Global press freedom violations during the Iran war
The Committee to Protect Journalists is monitoring press freedom violations related to the ongoing military escalation between Israel, the U.S and Iran and its spillover across the Middle East, including its regional and global impact on journalists and media workers. Since the Iran war broke out on February 28, when the U.S and Israel launched…
CPJ calls for immediate release of jailed journalists in Iran amid escalating conflict
New York, March 3, 2026 –The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned about the safety of all journalists imprisoned in Iran amid the ongoing regional escalation and reiterates its calls on Iranian authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally. A near-total internet blackout and severe communication disruptions have effectively cut off detainees from…
Iranian authorities arrest Japanese journalist Shinnosuke Kawashima
New York, February 26, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately release Shinnosuke Kawashima, Tehran bureau chief of Japanese public broadcaster NHK, and all other journalists detained for their work, return all confiscated property, and end the harassment of NHK’s staff. Shinnosuke was arrested on January 20 by the…
Iran tightens media crackdown with raids, financial pressure
New York, February 9, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists demands that Iranian authorities halt their ongoing attacks and harassment of journalists and media workers and roll back punitive measures used to silence reporting, including raids, equipment seizures, financial pressure, and restrictions on communications. Azadeh Mokhtari, a social affairs editor at the Rokna news website,…
Iran arrests 2 more journalists amid widening crackdown
New York, February 2, 2026— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalists Mehdi Mahmoudian and Vida Rabbani and to end the ongoing crackdown on journalists. Mahmoudian and Rabbani were arrested after signing a statement, alongside other Iranian journalists and activists, expressing their support of the recent mass…
Iran: 3 journalists arrested as news trickles out under internet shutdown
New York, January 27, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately release journalists Hassan Abbasi, Artin Ghazanfari, and Hamed Araghi, as news of their detention emerged weeks after a nationwide internet shutdown began on January 8. CPJ was unable to confirm the charges against the journalists or their current whereabouts. “The…
CPJ joined more than 30 groups to urge Iran to free jailed journalists, activists, and restore internet access
On January 14, the Committee to Protect Journalists, along with more than 30 press freedom and human rights organizations, called for urgent protections for journalists, human rights defenders, and others jailed for their writing, expression of opinion, or peaceful assembly amid nationwide protests and internet shutdown. The signatory organizations called on Iranian authorities to immediately…
Bahá’í photographer arrested in Iran amid internet blackout
Paris, January 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately release freelance documentary photographer Navid Zarrehbin Irani, and to halt the systematic harassment and intimidation of journalists in Iran. Irani was arrested on January 16, 2026, at his home in Mashhad, the capital of Khorasan Razavi province in northeastern Iran, according…
Iran’s internet blackout tightens information chokehold amid spreading protests
Paris, January 13, 2026—Iranian authorities have imposed a near-total internet shutdown as nationwide protests intensify, severely restricting journalists’ ability to report and cutting off communication with the outside world. The blackout began on January 8, more than a week after protests erupted in late December over mounting economic pressure, currency devaluation, and rising living costs….
Iran detains Iraqi Kurdish reporter and crew covering cultural festival
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, December 9, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately release Iraqi Kurdish reporter Omer Ahmed and his crew, who were arrested on December 3 in the city of Sardasht in West Azerbaijan province while covering a cultural festival. “The arrest of Omer Ahmed and his crew shows…