Asia

The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other human rights organizations have written to Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman urging his government to take steps to protect human rights and uphold press freedom. In a joint letter, the groups called on the government to publicly affirm its commitment to press freedom and media…

The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined two other press freedom groups in calling on Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to end the intensifying harassment, arbitrary arrests, and deportations of Afghan journalists living in exile in Pakistan. In a joint letter sent March 13, the organizations said Afghan journalists who fled Taliban persecution were now…

Bangkok, March 13, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Vietnamese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Le Anh Hung and cease harassing independent commentators for expressing critical views online. On March 9, police arrested Hung at a friend’s house in central Dak Lak province, according to news reports and information compiled by Project 88, an independent rights group that…

March 12, 2026, Chennai—Sri Lankan authorities should immediately release Sandaruwan Senadheera, editor of the exile news website Lanka-e-News, and ensure any legal proceedings against him follow due process and do not undermine press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Police detained Senadheera after he arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport on February 11…

Jakarta, March 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indonesian authorities to hold accountable those responsible for assaulting journalists Frendy Primadana and Dedy Wahyudi and ensure all Indonesian reporters can cover environmental issues without fear of reprisal. At about 2 p.m. on March 7, workers at Putraprima Mineral Mandiri, a zircon processing company in…

The Committee to Protect Journalists has written to major political parties preparing for elections in four Indian states and one territory, urging them to include strong commitments to protect press freedom and ensure journalists’ safety in their election manifestos. In separate letters, CPJ called on leading parties in the Indian states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil…

March 9, 2026, New Delhi—Indian authorities must drop all pending charges against Republic TV journalists C.G. Shankar and S. Mani and stop using espionage laws to criminalize legitimate journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Shankar, Mani, and a boat driver were detained on March 7 by officers from a paramilitary force after allegedly…

Bangkok, March 9, 2026—China’s Embassy in the Philippines should cease its online attacks and intimidation against the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) after the outlet published a report into China-aligned influence networks operating in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. The embassy’s remarks targeted PCIJ contributor Regine Cabato’s investigation and follow-up…

New York, March 4, 2026—The Taliban must return control of the privately owned Rah-e-Farda TV station to its owner, permit the broadcaster to resume operations, and immediately end their systematic repression of independent media in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On February 28, Taliban intelligence officers raided Rah-e-Farda TV’s office in the…

Editor’s Note: Following publication of this alert, CPJ learned that Thura Aung, a reporter with The People’s Voice, and Maung Maung Myo, a journalist with Mekong News Agency, were also released in the amnesty on March 3 and March 11, respectively. Singapore, March 4, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release in recent days…