Analysis

2006-02-16T16:54:00Z

Free Expression Takes a Back Seat

By Alex Lupis

To gain military footing and access to energy resources in the former Soviet empire, the United States has diverted its attention from human rights and press freedom issues in Eurasia. The U.S. policy of close cooperation with the region's authoritarian leaders has undermined free and independent reporting in several Eurasian nations--from Russia, where coverage of the Chechen rebels is itself likened to terrorism, to Kazakhstan, where the government has waged a vast campaign to censor critical news reporting.

Attacks on the Press in 2004: Introduction

2005-03-14T16:58:00Z

by Ann Cooper

With its myriad dangers and devastating death toll, Iraq remained the worst place to practice journalism throughout 2004, and one of the most dangerous media assignments in recent history. Twenty-three journalists and 16 media support workers were killed on the job in Iraq during the year. An insurgent kidnapping campaign also posed severe threats--at least 22 journalists were abducted, and one of them was executed by his captors.

Court issues mixed decision on pro-independence Chechen Web site

2003-10-01T16:00:00Z

New York, October 1, 2003—The Second District Court in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius yesterday ruled that the State Security Department overstepped its authority when it shuttered the pro-independence Chechen Web site KavkazCenter on June 20.

The State Security Department disconnected and confiscated KavkazCenter's server at the private Vilnius-based Internet provider Elneta on June 20 because the Web site was allegedly spreading "terrorist propaganda," according to local and international press reports.

Authorities detain and expel film crew

2003-09-18T16:00:00Z

New York, September 18, 2003—Lithuanian border guards detained and expelled a film crew from the independent, Moscow-based national television station NTV on Sunday, September 14, after they filmed a protest on a train near the Lithuanian-Russian border.

According to Russian and Lithuanian press reports, NTV journalist Vadim Fefilov, cameraman Vladimir Chervyakov, and sound technician Aleksey Zolotov arrived at the Kena border post in Lithuania at about 10 a.m. on September 14 on a train heading from Moscow to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania.