Press conference on the destruction of freedom of speech in occupied Crimea will be held in Riga on October 23

On October 23 at 12 PM, a press conference “Destruction of Freedom of Speech in Occupied Crimea: Russian Methods and Results” will be held in Riga at the Power-Up Space (Merķeļa Str. 21). The event will be held on the sidelines of the Third Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform.

Human rights defenders and journalists will share updates on the current state of the Crimean journalists detained by the occupying authorities and explain the changing media landscape of Crimea after the 2014 occupation. The discussion will explore how the Russian occupying power has escalated its fight against freedom of speech to unprecedented levels since the initial occupation of Crimea in 2014. This campaign now involves not only local suppression but also the manipulation of Western media to serve the occupying authorities’ agenda.

This press conference includes a presentation of the second edition of the book by journalist Yury Lukanov, “The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea”, recently published in English by the German publishing house Ibidem Verlag. In February 2024, the second edition of the book was presented in the UK at several high-profile locations, including the Foreign Office, The Financial Times office, London Metropolitan University, Oxford University, the University of Glasgow, and University College London.

Speakers:

• Olha Skrypnyk, Chairwoman of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group
• Viktoria Nesterenko, Project Manager, Human Rights Centre ZMINA
• Gayana Yuksel, Journalist and Member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
• Yurii Lukanov, Journalist and Author of “The Press: How Russia Destroyed Media Freedom in Crimea”

Organizers of the event: Media Hub Riga, Crimean Human Rights Group, Human Rights Centre ZMINA.