Americas

  
Cuban flags fly beside the Interests Section Office of the United States (USINT), in Havana two days after the 57th anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution July 28, 2010. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan (CUBA - Tags: POLITICS)

Cuban journalist handed 6-year prison sentence for protesting

Miami, January 27, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing of Cuban journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea to six years in prison on January 15 after he was found guilty of protesting and calls on Cuban authorities to free him, and allow the free flow of information in the country. The Provincial Court of Villa…

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2025 journalist jailings remain stubbornly high; harsh prison conditions pervasive

For the fifth year in a row, more than 300 journalists were imprisoned worldwide as of the end of 2025, according to CPJ’s annual prison census. These record-setting numbers reflect growing authoritarianism and escalating numbers of armed conflicts worldwide. Often, journalists are held under cruel and life-threatening conditions – “a cemetery of the living,” as one freed Palestinian prisoner described it.

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Journalist jailings imperil a free press worldwide amid reports of life-threatening prison conditions: CPJ 

China, Myanmar, and Israel lead jailers of journalists in 2025 New York, January 21, 2026 — For the fifth consecutive year, more than 300 journalists were behind bars at year-end, according to a new report released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). China, Myanmar, and Israel were the leading jailers of journalists on the…

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The New York Times building in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 16, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and book publisher Penguin Random House. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

CPJ joins 22 partners in supporting New York Times suit against Pentagon’s press restrictions

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined an amicus brief, authored by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), in support of the New York Times’s lawsuit against the United States Department of Defense’s recent restrictions on press access to the Pentagon. Under the new policy, the Department may deny or revoke a…

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Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime looks on during a press conference, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti December 12, 2024. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

Haiti’s presidential council expands defamation laws as end of political immunity looms

Miami, January 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Haitian authorities to rescind a decree that broadens criminal defamation laws after Haiti’s ruling body, the Transitional Presidential Council, published the decree without prior public discussion. “The Transitional Presidential Council is in place to provide stability at a time of deep upheaval in Haiti. Measures like…

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FBI Director Kash Patel, next to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks at a press conference following the arrest in the D.C. pipe bomber investigation, at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak

CPJ joins 2 urgent calls for legal transparency following FBI search of WaPo journalist’s home

The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined two coalition efforts to express concern over the Wednesday search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home, during which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized her electronic devices in connection with a reported investigation into a government contractor’s handling of classified documents.  In a joint statement led by the Free Press, 31…

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Argentinian journalism stifled by President Milei’s public attacks, government repression

When a tear gas cartridge fired by a policeman struck independent Argentinian photographer Pablo Grillo in the head while he was covering a pensioner protest in Buenos Aires on March 12, 2025, a line was crossed in the country’s deteriorating relationship between President Javier Milei’s administration and the press, according to Agustín Lecchi, the general secretary at…

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In connection with her work, Julia Mengolini says she has been the target of intense online harassment, including an incident in which President Javier Milei shared a deepfake video depicting her in a sexual act. (Photo: Nora Lezano)

Argentinian journalist waiting to fight President Milei in court after deepfake pornography bullying scandal

Journalist Julia Mengolini, founder and director of radio station Futuröck, caught widespread attention last summer after suing Argentinian President Javier Milei and more than 20 people connected to his administration, accusing them of “unlawful association, embezzlement of public funds, coercive threats,” and “public incitement to hatred.” A judge has yet to take up the case, Mengolini told CPJ….

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Carlos Castro (Screenshot: Milenio/YouTube)

Mexican reporter’s death continues pattern of impunity after 6 journalists killed last year

Mexico City, January 14, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mexican authorities to swiftly and comprehensively bring journalist Carlos Castro’s killers to justice and to end a troubling continuation of impunity after at least six journalist were killed in the country last year. Castro, 25, was shot dead January 8 while eating at a restaurant in the…

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FILE - A person walks into the One Franklin Square Building, home of The Washington Post newspaper, June 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

In highly unusual move, FBI searches Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home, seizes devices 

Update: After publication, the Washington Post reported in an update that its newsroom has also been subpoenaed.  Washington, D.C., January 14, 2026—Federal agents with the FBI have made a highly unusual move of searching the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, and seizing her electronic devices, in a move that the Committee to…

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