Authorities in the autonomous republic of Crimea in southern Ukraine should ensure that media outlets and independent journalists are allowed to report on the political crisis in the region without being censored or harassed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Tension in the predominantly Russian-speaking southern and eastern Ukraine has increased since Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country and was ousted by the parliament in late February, according to news reports. On Saturday, authorities in Sevastopol--the city that hosts the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea and which is administratively separate from the autonomous republic--declared their decision to disregard the interim Ukrainian government. Over the weekend, the Russian military occupied parts of the Crimean peninsula. [Read more]