The office for Crimea's de facto prosecutor-general said April 19 that journalist Mykola Semena has been ordered not to leave the peninsula while he is being investigated by the Russia-backed authorities. Semena, who is an outside contributor to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, is being investigated for alleged "calls for undermining the Russian territorial integrity via mass media."
Meanwhile, police conducted forced searches at the homes of seven journalists across Crimea, one of whom now faces up to five years in prison on criminal charges related to his work. International rights watchdogs and press freedom advocates have condemned the charges and searches.