Cambodian journalists Pheap Phara and Phon Sopheap given 14-year prison sentences for treason
Bangkok, February 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harsh 14-year prison sentences handed to Cambodian journalists Pheap Phara and Phon Sopheap for treason, after they were found guilty of “supplying a foreign state with information prejudicial to national defense.” Phara, a reporter with the local TSP 68 TV Online, and Sopheap, a journalist…
Senegalese commentator arrested for remarks about student’s death
Dakar, February 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Senegalese authorities to release news commentator Abdou Nguer, who was arrested on Wednesday for challenging a public prosecutor’s statement on the cause of a student’s death. “Detaining a news commentator for his remarks on legal proceedings of public interest sends an intimidating message to the…
CPJ calls for accountability in Ukrainian journalist surveillance allegations
New York, February 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for a swift and thorough investigation into the alleged monitoring of at least 10 Ukrainian journalists covering corruption. Ukraine’s national police opened a criminal investigation into the alleged surveillance to determine whether the privacy of journalists who cover corruption was violated, according to the February 11 Facebook post…
Cambodian journalist Luot Sophal detained over military water shortage report
Bangkok, February 17, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Cambodian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Luot Sophal, who was arrested after publishing a report about an alleged water shortage faced by frontline Cambodian soldiers. On February 13, Sophal, a journalist with the local independent Srotop Yuvakvey news, was arrested by police in…
Ethiopia revokes Reuters journalists’ accreditation following investigative report
Nairobi, February 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ethiopian authorities to restore the accreditation of three Reuters journalists who were barred from reporting after the news agency published a report alleging that Ethiopia was secretly training forces fighting in neighboring Sudan’s civil war. On February 14, Reuters reported that the Ethiopian Media Authority…
Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio denied bail, to remain in prison after 6 years
New York, February 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Philippine court’s decision to deny journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio bail, and calls on authorities to drop all remaining charges against her and immediately end the judicial harassment. “Frenchie Mae Cumpio has been deprived of her freedom for more than six years. The latest ruling…
CPJ welcomes Guatemalan journalist Jose Rubén Zamora’s release to house arrest, calls for all charges to be dropped
The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Thursday’s court ruling granting house arrest to investigative journalist Jose Rubén Zamora, president of the now defunct elPeriódico, and calls on Guatemalan authorities to immediately drop all charges and end his years-long judicial persecution. “While we are relieved that Jose Rubén Zamora can finally leave prison behind, it is…
Senegalese news commentator arrested, accused of spreading false news
Dakar, February 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Senegalese authorities to release Modou Fall, news commentator at the privately owned channel Sen TV, after he was arrested Wednesday in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, on false news accusations for remarks he made about a crackdown on student protests. “Senegalese authorities continue to criminalize news…
CPJ: Russia’s Telegram throttling another step toward total information control
Berlin, February 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Russian authorities to immediately stop throttling the messaging service Telegram, warning that the restrictions represent a deliberate escalation in the Kremlin’s campaign to curtail access to independent information. Users across Russia have reported widespread disruptions on February 9 and 10, according to data from internet…
Indian journalist Ravi Nair sentenced to 1 year in Adani defamation case
New Delhi, February 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the sentencing of investigative journalist Ravi Nair to one year’s imprisonment over social media posts critical of the Adani Group and calls on the Indian government to establish safeguards to protect journalists from being jailed for defamation. “The conviction of journalist Ravi…