CPJ, partners sound alarm over pre-election media crackdown in Kazakhstan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight local and international press freedom and human rights groups on Friday in expressing deep concern over escalating pressure on independent journalists in Kazakhstan ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for August 23. The groups’ joint statement details how, in the weeks leading up to the vote – the first…
Russia sentences journalist Vasilisa Shishkina to 12 years in jail on treason charges
Berlin, August 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Russian authorities to swiftly clarify the circumstances surrounding the prosecution of journalist Vasilisa Shishkina on treason charges and her subsequent sentencing in May to 12 years in prison amid reports that she was targeted because of her work. Shishkina, an editor at the regional outlet Nomer…
CPJ calls on Kazakhstan to overturn travel ban, end harassment of journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov
New York, August 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kazakhstan to stop harassing prominent journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov after he was barred from leaving the country for a holiday on August 3. “Amid a worrying surge in criminal prosecutions of leading independent journalists in Kazakhstan, the unexplained travel ban on Lukpan Akhmedyarov is deeply concerning,”…
Photojournalist injured by police while covering protest in Spain’s Mallorca
Berlin, July 29, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Spanish authorities to ensure that police forces guarantee the safety of journalists covering protests after freelance journalist Xavi Hurtado was hit by a police officer while covering a demonstration in Palma, Mallorca and left needing hospital treatment for a head wound and bruising. On July…
Azerbaijan: CPJ condemns shocking sentences handed down in Toplum TV case
New York, July 28, 2026 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the extremely harsh prison sentences of up to 15 years handed down on July 27 to journalists and other individuals associated with leading Azerbaijani news outlet Toplum TV on charges related to receipt and use of foreign funds. “The shockingly heavy sentences meted…
Hungary’s initial media reforms are promising but lasting safeguards still needed
Hungary’s new government has taken promising first steps to restore press freedom after years of state capture under former prime minister Viktor Orbán, but authorities must now move beyond quick fixes to deliver transparent, durable reforms that ensure the media is protected from any and all political interference. After his Tisza party won a landslide…
UPDATE: Sports journalist Luca Esposito killed in Italy
[Editor’s Note: On July 24, 2026, Italian police arrested a man in connection with the killing and local reports said the evidence gathered so far suggests the motive was not related to Esposito’s journalism.] Berlin, July 20, 2026—Italian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of sports journalist Luca Esposito, whose charred body was found on a farm in southern Italy on…
CPJ, partners publish report documenting dangerous spiral of violence against journalists in Serbia
The Committee to Protect Journalists and partner organizations on Thursday published a report documenting rising attacks, threats, police violence, and smear campaigns against journalists in Serbia, as well as persistent impunity for those responsible. Based on an international fact-finding mission to Belgrade in March 2026, the report also examines legal and digital threats to the…
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder: Landmark trial puts Malta’s press freedom back in spotlight
More than eight years after the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia sent shockwaves through Europe, all eyes are once again on the capital Valletta, where the alleged mastermind of her murder has been on trial since July 1. Yorgen Fenech, a powerful businessman, is standing trial on a charge of complicity in murder…
Ukrainian court blocks publication of investigative report
New York, July 9, 2026—CPJ is concerned about a Ukrainian court’s decision to ban the publication of a journalistic investigation into the assets and business activities of the brother of a high-ranking Ukrainian official, in what appears to be an unprecedented move. On July 6, a court in Kyiv, the capital, issued an order prohibiting the Ukrainian investigative outlet Slidstvo.Info, the Ukrainian…