Europe & Central Asia

Berlin, January 22, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Romanian authorities to conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the smear campaign, threats of bodily harm, and death threats targeting investigative journalist Emilia Șercan following her article on alleged plagiarism by a government minister.  Șercan’s January 14 exposé on the Press One news site alleged that Romania’s minister of…

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.

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…

New York, January 16, 2026—A report released Friday by TrialWatch found that Georgian authorities violated the fair trial rights of jailed journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli, citing a series of violations that indicate that Georgian authorities sought to make an example of a leading journalist amid a wider press freedom and rights crackdown in Georgia.  The Committee to…

January 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to stop targeting exiled journalists after a court sentenced U.S.-based journalist Sevinj Osmanqizi on January 14 to eight years in prison in absentia on charges of calling for mass unrest and the overthrow of the state. The ruling follows a seven-year sentence handed down on December 23 to…

Berlin, January 13, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Slovak authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the physical attack on Peter Schutz, political commentator with the daily newspaper SME, and to swiftly determine whether he was targeted for his work. “The attack on Peter Schutz is a deeply concerning development in an increasingly hostile environment for the…

January 12, 2026—On the first anniversary of the arrest of prominent Georgian journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are urging Georgian authorities to immediately release her and credibly investigate alleged violations of her rights. The first woman journalist…

The building that houses Moldova’s oldest investigative newspaper, Ziarul de Gardă, founded in 2004, is in a small courtyard near one of the busy thoroughfares in central Chișinău, the capital. Alina Radu, the award-winning newspaper’s director, is busy checking the latest issue that just came out in print. Ziarul de Gardă’s current burning topic has…

Washington, D.C., December 17, 2025— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against British public broadcaster, the BBC, and calls on the president to stop engaging the media in lawsuits that appear to challenge the fundamentals of the First Amendment. “The president’s lawsuits against the BBC and other news outlets undercut…

Berlin, December 16, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on North Macedonian authorities to hold accountable a man who violently intruded upon the newsroom of the Infomax news website in Skopje during a live broadcast, and take concrete steps to ensure the safety of journalists and newsrooms across the country. Police have arrested the man and prosecutors have begun a criminal proceeding against him.  “CPJ welcomes…