Germany / Europe & Central Asia

  
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 6, 2024. Zakharova announced on November 27 that German journalists Frank Aischmann and Sven Feller were “ordered to hand in their accreditation” and leave Russian territory. (Photo: AFP/Olga Maltseva)

Russia expels 2 German journalists in retaliatory response

New York, November 27, 2024—Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a Wednesday press briefing that German journalists Frank Aischmann and Sven Feller were “ordered to hand in their accreditation” and leave Russian territory “in due time.” Zakharova said the move was a “symmetrical measure” to German authorities’ ban “on the presence and work”…

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Adonis Alkhaled DW

German security guards abuse, beat DW Arabic reporter at concert

New York, October 16, 2024—German authorities must swiftly and transparently investigate security guards’ homophobic abuse and attack on a journalist with the public broadcaster DW’s Arabic service who was reporting at a concert in the western city of Düsseldorf, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “German authorities must ensure the security guards working for…

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In Germany, 2 public broadcast centers evacuated after bomb threats

New York, October 11, 2024—German authorities must investigate emailed bomb threats made against several broadcasting centers for the regional public radio station Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) on Saturday, October 5, and ensure the safety of the outlet’s journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.  “CPJ is concerned by the bomb threats targeting MDR broadcasting centers…

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Two police officers stare down a hall with grafetti-covered walls.

German police launch criminal probe of video journalist after beating him during pro-Palestinian protest

Berlin, June 7, 2024—German authorities must swiftly and transparently investigate the recent police attack on video journalist Ignacio Rosaslanda, ensure the responsible police officers are held to account, and drop all criminal investigations against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Police beat and detained Ignacio Rosaslanda, a video journalist for daily newspaper Berliner…

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CPJ welcomes conviction of death squad driver in murder of Gambian editor Deyda Hydara

Durban, November 30, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Thursday’s conviction in Germany of a member of former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh’s death squad for the 2004 murder of Gambian editor Deyda Hydara. “The German court’s conviction and sentencing to life imprisonment of death squad driver Bai Lowe is an important first step for the…

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Investigation finds Russian journalist Galina Timchenko targeted by Pegasus spyware

New York, September 13, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists said that it is deeply disturbed by the findings of an investigation released Wednesday by rights organizations that the phone of Galina Timchenko, head of the independent Russian news website Meduza, was infected by Pegasus surveillance spyware while she was in Germany earlier this year. “CPJ…

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CPJ calls for investigation into alleged poisoning of exiled Russian journalists Elena Kostyuchenko and Irina Babloyan

New York, August 16, 2023 — German and Georgian authorities should thoroughly and transparently investigate allegations that exiled Russian journalists Elena Kostyuchenko and Irina Babloyan were poisoned in 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, an investigation by the independent news website The Insider stated that both journalists had experienced unexplained health…

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German journalist David Janzen’s home vandalized after reporting on far-right

Berlin, April 5, 2023—German authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate the recent harassment of journalist David Janzen and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 29, unidentified people painted a message on Janzen’s home in the north-central German city of Braunschweig accusing him of being “anti-German” and left behind a…

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‘I am challenged at the court for simply doing my job’: Journalists covering climate issues in Europe face growing threats

Skyrocketing temperatures and catastrophic flooding have hammered home the realities of climate change in Europe, making environmental coverage one of the continent’s most important beats. It’s also an increasingly dangerous one as journalists face legal and physical harassment for reporting on polluters, amid other concerns. Of course, Europe isn’t the only place where journalists find…

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German police search office of independent broadcaster and 2 journalists’ homes, seize equipment and documents

Berlin, January 19, 2023 – German authorities must immediately stop harassing journalists affiliated with the independent nonprofit radio station Radio Dreyeckland, return all equipment and documents seized in raids on its editors’ homes, and ensure that members of the press are not threatened with criminal charges over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said…

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