CPJ calls on EU to support press freedom reform in Hungary
Brussels, June 11, 2026—Ahead of a meeting with Hungarian officials on June 16, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges European Union member states to encourage Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s new government to rebuild the national media landscape by fully aligning future reforms with EU law and recommendations. Magyar’s Tisza party won April elections, ousting Viktor…
Azerbaijani prosecutors seek up to 16 years in prison for defendants in Toplum TV case
New York, June 10, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijan to drop charges against journalists and other individuals associated with leading independent news outlet Toplum TV after prosecutors on June 8 requested prison terms of up to 16 years on charges related to receipt and use of foreign funds. “The outrageous prison…
CPJ welcomes conviction of 2 men for attack on Iran International journalist in London
London, June 9, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the conviction of two Romanian men found guilty of wounding journalist Pouria Zeraati in London in 2024 in a carefully planned attack that prosecutors said was linked to the Iranian state. Zeraati, a prominent news presenter for the Persian-language broadcaster Iran International, was stabbed three times…
CPJ welcomes Polish prosecutors’ renewed commitment to Ziętara murder case
Berlin, June 9, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes that Polish prosecutors are preparing for a new trial in the 1992 disappearance and presumed murder of investigative journalist Jarosław Ziętara, after a court recently transferred the case to national prosecutors in Krakow for further evidence-gathering. Hearing dates have yet to be announced. On May 25,…
Journalist Aleksey Seregin detained in Russia’s Mari El Republic
New York, June 5, 2026—Russian authorities must immediately release journalist Aleksey Seregin and stop silencing independent voices in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. On June 4, law enforcement officers in Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of Mari El Republic in western Russia, detained Seregin after beating him, confiscating his phone, and searching his…
Russian drone injures Ukrainian journalist Olha Kalinovska near front line
New York, June 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a recent Russian attack in Ukraine that injured Olha Kalinovska, a war correspondent with the privately owned Ukrainian broadcaster Channel 5. “The Russian attack that injured Ukrainian journalist Olha Kalinovska once again highlights the considerable risks journalists face while covering Russia’s war in Ukraine amid the widespread use of…
Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko sentenced to third prison term
Berlin, June 5, 2026—A court in Russia’s southern Altai Krai on Wednesday convicted Maria Ponomarenko, an imprisoned correspondent for the independent news outlet RusNews, of using violence against prison staff and sentenced her to an additional 22 months behind bars. The ruling marks the third prison sentence given to Ponomarenko, who has been detained since April 2022…
CPJ joins 15 other organizations urging Turkey to release reporter İsmail Arı
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 15 other press freedom and human rights organizations Thursday in calling on Turkish authorities to release İsmail Arı, a reporter for the leftist daily BirGün, who has been in detention since March 21. His trial will begin in Ankara on June 5. Arı was indicted in mid-May on charges…
Arson attack targets Italian journalist Adriano Cappellari after mob-related threats
Berlin, June 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Italian authorities to swiftly complete their investigation into an arson attack targeting journalist Adriano Cappellari, as well as ongoing threats against him, in a thorough and transparent manner and bring all perpetrators to justice. Cappellari, a contributor to the regional daily Il Giornale di Vicenza…
Journalist Yelis Ayaz arrested in Turkey for ‘spreading disinformation’
Istanbul, May 20, 2026—Turkish authorities must release journalist Yelis Ayaz without delay and stop punishing journalists for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Ayaz, publisher and editor-in-chief for the local newspaper Aydınpost in the western province of Aydın, was arrested pending trial by a court on May 15 on suspicion of…