21 Oct 19 | Belarus, Belarus Incident Reports
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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=”5 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
Public official sues Telegram blogger
26 September 2019 – The head of the Slonim district government Henadz Khomich sued Stiapan Putsila (better known by his pseudonym Stsiapan Sviatlou), the blogger behind NEXTA, one
Blogger Stsiapan Sviatlou is being sued by the head of Slonim district government
of Belarus’ most popular Telegram channels.
Khomich’s is suing Putsila for 50,000 roubles (nearly £20,000) worth of compensation for what he says is “moral damage” for a post that Putsila published in August 2019. In the post, Putsila said that Khomich had been detained for drunk driving and suggested that corruption was involved. Similar lawsuits have been filed against news websites belaruspartisan.by, 21.by, and bobruisk.ru, which republished the message.
Link(s): https://nn.by/?c=ar&i=238079&lang=ru
https://nn.by/?c=ar&i=238083
Category: Subpoena/Court Order/Lawsuits
Source(s) of violation: Known private individual(s)
Blogger receives threats
24 September 2019 – Blogger Andrei Pavuk from the town of Aktsiabrski in the Homel region received threats from an unknown person via Viber.
The messages were received on the eve of the court hearing of his lawsuit against the police aimed at receiving compensation for an unlawful search and detention, which Pavuk believes was done to intimidate him and to exert psychological pressure on him.
In March 2019, police raided Pavuk’s apartment, seized his professional equipment, handcuffed him and brought to the local department of the Investigative Committee for interrogation. The blogger was told he was held on suspicion of knowingly submitting a false danger warning to the authorities under under Art. 340 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. Investigators alleged that the Ministry of Emergency Situations received a warning message from his email.
Link(s):https://euroradio.fm/ru/blogeru-andreyu-pauku-ugrozhayut-s-filippin-podumay-padla
https://baj.by/be/content/skazhy-dzyakuy-shto-nichoga-tabe-ne-padkinuli-blogeru-andreyu-pavuku-daslali-pagrozy-i
Category: Online Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse
Source(s) of violation: Unknown
Police filed report against Belsat TV journalists
19 September 2019 – Darya Chultsova, a Mahiliou-based freelance journalist, was summoned to Bialynichy District Police Department for questioning. Because she is not associated with an accredited news outlet, a police report was filed against her for illegally producing and distributing media content under Article 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
The police report stated that on 21 August 2019, Chultsova interviewed students’ parents at a high school. The next day, the interviews were allegedly shown on Belsat TV.
Link(s): https://baj.by/ru/content/posle-zatishya-vozobnovilos-presledovanie-zhurnalistov-za-sotrudnichestvo-s-belsatom
https://baj.by/be/content/sud-adpraviu-spravu-zhurnalistki-dari-chulcovay-na-dapracouku
Category: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation, Criminal Charges/Fines/Sentences, Subpoena/Court Order/Lawsuits
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
Freelance journalist fined for working without accreditation
18 September 2019 – Freelance journalist Zmitser Mitskevich was fined by Pastavy District Court (Vitsebsk region) for contributing to Belsat TV. Because he is not associated with an accredited news outlet, he was charged with illegally producing and distributing media content under Art. 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
Link: https://baj.by/en/analytics/fines-journalists-violating-article-229-administrative-code-chart-updated
Category: Criminal Charge/Fines/Sentences
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
Bloggers sued for covering environmental protests
17 September 2019 – Brest-based bloggers Siarhei Piatrukhin and Aliaksandr Kabanau learned that they are being sued for defamation by the lead-acid battery plant, I-Power, at the Brest Region Economic Court.
The lawsuit stems from the journalists’ interview with two environmental activists who claimed that contamination resulted from environmental violations committed by I-Power. The interview appeared on the YouTube channel Narodnyj Reportior.
It is not the first time that Kabanau and Piatrukhin have been sued by I-Power: in 2018, a judge ordered the bloggers to remove their YouTube video about the construction of I-Power’s battery plant and to publish an apology.
Link: https://baj.by/be/content/blogery-syargey-pyatruhin-i-alyaksandr-kabanau-raptouna-apynulisya-adkazchykami-u-sprave-ab
Category: Subpoena/Court Order/Lawsuits
Source(s) of violation: Known private individual(s)[/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:1571647405268-b77e79c5-1924-10″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
15 Oct 19 | Ukraine, Ukraine Incident Reports
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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=”10 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]
Cameraman assaulted with pepper spray
Channel 7 cameraman was pepper sprayed while reporting
30 September 2019 – Andriy Kulba, a cameraman for Channel 7, was reporting on a domestic incident, involving a young child, in Odessa when he was assaulted with pepper spray. Paramedics who were called provided Kulba with first aid and he was taken to the burn department of a local hospital. Both of his forearms, as well as his neck, face and eyes were injured in the assault.
Link(s): http://nsju.org/index.php/article/view/8237
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Known private individual(s)
Journalist threatened with a gun
26 September 2019 – Video blogger Andriy Pylypovych was shooting a story on illegal construction in the city of New Kakhovka (Kherson region), when he was threatened with a pistol by a builder on the site.
“I was shooting a story for my video blog [on YouTube], and as a freelance correspondent for the newspapers Dniprovsky Prospect and Chas. We perceived the threat of “firing” at us as a joke until the builder pulled a gun out of the car,” Pylypovych told the Institute for Mass Information representative.
No one was injured and the police have opened a criminal investigation.
Link(s): https://imi.org.ua/news/u-novij-kahovtsi-budivelnyk-pogrozhuvav-zhurnalistu-pistoletom-i29813
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArqrcoibdJQ
https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/virok-sudu/zhitel-novoji-kaxovki-pidozryujetsya-v-pogrozhuvanni-misczevomu-zhurnalistu/?fbclid=IwAR2lq2XpANB1rGJDjkpAEZb4fVtPr0m-fnQHFvAyWErtL5G_5GPonb-60Qw
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Unknown
National Council on television to revoke licenses for TV channel
26 September 2019 – The Ukrainian National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting made a decision not to extend broadcasting licence of 112 Ukraine TV channel, which is available in five Ukrainian regions, including Donbass, TASS reported.
A spokesman for the regulator, Serhiy Kostinsky, said that 112 Ukraine TV channel’s request to extend their licence would be denied. All members of the committee have backed this decision.
On 30 September, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today over the decision taken by the media regulator, the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine, not to renew the digital terrestrial broadcasting licenses of five regional television companies.
“I hope that the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine will find a solution to preserve pluralism in the media environment,” said Désir. “It is important to ensure diversity in the broadcasting, while fully respecting the legal requirements, and balancing any regulatory decisions with access to pluralistic media.”
Link(s):
https://tass.com/society/1080001
https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/national-council-ruling-on-112-ukraines-ending-license-for-appealed-by-5-tv-companies-with-its-logo.html
https://112.international/society/revoking-digital-broadcasting-license-from-the-112-ukraine-tv-channel-is-political-lynching-opposition-platform-for-life-party-43954.html
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/434201
https://imi.org.ua/en/news/five-companies-broadcasting-under-logo-112-ukraina-appealed-against-national-council-s-decision-i29836
Categories: Legal Measures
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Journalists pushed and shoved by president’s press secretary
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Yulia Mendel, shoves reporter Serhiy Andrushko to prevent him from asking questions
26 September 2019 – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and UA:Pershyi correspondent, Serhiy Andrushko, was repeatedly pushed back by presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel, as he tried to approach the Head of the President’s Office and President Zelenskiy to ask them questions.
A video of the incident shows Mendel repeatedly shoving Serhiy Andrushko as he tries to approach the two men. The Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Bohdan, approaching the journalist and told him: “I do not communicate with representatives of the media, which deceive society and don’t adhere to journalistic standards. This is my final point.”
RFE/RL’s Kyiv correspondent Christopher Miller said he had encountered Mendel’s confrontational approach at a conference in Kyiv on 13 September. According to Miller, Mendel shoved him aside while he was talking to Zelenskiy at the conference.
On September 28 the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine demanded apology from Presidential Office for Mendel’s behaviour. “The press secretary of the president has no right to physically interfere in the work of journalists,” the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine head Serhiy Tomilenko said on Facebook.
Link(s): https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=389325218429171
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/09/27/7227517/
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/09/27/7227495/
https://www.facebook.com/mixailotkach/posts/2426832120719629
https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/schemes/30184985.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-journalist-union-demands-apology-from-presidential-office/30189675.html
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Blocked Access
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Journalist received threats in SMS messages
23 September 2019 – KyivPost journalist, Anna Myronyuk, received a text message from pro-Russian fighters from the occupied areas of the Luhansk region saying that she could be be given up to 10 years to life imprisonment for alleged “genocide and prohibited means / methods of war”.
She was the third KyivPost journalist to have received such messages after sending their documents to the Joint Forces Operations press centre about three weeks ago. She wrote on Facebook: “I have reason to believe that there was another leak of the data of journalists who have applied for accreditation to work in the combat zone or the Joint Forces Operations zone. Colleagues from other media who did not apply for accreditation during this period did not receive such threats. I will be happy to be incorrect, but so far everything looks different – that it is not becoming safer to work as a journalist in Ukraine”.
Olga Rudenko, KyivPost deputy editor-in-chief, said that SMS messages were received by journalists who had not yet travelled to the Joint Forces Operation zone. British journalist Reece Lynch is also reported to have been threatened.
Link(s):
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2514082801990506&set=a.794967737235363&type=3&theater
https://detector.media/community/article/170996/2019-09-24-zhurnalisti-kyiv-post-poskarzhilisya-na-pogrozi-z-boku-boiovikiv-orlo-pripustivshi-vitik-danikh/
Categories: Intimidation, Offline Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse
Source of violation: Unknown
Online news outlet journalist assaulted by local deputy
23 September 2019 – KNK-media journalist Alexander Vlasov was assaulted by Kherson region council deputy, Yevhen Ryshchuk, in the village of Pravi Sahy village.
The assault on the journalist occurred at night, during the village celebrations in the local House of Culture. According to Institute for Mass Information, Ryshchuk hit the journalist on the head and in the shoulder and then took his phone, breaking it.
The police opened a criminal investigation under the article “intentional slight bodily injury.”
Link(s): https://hr.npu.gov.ua/news/novini/policziya-z-yasovuje-obstavini-konfliktu-v-oleshkivskomu-rajoni/
https://knk.media/zhurnalisty/25-aleksandr-vlasov.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tz9LlmoNIM
https://imi.org.ua/news/politsiya-vidkryla-spravu-za-171-statteyu-cherez-pereshkodzhannya-zhurnalistu-i29717
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
TV journalist assaulted by car driver
6 September 2019 – Journalist Kateryna Kolgan of 2+2 TV’s DjeDAI (ДжеДАІ) program was assaulted by a motorist in Kyiv, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine reported.
Kolgan posted on Facebook that the program crew was filming a story about violators of traffic rules in the urban district of Borshchagovka. According to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, one of the drivers who Kolgan approached for interview, punched her from his car. In doing so, he knocked her mobile phone from her hand and drove over it.
The journalist was not injured but the phone was damaged as a result of the incident. “I’m glad that only the mobile phone was broken – and not my leg. The car came very close to my foot,” Kolgan wrote.
The journalist contacted the police, saying that she has a video, which shows both the driver and the car number.
Link(s): https://www.facebook.com/katyha.kolgan/posts/1961707133931875
https://imi.org.ua/news/u-kyyevi-pid-chas-zjomok-vodij-napav-na-zhurnalistku-2-2-i29449
http://nsju.org/index.php/article/view/8198
https://detector.media/community/article/170537/2019-09-06-u-kievi-na-zhurnalistku-22-napali-pid-chas-ziomok-syuzhetu-politsiya-vidkrila-provadzhennya/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown
National TV Council to file lawsuit to revoke NewsOne television’s license
5 September 2019 – The Ukrainian National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council has accused the News 24 Hours TV channel of inciting ethical, racial, and religious strife, noting that it is going to file a lawsuit to deprive the TV channel of its license, the KyivPost reported.
The council said that it recorded violations during News 24 Hours’ unscheduled inspection of the TV station in July, which came about as a result of NewsOne TV’s (which is owned by News 24 Hours) intentions to hold a TV link-up with the Russia-1 TV channel on 8 July.
Reading out the council’s decision, Herasymiuk accused the TV channel of “inciting ethnic, racial, or religious animosity or hostility in statements that were made live on the News 24 Hours TV channel between June 6, 2019, and July 8, 2019”.
In a statement on its website, NewsOne said that the National Council’s decision is based on multiple violations of the law that have taken place before and during the inspection of the TV channel. “The National Council blatantly and cynically displayed the negligence of legal procedures and put a rude pressure on its employees in order to ruin the independent TV channel,” NewsOne said in the statement.
Link(s): https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ukrainian-national-tv-council-to-file-lawsuit-to-revoke-newsone-televisions-license.html
https://newsone.ua/news/society/newsone-obratilsja-k-mezhdunarodnomu-soobshchestvu-v-svjazi-s-resheniem-natssoveta.html
https://interfax.com.ua/news/telecom/611492.html
Categories: Subpoena / Court Order/ Lawsuits
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Reporters received death threats
5 September 2019 – Bellingcat journalist Oleksiy Kuzmenko received an anonymous e-mail containing a link to the video and death threats after he tweeted about a far-right festival held in Kyiv by the Azov movement. He received other insults and threats by various far-right groups.
Since Bellingcat published an article on the translation of the Christchurch shooter’s manifesto in mid-August 2019, Michael Colborne and Oleksiy Kuzmenko have been consistently harassed and threatened online.
In August, a threatening video appeared on a far-right Telegram channel that promotes the Christchurch shooter’s manifesto. The video featured the photographs of Michael Colborne, Oleksiy Kuzmenko and fellow journalists Dmitry Gordon and Valerie Kipnis, being shot one by one with a firearm. It was posted with the following message: “This video is kind of an instruction manual on how to deal with our enemies.” Michael Colborne’s photograph showed him as he was beaten up while covering an anti-LGBT rally in Kyiv last November.
Link(s):
https://go.coe.int/SRWnu
https://twitter.com/bellingcat/status/1169306250087161858
https://tsn.ua/ukrayina/rozsliduvachi-bellingcat-zayavili-pro-pogrozi-vbivstvom-z-boku-ukrayinskih-pravoradikaliv-1405953.html
Categories: Intimidation, Online Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse
Source of violation: Unknown
City council deputy grabs audio recorder from journalist
3 September 2019 — Halyna Nazarova, journalist for Energetik newspaper, was assaulted by city council deputy, Anatoliy Tolkach, during a city council meeting in the Mykolaiv region.
Nazarova told the Institute for Mass Information that she was sitting near Tolkach at a meeting and placed the audio recorder on the table. Tolkach grabbed the recorder and put it in his pocket, saying that she was not allowed to record him. He ignored her requests to give her back the recorder.
The journalist then began using her phone to record, but the deputy grabbed her phone and threw it. Describing the incident, she said, “He took the recorder, so I turned on the recorder on my mobile phone. I put it on the table. He picked up the phone and tossed it on the floor. He shouted to us that ‘your place is in the corner, get in the corner and write from there’.”
As a result, the meeting was suspended and the journalist called the police. The police launched an investigation under the article “Obstruction of the legal professional activity of journalists.”
Link(s): https://imi.org.ua/news/na-mykolayivshhyni-deputat-vidibrav-u-zhurnalistky-dyktofon-na-zasidanni-komisiyi-i29705
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party[/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:1571144646302-3b13becb-cfa4-6″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
28 Sep 19 | Russia, Russia Incident Reports
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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=”14 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Kostroma photographer detained and asked to admit to terrorism
28 September – Alexey Molotorenko, photographer with the regional media outlet 7×7, was detained by the National Guard of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardia), when he was taking photos outside the Rosgvardia building, 7×7 reported.
Molotorenko was approached by a several Rosgvardia officers, who demanded that he delete the photos. When he refused to do so, they reportedly grabbed him and took him into the headquarters, where they confiscated his phone and searched his bag.
Four officers, including one from anti-extremism section of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, questioned the reporter for four hours, demanding that he admit involvement in terrorist activities. According to Molotorenko, they threatened to “cause problems” for his family if he didn’t plead guilty. The journalist was taken to a local police department and subsequently released without charge. 7×7 called the incident unacceptable obstruction of journalistic activities and sent complaints to the police and Rosgvardia.
Links:
https://7×7-journal.ru/articles/2019/09/28/v-kostrome-fotokorrespondenta-7h7-alekseya-molotorenko-zaderzhali-za-semku-vorot-chasti-rosgvardii?fbclid=IwAR1vX3xFjnngwgWi708AxOehxzrV_KcvlPh_mkNBjZ8530HDEjgwxpKYQIM
Categories: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation, Intimidation
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
Associated Press reporter threatened after interview with the head of the Central Election Committee
26 September – Natalia Vasilieva, a reporter with international news agency Associated Press, said she received threats from the Central Election Committee after interviewing its head Ella Pamfilova about the Moscow city parliament election that took place in August, which were met with mass protests against the disqualification of independent candidates, news agency Zakon reported.
After the interview was published at the end of August, the Central Election Committee accused Vasilieva of twisting Pamfilova’s words and called the article “propaganda”. According to Vasilieva, the deputy head of the Central Election Committee told her boss that Natalia would never have a career and would not be allowed back to Central Election Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the Kremlin.
Links:
https://twitter.com/zakon_agency/status/1177143388354879488
https://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2019/09/26/korrespondent-associated-press-rasskazala-ob-ugrozah-ot-cik-posle-intervyu-s?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=share&fbclid=IwAR24ysh4BEtIc976NA5aoyg31I2tWed-nuUz8rBWnVcoLaDULIY5XVxUqkA
Categories: Intimidation
Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Head of Petrozavodsk prison threatened to sue Zona.Media over an article about the torture of detainees
26 September – Ivan Savelev, head of Petrozavodak jail №9, threatened to sue Zona.Media over a piece they published about detainees being tortured, Zona.Media reported.
The article, which was published on 24 September, contained interviews with former detainees about torture they endured at the hands of Ivan Savelev.
Savelev says that he plans to sue the website, the journalist, and the former detainees that were cited for defamation. Savelev says he sent a complaint to the Investigative Committee regarding damage to his professional reputation.
Links:
https://zona.media/news/2019/09/26/nine?fbclid=IwAR2e7u0UDUZcFUo3D5tOsaBQlUj1vfycdY_ShVaT9-3K60fr55roHQmlSvI
Categories: Intimidation
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security, Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
“Young Journalists of Altai region” fined for 20-year old hyperlink
25 September – Justice of the Peace of Zheleznodorozhny district court fined the Young Journalists of Altai Region 50,000 rubles ($778) for a 1999 hyperlink to the Open Society Foundation website, Zona.Media reported. George Soros’ OSF was deemed “an undesirable organization” by the Russian government in 2017.
“We forgot that we had it [the link] among the volume of information. But vigilant officials found it,” Sergey Kanarev the head of Young Journalists of Altai Region said.
Links:
https://zona.media/news/2019/09/25/srs1999?fbclid=IwAR17oT7kLDt0ttM69DMuqpDi9FJoJ0VxPrCnqPVEyfsIf29QZUpVrixm85c
https://www.facebook.com/skanarev/posts/10212743590503246
https://tayga.info/149030
Categories: Legal Measures
Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Izvestia newspaper removed article criticizing Defence Minister
24 September – A daily newspaper Izvestia, which belongs to the state-owned National Media Group, removed from its website the op-ed “The achievements of Sergey Shoigu as Defense Minister” by the military reporter Ilya Kramnik, who described the incident in a Facebook post.
Referring to an interview by the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets with the Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, Kramnik wrote that it’s unlikely to be correct that the recovery of the Russian army was due to the appointment of Shoigu, since its reform was initiated by the previous minister. Kramnik also wrote that the defence ministry has taken more of a propagandist line since Shoigu’s appointment.
Kramnik reportedly said that he didn’t know the specific reasons behind the removal of the article but that some kind of administrative pressure was involved. The newspaper’s press service allegedly accused Kramnik of violating corporate standards and said that the article was deleted because it didn’t align with editorial standards. The newspaper said that the decision was made by the editorial board, which considered the material to be insufficiently developed with too many of Kramnik’s views rather than facts. Kramnik said that he didn’t receive any comments about the article until it was published. Kramnik is reportedly no longer working for the publication.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/i.kramnik/posts/2371375439597846
https://www.svoboda.org/a/30183529.html
https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-49838990
Categories: Censorship
Source(s) of violation: Employer/Publisher/Colleague(s)
Pskov journalist Svetlana Prokopeva officially charged with justifying terrorism
20 September – Radio Svoboda reported that Svetlana Prokopeva, a Pskov-based independent journalist, was officially charged with justifying terrorism for discussing whether the planting of a bomb by a 17-year-old student at a Federal Security Service headquarters last year was provoked by a repressive political regime. The journalist pleads not guilty. Her lawyers called the charges absurd.
Links:
https://www.svoboda.org/a/30175507.html
https://ifex.org/russia-journalist-svetlana-prokopyeva-faces-seven-years-in-jail-on-justifying-terrorism-charge/
Categories: Criminal Charges/Fines/Sentences
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security, Court/Judicial
Local journalist detained ahead of president visit to Izhevsk
19 September – Dariya Komarova, a reporter from Idel Real was detained in Izhevsk ahead of President Putin’s visit to the city, Idel Real reported. Policemen detained the journalist while she was taking photos of residents passing through security check-point to get to the main square. Komarova was released shortly afterwards, but was told that the police would be watching and checking her.
Links:
https://www.idelreal.org/a/30173086.html
https://zona.media/news/2019/09/19/zaderzhali?fbclid=IwAR2u6lx_dXM5RcV4OVSxlgn0GiTm0LkcIBW2GpeaCTRtfBm5OTyQbCUb5zM
Categories: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation, Intimidation
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
Senator accused Proekt.Media’s founder of graduating from “CIA school”
16 September – According to the media outlet Lenizdat, Andrey Klimov, the head of Federation Council’s Commission on Sovereignty Protection, accused the founder and editor-in-chief of investigative online outlet Proekt.Media, Roman Badanin, of studying in a “private intelligence school”, that prepares “anti-Russian journalists”. Klimov called Stanford University, where Badanin studied in 2017, a “CIA school”.
Links:
https://lenizdat.ru/articles/1156256/?fbclid=IwAR0_R7Ul8Wp22kMrPnAFdXWwuA_M3A-IbYsJ53dhIdkYBvddgEpceWLF9nc
Categories: Online Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse
Source(s) of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Student media reporter detained in Moscow at rally in support of political prisoner
Prior to his arrest in August, Yegor Zhukov had urged people not to be cowed into silence. He had been participating in the protests.
14 September – Tatyana Kolobakina, reporter with the student media outlet DOXA, was detained in Moscow at a student rally in support of political prisoner and fellow student, Zona.Media reported. Kolobakina was detained alongside two rally participants, who were dressed in T-shirts with slogans “Freedom to Zhukov”. Kolobakina has a similar sticker on her bag. All the detainees were released briefly without any charges and were told that they had been mistakenly detained while police were checking “info about some organization”.
Links:
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4094194
https://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2019/09/14/na-parade-moskovskogo-studenchestva-zaderzhali-dvuh-studentov-i?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=share&fbclid=IwAR0Amm0Ai9DarRmc8-pqVgqvSrZ5FQVP-p40vlUsJhWU2HSY20GdbJ4RDuA
Categories: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
St-Petersburg journalist targeted by media outlets allegedly tied to “troll factory”
12 September – Mariya Karpenko, a former Fontanka reporter who was fired in March because of her personal Telegram-account on Saint Petersburg politics, became a target of several defamation articles, Lenizdat reported.
According to reports, the articles may be linked to Evgeny Prigozhin’s “media factory”, which publishes almost identical pro-government articles and targets independents journalists and opposition activists.
Links:
https://lenizdat.ru/articles/1156242/?fbclid=IwAR1N60ZuAzpTBNth5ynq_ctmCv1PL6K94RWCvfry99GJnqMYuqMkU1kZCU4
https://www.svoboda.org/a/29830046.html
https://primechaniya.ru/sankt-peterburg/novosti/avtora-rassledovaniya-o-finansirovanii-vybornoj-kampanii-beglova-nachali-travit-v-smi
Categories: Online Defamation/Discredit/Harassment/Verbal Abuse
Source(s) of violation: Another media
Dozhd CEO Natalia Sindeeva was summoned for questioning in September.
Dozhd CEO questioned over funding received during the July protests
10 September – CEO of independent broadcaster Dozhd, Natalia Sindeeva, was summoned for questioning related to funding Dozhd received during the July protests, Sindeeva said in Facebook post. During the protests in late July the broadcaster lifted the paywall and encouraged viewers to donate money.
Links:
https://www.newsru.com/russia/10sep2019/sind_dopros.html?utm_source=share&fbclid=IwAR1264qd3E9ksE4Prq3_7dw9fSRCP0hvF5UqMs9W8HEKngaX5LAF6BvXu_c
https://zona.media/news/2019/09/09/sindeeva?fbclid=IwAR2cA7MskqAUB5vuVXgWRKrtx6DA4FHmnLwY6hSVySzYm6EIpOXmVo10PEs
Categories: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
Bus with journalists attacked in Tuva
7 September – A bus with journalists and observers, that were going to monitor and report on the local elections, was attacked with a gun fire at the border of Krasnoyarsk region and Tuva republic, local deputy Sergey Natarov said in his Facebook.
Witnesses say the bus was attacked by a group of around 10 gunned men.
The police said that nobody was injured and said that only the front wheels of the bus were damaged.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1369336403228476&set=a.405289099633216&type=3
https://www.svoboda.org/a/30152508.html?fbclid=IwAR0LyiXDB0NzNxtrvL1TZXlcaYqO1pToUXTSVOBbOwGkr9dUXY2RbZyfwt8
https://www.sibreal.org/a/30152426.html
https://t.me/pdmnews/20352
Categories: Intimidation
Source(s) of violation: Unknown
At least 3 journalists detained in Moscow before rally in support of political prisoners
8 September – Journalists Ilya Azar and Natalia Ivleva were detained in the centre of Moscow before the rally in support of political prisoners, MBH Media reported. Later MBH Media reported that journalist Maxim Kondratyev was also detained.
Links:
https://tvrain.ru/news/v_moskve_zaderzhali_zhurnalista_ilju_azara-493121/?fbclid=IwAR3kKIRLIm87drmSxftigXAff_sB0wrcuT6ap0tyoHuvRI6u3LCZOCr5frY
https://t.me/mbkhmedia/13378
https://www.mk.ru/politics/2019/09/08/v-moskve-zaderzhany-aktivisty-zhurnalisty-sredi-nikh-ilya-azar.html
Categories: Arrest/Detention/Interrogation
Source(s) of violation: Police/State security
Fly Auto sues Dozhd for 1 billion roubles
5 September – A car rental firm Fly Auto filed a 1 billion roubles ($15,300 millions) lawsuit against independent broadcaster Dozhd, Navalny said in his Twitter.
According to court documents, the lawsuit was registered on 5 September. Fly Auto accuse Dozhd of organising mass protest against the disqualification of independent candidates for local elections, that as the company claims, resulted in billion damage due to cancelled orders for car rentals, disrupted services and protesters damaging cars.
Update:
15 November – Arbitration court of Moscow dismissed the lawsuit against Dozhd TV channel, quoting lack of proof in the documents provided by the company.
Links:
https://zona.media/news/2019/09/05/flaj_avto?fbclid=IwAR1ye8yqjas57ArvgRe1uUhVF8XXX5Gd3voBuNOyfdRaV-empq0YV2VcZp0
https://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/2019/09/05/155024-kompaniya-po-prokatu-avtomobiley-podala-isk-k-fbk-i-dozhdyu-na-milliard-rubleyhttps://
www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=5DCEA674AD5BE
Categories: Subpoena / Court Order/ Lawsuits
Source(s) of violation: Corporation/Company[/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:1574958188379-c9ec03b6-f725-9″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
18 Sep 19 | Campaigns -- Featured, Media Freedom, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To: Marija Pejčinović Burić
Secretary-General
Council of Europe
Dear Secretary-General,
On behalf of the undersigned organisations, we warmly congratulate you on your appointment as the new Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. We are motivated by our experience and understanding of the worsening of the environment for journalists and free expression across Europe to ask you to make sure that your commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights will be reflected in enhanced efforts for the effective protection of freedom of expression, press freedom and the safety of journalists, backed up by robust measures and strong and consistent statements and actions by yourself as Secretary-General.
Media freedom and media pluralism must be given a clear and consistent priority across the Council of Europe area, as they enable the public to make informed choices about their government and society, and are thus prerequisites for the full enjoyment of all other rights.
Renewed and determined efforts to achieve Member States’ compliance with the Council of Europe’s conventions, recommendations and other texts, as well as the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) are vital in these times of rising threats against journalists and press freedom throughout Europe. The environment for media freedom has worsened significantly, as was documented in the Annual Report published by the partner organisations of the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists. We see extremely worrying developments in Azerbaijan, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Turkey, Russia and elsewhere.
Regarding the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, we urge you to provide all necessary means and support available to ensure that Member States respond concretely to alerts, intensify the dialogue and follow-up moves to provide redress, and to do everything possible to gain the active cooperation of those Member States which have failed to reply to alerts that highlight shortcomings or abuses on the part of state authorities. We ask you to establish a monthly exchange at the level of the Committee of Ministers to allow for a meaningful discussion on the progress of Member States in dealing with the alerts and persistent and serious threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists and other media actors.
In view of the well-documented increase in attacks on the media and backsliding in some states’ fulfilment of their commitments, we request you to prioritise actions and policies to implement Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 of the Committee of Ministers on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors – including specific measures to comply with Council of Europe standards on Protection; Prevention of attacks; and Prosecution of crimes against journalists.
We hope that the concerns and recommendations outlined in the Platform partners’ latest report will be given priority by the Secretariat under your leadership, and through the projects and activities foreseen in the bi-annual Council of Europe programme and budget. To address these concerns, we request you to make available the resources and support needed to give it greater visibility, recognition and impact – both internally and externally to the Council of Europe.
We are convinced that strong and concerted political action from Member States and the Council of Europe is now essential. We request your energetic support against the ongoing impunity for attacks including murders of journalists within Europe, and against widespread attempts to adopt severely restrictive legislation on media regulation, defamation, anti-terrorism that are increasingly used to criminalise journalists.
Anti-media rhetoric is creating a toxic atmosphere for journalists amongst the general public and must be countered. The spread of online disinformation intensifies this effect. We welcome the recent PACE resolution on the rule of law in Malta, which points to the urgent need for effective actions against the politicisation of state institutions, media capture by political forces, and a climate of impunity related to attacks against members of the media.
We call on you to provide your full political support, and necessary resources, to ensure the successful implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4, as is specified in the 2018 Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) strategy 2018. It is especially important to us that robust and frank debate on the subject of implementation (including securing firm commitments to national action plans) takes place at the Conference of Ministers responsible for media and information society in Cyprus in May 2020, with the full participation of civil society to pave the way for meaningful actions to reverse the recent negative trends.
We call on you to use your influence on Member States to reform their domestic laws and practices so that they comply with their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and CM Recommendation (2016)4, and do everything in your power to improve the safety of journalists through the establishment of effective safeguards.
We thank Thorbjørn Jagland for his efforts in the past years and we are happy to continue to support the Council of Europe with our research and our international networks.
We request a meeting with you soon to discuss these matters in person and to share our knowledge and experience with you as you begin your term of office.
We look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
Lutz Kinkel, Managing Director, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19
William Horsley, Special Representative for Media Freedom, Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
Gulnoza Said, Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN
Ricardo Gutiérrez, General Secretary, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Leon Willems, Director of Policy and Programmes, Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
Ralf Nestmeyer, Vice-President, German PEN
Bertrand Pecquerie, CEO, Global Editors Network (GEN)
Annie Game, Executive Director, IFEX
Joy Hyvarinen, Head of Advocacy, Index on Censorship
Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Ravi R. Prasad, Director of Advocacy, International Press Institute (IPI)
Ides Debruyne, Managing Director, Journalismfund.eu vzw
Hege Newth, Secretary General, Norwegian PEN
Chiara Sighele, Programme Director, Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT/CCI)
Alberto Spampinato, Director, Ossigeno per l’informazione
Aaliya Ahmed, International Programmes Director, PEN International
Christophe Deloire, Secretary General, Reporters without Borders (RSF)
Oliver Vujovic, Secretary General, South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
Clothilde Redfern, Director, The Rory Peck Trust
Andrew Heslop, Director, World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)[/vc_column_text][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1568796322393-650d0cd0-526d-5″ taxonomies=”6534″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
