RFE/RL Ukrainian Journalist Halyna Tereshchuk Comments On Arson Attack
A car belonging to RFE/RL correspondent Halyna Tereshchuk was torched while parked in front of her home in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on January 29. Tereshchuk, who has worked for RFE/RL since 2000, has said she suspects the attack was linked to her professional activities. The prosecutor-general’s office in Lviv is treating the case as arson.
INCIDENTS AND THREATS
RSF Warns Of 'Digital Predators' In Russia, Iran
In a new survey, Reporters Without Borders has included pro-Kremlin social-media users, Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor, and an Iranian state body responsible for cybercrime in its list of “worst digital predators” that represent a “danger for freedom of opinion and expression.”
Russian Regulator Accuses BBC Of Broadcast Violations
Russia's communications regulator has accused the BBC World News channel of violating broadcasting requirements inside Russia, in an intensification of a dispute over media between Moscow and London.
Russian Journalist Golunov Sent For Psychiatric Examination
Russian investigative reporter Ivan Golunov, whose arrest on fabricated charges last June sparked a public outcry, says the Kremlin’s Investigative Committee sent him for psychiatric testing for mental disorders and dependence on psychoactive substances. On March 11, Igor Lyakhovets, the former Russian police officer suspected of orchestrating the case, was remanded in custody.
Sweden Detains Russian Nationals In Connection With Attempted Murder Of Chechen Blogger
Two Russian nationals have been detained by police in Sweden in connection with what authorities are calling the attempted murder of Tumso Abdurakhmanov, a prominent blogger and critic of the Chechen government who fled Russia several years ago and reported a brutal attack on February 26.
European Court Says Azerbaijan Tried To Silence Khadija Ismayilova
In a February 27 ruling, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the actual goal of Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova’s arrest and detention was to “silence and punish her for her work.”
Jailed Azerbaijani Journalist 'Punished For Refusing To Vote'
The parents of Bahruz Aliyev, a journalist serving a long-term prison sentence in Azerbaijan, allege that their son was placed in a special punishment cell at Baku’s Prison No.13 after he refused to vote in last month’s parliamentary elections.
RFE/RL IMPACT
CURRENT TIME: The 24/7 network was unique among Russian-language media in broadcasting, live and in its entirety, the March 9 start of the trial of four men over the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. The coverage received some 382,000 views on social networks and YouTube. Other content relating to the trial, including materials from the official crash investigation and intercepted audio of phone conversations, received nearly 730,000 views on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and VK.
IRAN: Radio Farda continued to dedicate its coverage to the coronavirus, providing audiences with accurate reporting on the virus’s spread and the government’s failed response. Its reporting estimated that fatalities from the virus were four times the official figures, and likely even higher. (Persian & English)
AFGHANISTAN: The Afghan Service dedicated its coverage to the impact of the US-Taliban deal on Afghan women. One special project, Peace: 101 Women, asked 101 women from around the country about their hopes for peace; another, My Peace, recorded their video messages about peace. One extended talk-show addressed Afghan women’s access to health services, and another explored how corruption decreased Afghan women’s chances of employment.
PAKISTAN: RFE/RL’s Pashto-language service Radio Mashaal investigates the role that drug wars play in funding militancy and extremism. A March 3 report on a police raid on poppy fields in Pakistan’s northwestern Mohmand province received over 808,000 views on Facebook.
DON’T MISS
WATCH: Dictatorship: Critics Slam Vote Enabling Putin To Run For President Again
WATCH: Attacks On Women On International Women’s Day
VISIT: The LADY LIBERTY page, celebrating the work of women journalists from RFE/RL.
WORLD DAY AGAINST #CYBERCENSORSHIP: Baku Continues To Block RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service Website
