Increased Pressure and Harassment of Radio Free Europe Reporters

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporters have faced pressure and harassment in at least 38 cases across 12 countries in 2017, which the organization describes as "severe pressure" on journalistic duties. Thomas Kent, the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, stated, "We report on countries' policies, social issues, financial corruption, wars, and extremist movements in areas where both governments and non-governmental actors prefer to control the media. Our reporters take significant risks because they believe their work is important, and every free society needs free media." The instances of pressure and harassment against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporters have increased compared to the previous year, aligning with a recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, which indicated that the number of imprisoned journalists has reached a historic high this year. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporters operate in many countries where the Committee to Protect Journalists has reported imprisoned journalists, including Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. One of the most serious cases is the suspended two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Mykola Semena, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist, after being tried for "separatism" in Russian-controlled Crimea. On December 18, the Supreme Court of Crimea upheld Semena's conviction but reduced his public activity ban from three years to two. Another case involves Stanislav Asif, a blogger imprisoned without visitation by rebels in Eastern Ukraine. Another colleague, Zafar Murad Nafasquliyev, is serving the last year of a three-year sentence in Turkmenistan, and Aziz Yusupov, the brother of a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist working in Prague, has been sentenced to five years in prison in Uzbekistan. Thomas Kent also stated, "Our colleagues and their family members must be freed as soon as possible and allowed to continue their work." He added that human rights groups have condemned all these cases as politically motivated. In most recorded cases this year, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists have been summoned for questioning or detained by governments, or while performing their duties, they have received warnings from police or security agents in civilian clothes. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporters working on a research program in Ukraine have faced harassment or assault multiple times, and their equipment has been broken or confiscated. In Pakistan, reporters have been threatened or kidnapped by extremist groups, government security agencies, or criminal gangs. In Belarus, Tatarstan in Russia, and Tajikistan, reporters have faced harassment or have been denied participation in press conferences and gatherings. Family members of reporters working for the "Current Time TV" program, as well as staff from Iran, Uzbekistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, have been threatened. Online attacks have increasingly threatened the safety of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporters in 2017. The impacts and consequences of the Russian government's decision on December 5, 2017, which designated Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and several affiliated news outlets as "foreign agents," are still unclear. In this context, Radio Free Europe reported violent actions against its journalists in various countries, an annual report on media freedom status; Iran remains a "black" country. The beating of a Radio Farda journalist in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, calls to end impunity for crimes against journalists, and Russia's designation of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America as "foreign agents" were also highlighted.