Russia: Press freedom violations October 2019

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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.

[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”21 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

State-run Channel One cut out blogger’s joke about police

Ivan Urgant’s evening talk show edited out a joke about the police by blogger Danila Poperechny.

29 October – YouTube blogger Danila Poperechny said that his joke about the police was edited out of an episode of the late-night show Vecherny Urgant (Evening Urgant) at the state-owned Channel One.

After public outcry, the presenter Ivan Urgant showed the deleted joke in the next episode of the program. Poperechny’s joke alluded to the police raids carried out at the concerts of independent artists considered disloyal to the ruling government, and the fact that such artists would rarely appear on state-owned television stations.

Links:

https://twitter.com/Spoontamer/status/1188921512528613376

https://meduza.io/news/2019/10/30/v-vechernem-urgante-pokazali-vyrezannuyu-shutku-danily-poperechnogo-o-politsii-tsentra-e-v-ney-net

https://meduza.io/news/2019/10/30/v-vechernem-urgante-pokazali-vyrezannuyu-shutku-danily-poperechnogo-o-politsii-tsentra-e-v-ney-net

Categories: Censorship

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

 

Bookstore chain refused to sell an issue of Diletant history magazine dedicated to Molotov-Ribbentrop pact

The Diletant history magazine that a bookstore chain refused to sell because it covered the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Credit: Alexey Venediktov via Twitter.

28 October – Bookstore chain Molodaya Gvardia refused to sell an issue of the Diletant history magazine dedicated to the Treaty of Non-aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy radio station, which supports the publication of the magazine, wrote about Molodaya Gvardia’s stance on Twitter.

The bookstore’s press office told Znak.com that they were concerned about potential problems with the authorities related to the article 20.3 of the Administrative code, which bans the reproduction of Nazi symbols. The cover of the magazine is a reproduction of a 1939 American caricature depicting Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin as a bride and groom.

Vitaly Dymarskiy, editor-in-chief of Diletant magazine, told Telegram channel Rasstriga that he interpreted the bookstore’s decision to be an act of self-censorship.

Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist party, claimed that he would sue the magazine and would file a complaint to Roskomnadzor. He reportedly told the Telegram channel Podyem that the prosecutor should investigate and put those responsible in jail.

On 28 October, the State Historical Museum cancelled the monthly lecture organized by Diletant magazine, citing disagreement with the views expressed in the last edition. The museum’s press service reportedly told Interfax news agency that it was a “principled position” on the part of the museum’s management, after they became aware of the magazine’s content.

Links:

https://twitter.com/aavst/status/1187302972876832768/photo/1

https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-50213831

Categories: Censorship

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

 

CEO of Karelia firm sued local journalist over article about his bonus

25 October – Pavel Degtyarev, CEO of Karellesprom, filed a million rubles ($15,630) defamation lawsuit against Svetlana Lysenko, a journalist with the local website Vesti Karelii, Stolicaonego.ru reported. The Karelia republic is a majority shareholder of Karellesprom.

Degtyarev claimed that Lysenko’s July article entitled “Spoon of tar in a barrel of forest honey: why did the director of Karellesprom receive a 26 million ruble ($406,383) bonus?” damaged his professional reputation. Degtyarev didn’t deny receiving the bonus.

In the article, Lysenko questioned the ethics of the bonus, arguing that Republic of Karelia is not wealthy enough to grant such premiums to management.

Links: 

https://stolicaonego.ru/analytics/gendirektor-karellesproma-zahotel-poluchit-million-s-zasluzhennogo-zhurnalista-karelii/

https://vestikarelii.ru/kapit/lozhka_degtja_v_bochke_lesnogo_meda/

https://www.parkgagarina.info/index.php/obshchestvo/regiony-rossii/30437-kareliya-poluchil-26-millionov-premii-mozhno-i-v-sud-podat-na-zhurnalista.html

Categories: Subpoena / Court Order/ Lawsuits

Source(s) of violation: Known private individual(s)

 

Yekaterinburg journalist accused of insulting authorities

21 October – Yekaterinburg-based journalist and political analyst Fedor Krasheninnikov was accused of insulting the authorities, Meduza reported.

On 21 October, policemen went to Krasheninnikov’s home to officially summon him to the police department. When the journalist arrived at the local police department with his lawyer, they were told that somebody named Salavat Khaziev had filed a complaint against Krasheninnikov for insulting the authorities on his Telegram channel. In it, Krasheninnikov allegedly criticized the prolongation of the arrest of Leonid Volkov, former head of the campaign for opposition politician Alexey Navalny, and called the judges who sentenced him prostitutes.

The journalist denied any wrongdoing. He said that he didn’t know the identity of the person who filed the complaint against him. Krasheninnikov reportedly told Meduza that he attributed the origin of the case to local authorities’ “unhealthy concerns” about him. According to Meduza, he said that the authorities constantly call him names and scold him in pro-government anonymous blogs. In his commentary to Kommersant, he said that his comments about Volkov were private and emotive.

According to reports, a court will determine the future of the complaint.

Links:

https://meduza.io/feature/2019/10/28/na-politologa-i-zhurnalista-fedora-krasheninnikova-zaveli-delo-ob-oskorblenii-vlasti-iz-za-posta-v-telegrame-my-s-nim-pogovorili?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=share_fb&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR27tVoo5fLwnB0664GVD9MX_H8TiUsIDXLw36qTjr-Z5g7RC8JCDezxIUg

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4141118

Categories: Subpoena / Court Order/ Lawsuits, Criminal Charges/Fines/Sentences

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security, Known private individual(s)

 

Court refused to force Roskomnadzor to register opposition politician’s media outlet

24 October – Ostankinsky District Court refused to force Roskomnadzor (the Russian state media regulator) to register a media outlet founded by opposition politician Dimitry Gudkov.

Its editor-in-chief Alexey Obukhov filed a complaint to the court after the registration of his media outlet was refused numerous times. Obukhov said that among Roskomnadzor’s reasons were that he didn’t bring proof that he didn’t have a second citizenship and that he didn’t indicate the zip code in one of the documents. During the hearing, a Roskomnadzor representative said that Obukhov didn’t prove that he hadn’t been previously incarcerated.

Obukhov said that he had brought all the documents previously requested by Roskomnadzor to the court. The judge suggested that he re-apply for registration. Obukhov has been trying to register Gazeta Gudkova newspaper as an official media outlet since March 2019.

Links:

https://t.me/azlet1/223

https://tvrain.ru/news/sud_otkazalsja_objazat_roskomnadzor_zaregistrirovat_gazetu_dmitrija_gudkova-496103/?fbclid=IwAR2_cnt8EWJpSMmvs0DCLIhoxreGwm2ORwhAUWALIUyjkZ5rXnTe5A4X7FY

https://tvrain.ru/news/na_roskomnadzor_podali_v_sud_iz_za_otkaza_v_registratsii_gazety_gudkova-494840/?fbclid=IwAR3_KR30UhaPBrTk-0T_2MJb-jtfuRLlCiRVnkfPEtDoA5sqQD8GNGSGGks

Categories: Legal Measures

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party, Court/Judicial

 

Grani.ru reporter assaulted while working on a story about a housing scheme

24 October – Andrey Novichkov, reporter with independent media outlet Grani.ru, was assaulted by two unknown men while working on a story about a state-funded housing scheme, Mediazona reported.

Novichkov was accompanying the deputy of the Moscow city parliament Elena Shuvalova, who came to inspect one of the houses, which were built for those eligible for free housing (families with more than 3 children, disabled people, military personnel, orphans, etc.). According to the investigation of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, however, the apartments in the house were given to dozens of Moscow officials and supporters of the city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin.

When the deputy and the journalist entered the house and took photos, four men came out of an apartment, which reportedly belongs to the deputy head of Moscow city parliament Olga Timofeeva, and assaulted the journalist. They tried to push him inside the apartment, threatening to break his tablet and lock him inside. Mediazona published a video of the assault. When Shuvalova went to call the police, the assailants released the journalist.

Links:

https://zona.media/news/2019/10/24/dom?fbclid=IwAR0YcVFtTaUMGLuD2w5Je4fb5j4k2kfS1Fvuj6HjxofMP7-JkLwzSxk4W1Y

https://tvrain.ru/news/na_deputata_mosgordumy_i_zhurnalista-496084/

https://www.facebook.com/elenashuvalova.ru/posts/1163759710481949

https://navalny.com/p/6147/

Category: Physical Assault/Injury, Intimidation

Source(s) of violation: Unknown

 

Editor-in-chief of NewsVo.ru fined twice for alleged ‘obscene’ language in the blog section of the site

23 October – Evgeniya Sibirtseva, editor-in-chief of Vologda local media outlet NewsVo.ru was fined 5,000 rubles ($78) for alleged ‘obscene’ language in a reader’s blog of the news website, 7×7 reported. The journalist reportedly said that she was never notified about the hearing, and found out about the court’s decision post-factum via a text message from her bank, which informed her that a fine had been withdrawn. Sibirtseva said that she was charged the same fine twice – from two different bank accounts. She was told that the second charge would be returned to her account.

She told 7×7 that in 2019 NewsVo.ru was fined for obscene language in the blogs section of the website three times. “It’s just an excuse to fine the media and fill the officials’ pockets,” Sibirtseva said in a statement at NewsVo.ru.

Links:

https://7×7-journal.ru/articles/2019/10/24/vologodskie-pristavy-dvazhdy-spisali-s-glavreda-regionalnogo-izdaniya-shtraf-za-mat-v-bloge-karelskoj-obshestvennicy?fbclid=IwAR06i8tskSsWy4SpmKyijSNze9OXOiRuSj7l2u3YxI_ogSTHLM9534iUngY

https://newsvo.ru/blogovo/123118

https://lenizdat.ru/articles/1156425/

Category: Criminal Charges/Fines/Sentences

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

 

Rossiya channel withdraws episode of a show covering the collapse of a dam at Krasnoyarsk gold mine

State-owned Rossiya channel withdrew an episode of Pryamoy Efir, which covered the story of a dam that collapsed in a gold mine in the Krasnoyarsk region.

23 October – State-owned Rossiya channel withdrew an episode of the talk show Pryamoy Efir, after it had been shown live and in full to viewers in Siberia and the far eastern regions of Russia, Krasnoyarsk outlet NGS24.RU reported. The episode covered the story of a dam that collapsed in a gold mine in the Krasnoyarsk region (Siberia) in October and caused the deaths of at least 15 people.

Live shows on Russian television are broadcast in the furthermost eastern time zone first, and then replayed in the same time slot in more time zones that are further west. The episode of Pryamoy Efir, which is hosted by the prominent TV presenter Andrey Malakhov, was withdrawn and not shown in the more westerly time zones. It was replaced with another episode of Pryamoy Efir.

A reporter from NGS24.RU took part in the show. The outlet reported that the episode was removed because of a call Rossiya received from the authorities. NGS24.RU published a fragment of the deleted show, in which Malakhov was reading out the results of an express test of the water probe from Seiba river, where the dam collapsed, indicating highly abnormal presence of chemicals, including mercury. Ecologists who took part in the show reportedly suggested that this may have been caused by the use of outdated technologies in the gold mine and that the chemical leaks could seriously threaten the ecology of the Krasnoyarsk region.

The Rossiya press office said that the Pryamoy Efir episode was only ever intended for broadcast in the far eastern regions.

Links:

https://ngs24.ru/news/more/66280972/?fbclid=IwAR0iDWrlmo9deMMIb8CTuFEdFaSghfhr-AgbARPpT4h6Gktr12itQetT6d8

https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-50157041

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50108413

Category: Censorship

Source(s) of violation:

 

Journalist detained in Krasnodar region

22 October – Gleb Pyanykh, former NTV journalist and TV presenter who is currently running his own YouTube channel with reports on politics and the economy, was detained in the Krasnodar region, RBC reported.

Pyanykh went to Dinskaya village to work on a story about a villa that was illegally built on agricultural lands, which allegedly belongs to the governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratyev. The journalist was stopped near the villa by a uniformed security guard, who questioned Pyanykh about his work and demanded that he go to the security office. At the same time, another man in plain clothes arrived in a car and blocked the way out. When Pyanykh started to film what was going on with his mobile phone, the men let him drive away.

However, after 500 meters the journalist’s car was stopped by police. They said that they received a call from the villa’s security guards and demanded that the journalist write an explanatory note about his activities. The policemen detained Pyanykh for about an hour and then released him without charge.

Links:

https://www.rbc.ru/politics/22/10/2019/5daf184e9a7947d00f05acac?fbclid=IwAR3yngMmwi3v7_yp8EZdBbKzPEuMYQnsWismzNUyDGb85_FdokXrogAJjwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_5tjz9KHCI

Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation, Blocked Access

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security, Private security

 

Novaya Gazeta reporters assaulted at hunting centre in Moscow region

19 October – Svetlana Vidanova and Artyom Raspopov, correspondents with independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, were assaulted while working on a story about the illegal training of hunting dogs, Novaya Gazeta reported. Wild animals in Solnechnogorsk district of Moscow region were reportedly being hunted and killed during the trainings.

The journalists were accompanying animal rights activists when they were inspecting the area around the illegal training centre and found two fox skulls and a dead dog. When they entered the centre’s premises, the security guards approached Vidanova, twisted her arms, punched the camera and took her press card. The guards also took away Raspopov’s mobile phone and threw it over the fence, twisted his arms and pushed him out of the centre’s gate.

Police were called to the scene, but did not interfere while the assault was ongoing. The journalists received medical attention and filed a police report.

Links:

https://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/2019/10/19/156252-na-territorii-pritravochnoy-stantsii-v-moskovskoy-oblasti-napali-na-na-zoozaschitnikov-i-zhurnalistov-novoy?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=novaya&utm_campaign=-na-territorii-pritravochnoy-stantsii-kr

https://www.facebook.com/novgaz/photos/a.136917239684305/3217048941671104/?type=3&theater

Category: Physical Assault/Injury

Source(s) of violation: Private security

 

Roskomnadzor banned a report about a nationalist rally published 6 years ago

17 October – Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor notified Tayga.info about the inclusion of their article about a 2013 nationalist rally in Novosibirsk in the list of banned materials, Tayga.info reported.

The article entitled “Novosibirsk divided into two Russian rallies” was published on 4 November 2013. Explaining the ban, Roskomandzor cited a Yekaterinburg court’s decision from 5 April 2018, which ruled that the article contained an extremist slogan. However, the slogan in question was deemed to be extremist by the court only in 2017, four years after the publication. The 2018 trial was initiated by the local prosecutor’s office. Tayga.info was never notified about the hearing before receiving Roskomnadzor message on 17 October 2019.

Tayga.info’s editors removed the rally slogan from the article, along with two photographs where it’s visible. They are consulting lawyers about the matter. In a statement, the website’s editorial team said that they didn’t consider the post-factum removal of information, which at the time of publication was not banned, to be legal.

Links:

https://tayga.info/149498?fbclid=IwAR16jH060QEZvJmQD45e9aSR1wwYCO_tGszBD1k_5FehW-o1SPUG3UMcwmU

https://tayga.info/114408

https://zheleznodorozhny–svd.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=sud_delo&name_op=case&_id=219599949&_deloId=1540005&_caseType=&_new=0&srv_num=2

Category: Legal Measures

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

 

13 Yekaterinburg journalists barred from covering trial on murder of local woman

17 October – Lenisnky district court of Yekaterinburg approved an appeal filed by prosecutors and supported by defense to close the trial on the murder of a local woman, Ksenia Katorgina, to the press and the public, MK-Yekaterinburg reported.

The journalists were removed from the courtroom. They were also prevented from filming the three suspects in the court’s halls, and were told not to film them through the windows when they were brought to the court.

Links:

https://eburg.mk.ru/incident/2019/10/17/nachalsya-sud-po-vybory-mery-presecheniya-dlya-podozrevaemykh-v-ubiystve-katorginoy-zhurnalistov-ne-pustili.html

https://www.e1.ru/news/spool/news_id-66273460.html

https://74.ru/text/criminal/66273460/

Category: Blocked Access

Source(s) of violation: Court/Judicial

 

Journalist of Samarskaya Gazeta forced to quit after publicly revealing city mayor’s efforts to censor the newspaper

17 October – Maxim Melnikov, journalist with Samara newspaper Samarskaya Gazeta, was forced to quit his job after publicly criticizing the editorial standards of the newspaper, which he said bowed to pressure imposed by officials from Samara’s mayor’s office.

On 10 October, a video from a local journalism conference was published with a 10-minute speech from Melnikov, in which he said that he published an ironic post on Samarskaya Gazeta’s official Vkontakte account about a street that was flooded due to a burst pipe.

Within 30 minutes of Melnikov having posted the comment, Samarskaya Gazeta’s editor-in-chief reportedly received a call from the city mayor’s office demanding that the post be deleted. According to Melnikov, that the editor and the unnamed official negotiated a deal that the outlet would keep the post, but publish only positive news about the incident in the following two or three days.

After the video of his conference speech was published, he was asked by the newspaper’s management to resign. The journalist reportedly expressed frustration that the authorities censor people who speak about problems, rather than trying to solve them.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2710398908992030&id=100000658419213&sfnsn=mo

https://zona.media/news/2019/10/17/mlnkv?fbclid=IwAR0dGzSCvePc3ziDVz42BBo6Pt5p3RL4oxyuZDpkkV_vsmZm8fZ7g8L5DLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5RgWCstaIg&t=0s&fbclid=IwAR1QGckR5iPrq78gUYxGPF_fkDsws-e-tHGe1-V0ANXgcnM_vR_mOEaxKoE

Category: Censorship

Source(s) of violation: Employer/Publisher/Colleague(s)

 

Police searched the homes of journalists in relation to Anti-Corruption Foundation case

15 October – Police searched the homes of four journalists in different Russian regions, as part of a money-laundering probe into opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, reported multiple outlets.

In the early hours of 15 October, police raided the home of Alexey Seregin, a Mari El-based journalist working for Idel.Realii. He told Idel.Realii that the police conducted a 3-hour search of his home and seized his personal belongings, including a computer, a mobile phone and a recorder. Seregin said that he had covered Navalny’s activities in the Mari El region, but had never worked with the politician’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.

A second Idel.Realii journalist, Dmitry Lubimov, wrote in a Facebook post that police carried out a simultaneous raid of his Yoshkar-Ola apartment, where he has not lived since February. Lubimov believed it was an attempt to put pressure on him and prevent him from his carrying out his work, which included covering Navalny’s activities.

A simultaneous raid was also carried out at the Smolensk home of Alexey Volkov, editor-in-chief of local website Keytown.me. Keytown.me had published news articles about the activities of the local office of Navalny’s political movement. Police told Volkov that the search would be conducted in connection with the money laundering case against the Anti-Corruption Foundation. When Volkov asked how he was connected to the money laundering investigation against the Anti-Corruption Foundation, police said: “This is what we will find out”. The search lasted two hours, during which the police threatened Volkov’s wife that they’d take away their two children, including their 4-month-old baby, if she didn’t sign a non-disclosure agreement. The police seized the journalist’s personal belongings, among them two computers, a hard drive, a mobile phone and all bank cards, even the one that was used for receiving children’s welfare. After the raid, the journalist was reportedly questioned for an hour by the investigator of the Investigative Committee of Smolensk region. Volkov subsequently told 7×7 that he had nothing to do either with the Anti-Corruption Foundation or with the local office of Navalny’s movement, and only covered them in the news.

On the same day in Vladimir, the police searched the editorial office of local press club Dovod. Its journalists were questioned over the case against the Anti-Corruption Foundation. The police seized laptops and computers, and the smartphone of the editor-in-chief, Kirill Ishutin.

On 16 October, police searched the home of Arkhangelsk-based journalist Yaroslav Varenik, seizing the hard disk of his computer, his notebook and his phone, 29.Ru reported. Varenik was taken to the police department for questioning and then released the same day.

In the days that followed, police searched the Moscow headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the homes of the employees of its 30 regional offices.

Links:

https://www.idelreal.org/a/30223538.html?fbclid=IwAR1fS0Os9OcKVnacVV2WqIbKHD98PkGNS9_TYo-Xx8GGxlGXl-223tr4vgA

https://www.facebook.com/lemuyel/posts/2494914360562191?__tn__=H-R

https://29.ru/text/politics/66272740/

https://meduza.io/news/2019/10/16/v-arhangelske-u-zhurnalista-izdaniya-29-ru-proveli-obysk-po-delu-fbk-eto-uzhe-chetvertyy-takoy-sluchay-za-dva-dnya?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=share_fb&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR3XddAIXFMofeyy74HENB6xsPClnKeZ-wK1vEp5r35oGfXHXsRUeI9rcp8

https://7×7-journal.ru/articles/2019/10/15/v-smolenske-sledovateli-prishli-s-obyskom-k-redaktoru-novostnogo-sajta-keytown-me-po-delu-fbk?fbclid=IwAR1cVKvdlHwUE379eAhIqwFHPBjQT2ZSNz0wQGahauE0JurA6PHAQR2SCOg

https://www.dovod.online/v-redakcii-dovod-prohodit-obysk/

Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security

 

Proekt journalists received threats after publishing story on Russian mercenaries in Libya

15 October – Roman Badanin, the founder and editor-in-chief of investigative media outlet Proekt, told Reuters about the surveillance, hacking attacks, and threats that Proekt journalists have been subjected to following the publication of a story about Russian mercenaries in the Libyan Civil War earlier this year.

According to Badanin, the journalists who worked on that investigation received explicit threats of physical violence via email. He said that attempts to hack the journalists’ accounts on Facebook, Telegram and Gmail were also made. Badanin referred to an incident in which Maria Karpenko, a Proekt reporter based in Saint Petersburg, was followed by an unidentified man who was filming her. Badanin said he believed that it was useless to report the threats to the police, and that he believed that publicity might be a better way to protect the journalists.

Since March Proekt has published reports on the activities of a Russian mercenary group known as CHVK Vagnera and linked to Saint Petersburg businessman Evgeny Prigozhin. The press service of his firm Konkord Management & Consulting refused to give a comment to Reuters.

Links:

https://www.proekt.media/investigation/prigozhin-libya/

ttps://ru.reuters.com/article/topNews/idRUKBN1WU252-ORUTP

https://tvrain.ru/news/zhurnalisty_proekta-495495/?fbclid=IwAR1tmNVK1QkUSVwLNDRcWhKJ5mt99OUT1MxGn_lPl_2aMCutwsFVheJvwfo

Category: Intimidation, DDoS/Hacking/Doxing 

Source(s) of violation: Corporation/Company, Known private individual(s), Unknown

 

Yaroslavl journalist’s car burnt out 

13 October – On the night of 12 October, the car of Marina Borbat was set on fire and burnt out, Regnum news agency reported. Borbat is the director of Yaroslavl regional broadcaster DIA-TV. Borbat believes the arson could be related to a previous conflict with a local crime boss.

According to Igor Yamshikov of the All-Russia People’s Front movement, posting on the Yaroslavl branch’s Facebook page, said they believe that the arson attack was linked to Borbat’s journalistic activities.

According to Yamshikov, Borbat had a run-in with a crime boss, after her filming equipment went missing while she was covering a story on 26 September 2017. Borbat reportedly filed a complaint to the police, and a similar complaint was filed by the editor of Severyanka local newspaper, but the police did not find any wrongdoing on the part of the crime boss.

In a separate case, the crime boss was reportedly found guilty of hooliganism and sent to prison. He is due to be released shortly. Borbat said that while she had no evidence that the damage of her car was linked to the crime boss, she knew that several people who had conflicts with him had their cars burnt out.

Links:

https://lenizdat.ru/articles/1156388/?fbclid=IwAR3NNblx_QVDyjP6NA5Us1nLJ9kFdUPym4Li3v9rQrcSK66pSH88Y18z8mI

https://regnum.ru/news/accidents/2748889

https://sobesednik.ru/proisshestviya/20191016-u-redaktora-telekanala-v-yaroslavskoj-oblasti-sgorela-mashina

Category: Intimidation/Attack to Property

Source(s) of violation: Unknown

 

MBH Media journalist detained in Moscow

7 October – Nikita Maslovsky, a reporter with MBH Media, was detained along with Bessrochny Protest [Eternal Protest] activists while covering their activities in Moscow, MBH Media reported. The activists were planning to stage an anti-Putin protest at Kutuzovsky Prospekt imitating president Putin’s funeral, but were intercepted by the police.

Although Maslovsky was just covering the demonstration, he was also detained by police. He had tried to show police his press identification, but they ignored it. They refused to state the reason for his detention. Maslovsky was taken to a police van, where police tried to confiscate his phone. After more than five hours, the journalist was released without charge.

Links:

https://mbk-news.appspot.com/news/v-moskve-polic/

https://tvrain.ru/news/v_moskve_zaderzhali_aktivistov_bessrochnogo_protesta_i_zhurnalista_mbh_media-495002/?fbclid=IwAR3yPwVy0kYM8_xz4Ed5AkuB3toi3bkjT4M_6GQf6EK4JYGEyzYgajG–lA

Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security

 

Editor of Magadan media outlet Vesma assaulted in his house

3 October – Andrey Grishin, chief editor of independent online news agency Vesma, was beaten on the staircase of his apartment building in Magadan, Vesma reported.

Around 10:30 am, a young man knocked on Grishin’s door, saying that he had accidentally crashed into his car in the courtyard and asking the journalist to come down with him. When Grishin came out, there were two other men waiting. They attacked him and after reportedly punching him 15-20 times, one of them said to him: “Do you understand? Don’t write anything like that anymore”. The journalist said he didn’t sustain any serious injuries and that he didn’t know which particular story they were referring to.

Updates:

18 October – Magadan police reportedly detained two male suspects, aged 19 and 27. Both are pleading guilty. The police opened a criminal case against them under article 116 of Russia’s Criminal Code (physical violence).

21 October – Telegram channel Sovest Gubernatorov [Governors’ Conscience] reported, citing the police sources, that the testimonies of the detained suspects were classified, and the case against them was downgraded to an administrative violation due to the possible involvement of a local deputy Eduard Kozlov from the ruling party United Russia. According to the Telegram channel, the suspects mentioned in their testimony that Kozlov was the mastermind of the attack.

Links:

http://vesma.today/news/post/10616-v-magadane-napali-na-redaktora?fbclid=IwAR1nx8X-x-wQDOZt_q6fPCO5LEJbUNJCBFch7blp2P3f4WydnuppRVeLgfE

https://www.svoboda.org/a/30207298.html

https://49.xn--b1aew.xn--p1ai/news/item/18646886/

https://t.me/guber2

http://vesma.today/news/post/11006-v-telegram-kanalakh-poyavilas-versiya-

Category: Physical Assault/Injury, Intimidation

Source(s) of violation: Unknown, Known Private Individuals

 

Editors of Pskov outlets summoned for questioning over Prokopeva case

3 October – Maxim Kostikov, editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy-Pskov radio station, and Alexander Savenko, editor-in-chief of Pskovskaya Lenta Novostey, were summoned for questioning to the police department over Svetalana Prokopeva’s case, Novaya Gazeta reported.

In September Prokopeva, a radio journalist with Ekho Moskvy, was charged with justifying terrorism over her comments about Arkhangelsk FSB office bombing, which she made on the radio late last year.

Due to a non-disclosure agreements, the editors were not in a position to discuss the nature of the questioning. On 1 October both outlets, along with a dozen other media outlets, published an open letter written by Prokopieva.

Links:

https://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/2019/10/03/155836-glavredov-eha-moskvy-v-pskove-i-pskovskoy-lenty-novostey-vyzvali-na-dopros?fbclid=IwAR35jLnpf1nb-uTMRM6RIaHhhv6IJmAz9y0s4d7A2Ya_el92cwG9qfaECIQ

https://t.me/shlosberg/4021

Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security

 

Armed policemen visited office of Chernovik newspaper in Dagestan

2 October – Armed officers of the Dagestan Investigative Committee came to the editorial office of the Makhachkala-based newspaper Chernovik, MBH Media reported. The officers demanded that two offices – those of the editor-in-chief and the paper’s founder – be opened, but because they were at a forum in the city of Perm at the time, the offices remained locked.

The deputy editor-in-chief Magomed Magomedov reportedly said that the Dagestan Investigative Committee’s actions were in the framework of the criminal case against Chernovik journalist, Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, who was detained in June on terrorism charges. On 23 July Gadzhiev was charged under article 205.1 of the Criminal Code (financing terrorism).

Links:

https://t.me/chernovik/12532

https://tvrain.ru/news/v_redaktsiju_dagestanskoj_gazety_chernovik_prishli_siloviki-494656/?fbclid=IwAR3PKP65tgFKQWmkPCRL20Qgc4CDVFWIIasScpkpAI37Mb0c5YIejC9FaH0

https://mbk-news.appspot.com/news/iloviki/

Category: Legal Measures

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security

 

Roskomnadzor blocked website of news agency Fergana

1 October – Roskomnadzor, the Russian state media regulator, blocked access to the website of news agency Fergana without any prior notification, Fergana reported.

Maria Dubnova, Fergana’s editor-in-chief, said that the block came as a complete surprise and that they would investigate the situation. She said that Fergana had already sent a request to Roskomnadzor asking to explain why the access to the website was limited without warning.

Fergana has been covering Central Asia since 1998, and is currently banned in Tajikistan.

Update:

8 October – Roskomnadzor unblocked the website of Fergana news agency after they deleted a news story about a Kyrgyz man’s suicide published in February this year. The agency learned that they were prosecuted for that particular story with the help of Roscomsvoboda project, as the regulator never replied to the agency’s inquiries. Roskomnadzor is known to block websites that publish stories on suicide in which the method is mentioned.

Links:

https://fergana.agency/news/111306/

https://meduza.io/news/2019/10/01/roskomnadzor-zablokiroval-sayt-agentstva-fergana?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=share_fb&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR0DOdQKH3dbkpqbma2i9pLkFWd-ifyg_RbVA9oNF3e58G-3jr53YJWYIT4

https://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/2019/10/11/156056-roskomnadzor-snova-zablokiroval-sayt-informatsionnogo-agentstva-fergana

https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-49903556

Category: Legal Measures

Source(s) of violation: Police/State security[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1575023592087-f59638a3-3b6f-7″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Azerbaijan: Press freedom violations October 2019

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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”3 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

Several Journalists detained and beaten during protests

19 October 2019 – Multiple media outlets reported the arrest and assault of journalists during an unsanctioned rally against corruption and low wages in Baku.

Journalists detained during the rally included Gulnaz Gambarli, Nurlan Libre (Gahramanli), Farid Ismayilov, Mehin Kerimi, Abulfat Bakhshali, Vugar Mirzabay and Fatima Movlamli, as well as blogger Mehman Huseynov. All were released shortly after.

According to the independent reporter Ulviyya Ali, Nurlan Libre was assaulted in the police car after being detained at the rally. At least three journalists were reported to have sustained minor injuries as a result of police actions: Sevinc Vagifqizi sustained bruises on her arms, while Ramin Deko and Shahla Abbasova also sustained minor injuries. Journalist Tazakhan Miralamli was held at the police station for more than four hours. None of the journalists filed complaints against the police.

More than 80 people were reportedly arrested during the protests in October, including at least eight journalists.

Limitation to media freedom: arrest/detention/interrogation; property damage; physical assault

Source of violation: public/state security;

Links: https://twitter.com/UlviyyaAli/status/1185478151754924032?s=20

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-azerbaijan-opposition-protests/azeri-police-detain-scores-of-protesters-including-opposition-party-leader-idUSKBN1WY0DM

https://www.rferl.org/a/police-arrest-opposition-activists-ahead-of-baku-rally/30225138.html

https://www.meydan.tv/az/article/19-oktyabr-mitinqinde-polisin-hedefine-cevrilen-jurnalistler/?ref=homepage-featured-video

 

Journalist Seymur Hezi arrested ahead of protests

17 October 2019 – Meydan TV journalist Seymur Hezi was arrested while leaving his house in Baku two days before a scheduled protest, Hezi’s wife Nigar told the Committee to Protect Journalists. He was sentenced to 15 days in administrative detention for alleged hooliganism and noncompliance with police orders. Hazi was reportedly intending to cover the protests, which were due to take place on 19 October.

The arrest came less than two months after the journalist was released from prison, where he served 5 years on charges of hooliganism. Hazi was recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. The European Court of Human Rights had ruled that his detention was illegal.

Updates:

29 October 2019 – Azadliq Radio reported that Seymur Hezi was sentenced to an additional 15 days in administrative detention.

17 November 2019 – Azadliq Radio reported that Seymur Hezi was released.

Limitation to media freedom: arrest/detention/interrogation;

Source of violation: court/judicial

Links: https://cpj.org/2019/10/azerbaijani-journalist-seymur-hazi-detained-in-run.php

https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-detains-opposition-leader-and-reportedly-many-more

https://www.azadliq.org/a/otuz-gunluk-hebs-muddeti-basha-chatan-seymur-hezi-azadliqda/30275204.html

https://www.azadliq.org/a/mitinqd%C9%99-tutulanlar%C4%B1n-h%C9%99bs-m%C3%BCdd%C9%99ti-niy%C9%99-art%C4%B1r%C4%B1l%C4%B1r-xeberler/30242796.html

https://turkustan.info/2019/10/29/seymur-h%C9%99zinin-h%C9%99bs-mudd%C9%99ti-uzadildi/

http://teref.az/hadise/132289-seymur-hezinin-hebs-muddeti-uzadildi.html

 

Arson attempt on journalist Javid Shiraliyev’s house 

16 October 2019 – Online news site Sozcu.az reported that 7gun.az’s editor, Javid Shiraliyev, was the victim of an attempted arson attack. His house was set on fire in the early hours of 16 October. 7gun.az had previously published a series of stories about corruption in Azerbaijan.

Shiraliyev said that despite the family being at home at the time of the incident, no one was injured. He had reported the incident to the police.

Shiraliyev said he believed that the attack was in retaliation for the series of stories his outlet published about corruption and local governance violations in Masalli administrative district.

Links: https://www.abzas.net/2019/10/jurnalist-yazilarina-gor%c9%99-evinin-yandirilmasina-c%c9%99hd-gost%c9%99rildiyini-deyib/

https://sozcu.az/masallida-jurnalistin-evini-yandirmaq-ist-yibl-r/

Limitation to media freedom: property damage;

Source of violation: unknown[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1574783884308-a5185785-918d-4″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Belarus: Press freedom violations October 2019

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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”6 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]

Court upholds local council’s decision to deny a journalist accreditation

17 October 2019 – The Economic Court of the Brest Region dismissed an appeal from independent regional newspaper Hantsavitski Chas against a court decision in September, which ruled to uphold Hantsavichy Local Council’s decision to deny accreditation to Hantsavitski Chas journalists.

Hantsavitski Chas’ editor-in-chief, Piotr Huzajeuski, said that he believed that the journalists are being deprived of their right to cover events held by the local council.

In March 2019, the editorial board of the newspaper Hantsavitski Chas sent a letter to the local council asking to accredit its journalists to cover the council’s activities. However, the leadership of the council denied them the accreditation, referring to the fact that a procedure for accrediting journalists by this institution had not been established.

Link:

https://baj.by/be/content/sud-adhiliu-apelyacyyu-gancavickaga-chasu-nakont-admovy-u-akredytacyi-zhurnalistau

https://baj.by/be/content/sud-abavyazau-savet-deputatau-raspracavac-palazhenne-ab-akredytacyi-zhurnalistau

http://www.ganc-chas.by/by/page/news/18156/

http://www.ganc-chas.by/by/page/news/17842/

Category: Blocked Access, Legal Measures

Source(s) of violation: Court/Juducial, Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

Journalist barred from attending a session of the election commission in Minsk

A billboard showing some of the candidates for November’s parliamentary election.

17 October 2019 – Journalist Volha Bykouskaya of the independent online newspaper Bdg.by was not allowed to attend the election commission in the Minsk district, where one of the candidates in attendance was Yury Hubarevich, chairman of the oppositional Movement for Freedom.

The commission demanded accreditation papers from her and told her to leave the room, ignoring her press card. The journalist appealed to the Central Election Commission, which responded that Belarusian journalists do not need any accreditation to attend such events.

Separately, the Belarusian Association of Journalists contacted the District Election Commission #107 for an explanation. The Commission’s representatives claimed that the journalist had been asked to show her press card, and failed to do so.

Link: https://baj.by/en/content/journalist-volha-bykouskaya-barred-meeting-election-commission-minsk

Category: Blocked Access

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

Freelance journalist denied accreditation for the 11th time 

17 October 2019 – Hrodna journalist Viktar Parfionenka has been denied accreditation by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That was his eleventh attempt to get official permission to work as a reporter for the Belarusian Radio Racyja, which is headquartered in Poland.

Since 2009, Parfionenka has been trying to obtain accreditation to be able to legally contribute to Radio Racyja. Each year he compiled a set of documents necessary for accreditation, but has so far failed become accredited.

This year he was denied again, under paragraph 15.4 of the Regulations on Accreditation of Foreign Journalists: “To refuse accreditation to journalists of a foreign media outlet for 6 months after known facts of this outlet using the services of unaccredited journalists and (or) other persons without accreditation.”

Link: https://baj.by/en/content/radio-racyja-journalist-denied-accreditation-11th-time https://vitebskspring.org/vyasna/4157-mzs-bielarusi-nie-akredytavala-viktara-parfionienku-11y-raz

Category: Blocked Access, Legal Measures

Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party

 

DDoS attack on Onliner.by news site

10 October 2019 – One of the most popular Belarusian websites, Onliner.by, appeared to have been the target of a significant DDoS attack. The website administrators reported difficulty loading the page and users reported having difficulty accessing the website. Suspicious activity was reported in users’ profiles.

Onliner.by, which is a news site that focuses mainly on digital technology, informed their audience about the incident and apologised for the inconvenience. An editorial letter suggested that website users improved their profiles’ security by changing their passwords and enabling two-step verification.

Link: https://tech.onliner.by/2019/10/10/ddos-4

https://baj.by/be/content/onliner-podvergaetsya-ddos-atake

Category: DDoS/Hacking/Doxing

Source(s) of violation: Unknown

 

YouTube blogger detained after covering opposition rally

5 October 2019 – Video blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who is behind the popular YouTube channel Country for Life, was detained in central Minsk after he carried out a live broadcast of opposition politician Mikalai Statkevich’s pre-election rally.

Tsikhanouski said during the live broadcast that his car was surrounded by six traffic police cars, and that he was told that unpaid fines were registered to his car. Then the blogger was told to drive to the Leninski District Police Department. There he was informed that his car might have been stolen. After having filed a police report, he was released. He spent two hours at the police station.

UPDATE: 15 October 2019 – Tsikhanouski was fined 12.75 rubles for violating traffic rules. The blogger told Radio Liberty that he thought that it was unlikely that six traffic police cars were involved in his arrest only to give him a small fine. He said that he thought that the police wanted to confiscate the equipment, with which we were conducting the live broadcasting, or that they simply wanted to intimidate them. He said that because he let many people know that he was in the police department, people were calling him and going to the police department.

Link(s): https://belsat.eu/ru/news/avtora-kanala-strana-dlya-zhizni-zaderzhivali-shest-ekipazhej-gai/

https://www.svaboda.org/a/30201950.html

https://www.svaboda.org/a/30216368.html

Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation,

Source(s) of violation: Police

 

Blogger Andrei Pavuk subjected to attempts to frame him 

4 October 2019 – Blogger Andrei Pavuk was contacted by a duty officer of the Aktsiabrski district police department, who stated that the police had received a phone call, allegedly from the blogger’s phone number. The police said that the man on the phone, who claimed to be Andrei Pavuk, said that he had “killed his wife Volha and her lover.” The male caller also provided the blogger’s home address. Pavuk’s wife, who was with him at the time of the police call, had to explain the officer that the call was a hoax. She then filed a police report, demanding that the perpetrator be found.

The attempts to frame Pavuk came as the court is considering his lawsuit against local police for compensation for non-pecuniary damages from the police for his unlawful detention and search in March 2019.

On 20 March, the Ministry of Emergency Situations received a hoax message about a mine at a local government building, allegedly sent from Pavuk’s email. The blogger was detained and searched, and his equipment was confiscated.

Link(s): https://udf.by/news/main_news/200208-ja-ubil-svoju-zhenu-i-ee-ljubovnika-neizvestnye-terrorizirujut-semju-izvestnogo-blogera.html

https://naviny.by/article/20191006/1570369644-blogeru-andreyu-pauku-pozvonili-iz-milicii-utochnit-ubival-li-svoyu

Category: Online Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse

Source(s) of violation: Unknown [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1574848372226-a9d8b457-3ad8-0″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Turkey: Press freedom violations October 2019

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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”10 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]

Journalist Emre Orman detained over social media posts

24 October 2019 – Journalist Emre Orman, a reporter for Net news agency, was arrested in Istanbul and subsequently jailed pending trial on the charge of “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization” on account of his social media posts, Evrensel reported.

Orman was arrested on 23 October 2019 and sent to pre-trial detention after giving a statement to a prosecutor at Istanbul’s Anadolu Courthouse on 24 October.

Update:

 1 November 2019 – According to Bianet, Orman was released from detention on 31 October.

 Link(s):

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/389407/gozaltina-alinan-gazeteci-emre-orman-tutuklandi

https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/10/gazeteci-emre-orman-gozaltina-alindi/

http://bianet.org/bianet/ifade-ozgurlugu/214864-gazeteci-emre-orman-gozaltina-alindi

http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/215217-journalist-emre-orman-released

Categories: Arrest / Detention / Interrogation

Source of violation: Police / State security

Human rights lawyer and former Özgür Gündem editor-in-chief Eren Keskin’s house raided by police

22 October 2019 – Police raided the house of Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights defender and co-chairperson of the Human Rights Association (İHD), Mezopotamya news agency reported. Keskin has been prosecuted more than a hundred times for her symbolic support for the shuttered pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem.

Keskin was not at home during the late-night raid. She testified to a prosecutor the following day, responding to accusations that she was “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization” in her social media posts. Keskin was released without judicial control measures.

Link(s):

http://mezopotamyaajansi23.com/search/content/view/74224?page=1&key=add81a9e773c7072a8320bb66c8f598e

http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/214837-house-of-eren-keskin-raided-by-police

https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/gundem/2019/10/23/eren-keskinin-evine-polis-baskini/

Categories: Arrest / Detention / Interrogation

Source of violation: Police / State security

Journalist Özlem Oral briefly detained

On 10 October, President Erdoğan threatened that he would “open the gates” to the EU if they called his military operation an “invasion”.

20 October 2019 – Özlem Oral, a reporter for the left-wing Mücadele Birliği newspaper, was arrested during a police raid on her home on 19 October, Mezopotamya news agency reported. Oral was accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “inciting the public to hatred and animosity” for her social media posts about Turkey’s military operation in Syria. She was referred to the courthouse on 20 October and was subsequently released under a travel ban and has been ordered to report to the police station once a week.

Link(s):

http://mezopotamyaajansi23.com/tum-haberler/content/view/73855

https://t24.com.tr/haber/mucadele-birligi-gazetesi-muhabiri-ozlem-oral-gozaltina-alindi,844469

https://gazetekarinca.com/2019/10/gozaltina-alinan-gazeteci-ozlem-oral-serbest-birakildi/

Categories: Arrest / Detention / Interrogation

Source of violation: Police / State security

 

Nurcan Baysal’s house raided by police

19 October 2019 – Police carried out an early morning raid on columnist and T24 contributor Nurcan Baysal’s home in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır. Announcing the incident on Twitter, Baysal said that she was abroad when the raid took place, and therefore she was not arrested, but her two children were at home at the time of the raid. Baysal said that she believed the raid to have been in connection with her social media posts.

Link(s):

https://t24.com.tr/haber/nurcan-baysal-in-evine-polis-baskini,844441

http://bianet.org/bianet/ifade-ozgurlugu/214700-yazar-nurcan-baysal-in-evine-polis-baskini

https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/turkiye/2019/10/19/nurcan-baysalin-evine-polis-baskini/

Categories: Arrest / Detention / Interrogation

Source of violation: Police / State security

 

Journalist Tuğba Özer ordered to pay compensation over report

17 October 2019 – Tuğba Özer, an editor for Cumhuriyet daily, was ordered to pay 5,000 Turkish lira (around $875) in compensation over a news report, Bianet reported. The lawsuit was overseen by the 23rd Civil Court of First Instance of Istanbul.

The lawsuit was filed by the conservative and Islamist İHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation over Özer’s report about an elementary school teacher volunteering for İHH. Özer reported that the teacher had made his students pose for a picture as they held pieces of rope symbolizing the executioner’s rope and shared these pictures on social media.

The picture was posted at a time when President Erdoğan was reigniting the debate on bringing back the death penalty. The report says that the teacher shared the picture in which he is seen showing the rope on his social media account, saying “Either the state should take the lead or the raven will hover over the dead. President! We want justice.” The message came after a terrorist attack near the Inönü stadium in Istanbul’s central neighborhood of Beşiktaş killed 48 people, mostly police officers. In another social media message the teacher is seen forcing his students to make a military salute in the classroom. The teacher was suspended after the report caused a wide outcry.

Link(s):

https://bianet.org/bianet/ifade-ozgurlugu/214586-cocuklara-idam-ipini-yazan-gazeteciye-tazminat-cezasi

https://ilerihaber.org/icerik/gazeteci-tugba-ozere-yaptigi-haberden-dolayi-5-bin-tl-para-cezasi-verildi-104990.html

https://tele1.com.tr/cocuklara-idam-ipi-veren-degil-haberi-yazan-gazeteci-ceza-aldi-92814/

Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences

Source of violation: Court / Judicial

 

BirGün editor Hakan Demir briefly detained over report on military operation

10 October 2019 – Hakan Demir, editor of the website of BirGün daily, was taken into custody during an early morning police raid on his Istanbul home, Bianet reported.

The grounds for Demir’s arrest was “the way in which a news item posted on the newspaper’s online edition was shared on Twitter.” The report referred to the military operation launched by the Turkish military in Syria on 9 October.

Demir was referred to the courthouse later in the day. The 13th Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled to release the journalist under an international travel ban.

Link(s):

http://bianet.org/bianet/ifade-ozgurlugu/214244-birgun-gazetesi-internet-sorumlusu-hakan-demir-e-gozalti

https://www.birgun.net/haber/gozaltina-alinan-gazetemizin-internet-sorumlusu-hakan-demir-serbest-birakildi-271945

https://t24.com.tr/haber/bir-gun-gazetesi-internet-sorumlusu-hakan-demir-gozaltina-alindi,843105

Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences

Source of violation: Police / State security

 

Diken’s news editor Fatih Gökhan Diler detained for “inciting hatred”

10 October 2019 – The managing editor of the news portal Diken, Fatih Gökhan Diler, was arrested at Diken’s offices in Istanbul, the website reported. Diler was eventually released under a travel ban by the Criminal Judgeship of Peace.

Diler was reportedly detained as part of an investigation on the allegation of “incitement of hatred and animosity” in a news story published by Diken that featured a statement by the speaker of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Turkish military launched an operation in Syria on 9 October, mostly targeting Kurdish forces controlling the border.

Link(s):

http://www.diken.com.tr/dikenin-sorumlu-yaziisleri-muduru-fatih-gokhan-diler-gozaltina-alindi/

https://www.gercekgundem.com/medya/125294/gozaltina-alinan-diken-editoru-fatih-gokhan-diler-serbest-birakildi

https://t24.com.tr/haber/diken-in-sorumlu-yaziisleri-muduru-fatih-gokhan-diler-gozaltina-alindi,843154

Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences

Source of violation: Police / State security

 

JinNews reporter Beritan Canözer’s home raided by police over her social media posts

10 October 2019 – Reporter Beritan Canözer of the Diyarbakır-based pro-Kurdish and feminist news website JinNews had her home raided by police, Bianet reported. During the raid, police confiscated several magazines and newspapers they found in her apartment.

Police officers informed Canözer’s sibling, who was alone in the apartment when the police came, that the journalist was being summoned to the Diyarbakır Police Department to give her statement in connection with her social media posts.

Link(s):

https://www.yeniyasamgazetesi.com/gazeteci-beritan-canozerin-evi-basildi/

http://bianet.org/english/law/214312-journalist-beritan-canozer-s-house-raided-over-social-media-posts

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/388667/sosyal-medya-operasyonlari-gazeteci-beritan-canozerin-evine-baskin

Categories: Criminal Charges / Fines / Sentences

Source of violation: Police / State security

 

Broadcasts denigrating Syria operation to be ‘silenced’, TV watchdog said

10 October 2019 – Turkey’s TV watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), released a statement warning that any broadcast that endorsed terrorism and misled citizens with “false, incomplete or biased information” would be silenced, Andolu Agency reported. Turkey’s military launched an operation named Peace Spring on 9 October in northern Syria, targeting the Kurdish groups controlling the border.

While thanking broadcasters for “meeting society’s need of being informed with accurate information and contributing to national unity and togetherness,” RTÜK said it would not tolerate negative coverage of the operation. In the statement, RTÜK said that divisive and destructive broadcasts against Operation Peace Spring, published with the support of the [PKK] terrorist organization, are being swiftly identified and silenced with the support of other state institutions.

Link(s):

https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/baris-pinari-harekati/rtukten-baris-pinari-harekati-icin-hassasiyet-cagrisi/1609231

http://www.yeniyasamgazetesi1.com/rtukten-susturma-aciklamasi/

http://susma24.com/blog/2019/10/11/rtuk-harekat-aleyhindeki-yayinlar-hizlica-susturulmaktadir/

Categories: Censorship – Other Serious Issues

Source of violation: Government / State Agency / Public official(s) / Political party

 

Evrensel columnist faces investigation for column about First Lady

7 October 2019 – Evrensel writer Ender İmrek is facing an investigation over a column he wrote about First Lady Emine Erdoğan, the newspaper reported.

First Lady Emine Erdoğan

The column titled “The Hermes bag was shining brightly” criticized the First Lady’s ostentatious display of wealth.

In a Twitter post, Imrek said he was called to testify at the police station over his column.

Link(s):

http://susma24.com/blog/2019/10/08/gazeteci-ender-imreke-sorusturma/

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/388407/emine-erdoganin-hermes-cantasini-yazan-ender-imreke-sorusturma

https://www.dusun-think.net/haberler/gazeteci-ender-imreke-sorusturma/

Categories: Arrest / Detention / Interrogation

Source of violation: Police / State security[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1574865309697-99e30f8e-0394-5″ taxonomies=”35195″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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