International Press Institute (IPI)

In times of crisis such as this, the media plays a fundamental role in providing timely and accurate information about developments on the ground. The targeting of news organizations covering the conflict or any attempts by Russian forces to knock out key telecommunications or broadcasting infrastructure in Ukraine would be completely unacceptable.

Between January and December 2021, a total of 626 alerts were documented on the Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) platform across EU Member States, candidate countries and the United Kingdom – ranging from physical attacks to SLAPP lawsuits and online harassment.

The IPI global network urges the Indian government to drop its effort to shut down MediaOne over vague “national security” concerns.

Journalist Sedef Kabaş was detained on 22 January after she quoted a Circassian proverb on TV: “An ox does not become a king as it ascends to a palace, but the palace becomes a barn.” She was charged with “insulting the president”.

In South Korea, some journalists suspect their phone records were accessed in an attempt to discover their sources.

Kostas Vaxevanis faces four criminal charges and up to 20 years in prison for his newspaper’s reporting on the Novartis pharmaceutical scandal. Ioanna Papadakou also faces charges in relation to the Novartis case and the so-called “Lagarde list” of possible tax evaders.

Journalists worry about the state of press freedom after government detains a journalist and shuts down press club.

“Journalists across Kazakhstan are currently working in extremely challenging conditions while documenting the unrest. It is vital that the safety of all journalists and media workers is guaranteed and that the freedom of the press is fully respected in the wake of the unrest” – IPI