Alerts

  
Journalist Jorge Agustín Zapeta Aguilar, 56, was found dead in a rural area known as El Aguacatal in the municipality of San Pablo Jocopilas, in Guatemala’s southern Suchitepéquez department. (Photo: APG/RRSS)

Guatemalan journalist found dead after family reported death threats

Mexico City, December 19, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Guatemalan authorities to quickly and comprehensively complete its investigation into the killing of journalist Jorge Agustín Zapeta Aguilar, determine whether he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice. Zapeta, 56, was found dead on December 16 in a rural area…

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A woman waits at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE) check-in office at the U.S. immigration court in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado

Chinese citizen journalist seeking asylum in US faces deportation

Update: Following the DHS’s decision to drop its proposal to deport the journalist to Uganda, CPJ calls on the agency to ensure that the journalist can stay in the U.S. while continuing the process of applying for asylum. Washington, D.C., December 18, 2025—The Trump administration’s plan to deport a Chinese citizen journalist — who fled…

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Trump’s legal team filed the suit in the U.S. Southern District of Florida on Monday, seeking $10 billion in damages in connection with the editing of a speech Trump gave January 6, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Nathan Howard)

CPJ: Trump’s BBC lawsuit is yet another attack on US media freedom 

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…

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Veteran journalist Anis Alamgir

Bangladesh arrests veteran journalist Anis Alamgir on terrorism charges

December 17, New Delhi—Bangladeshi authorities must immediately drop terrorism charges against veteran journalist Anis Alamgir, release him unconditionally, and stop targeting the press with national security offenses, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On December 15, police opened an investigation against Alamgir and three other individuals under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing the suspects of…

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Sami al-Sai before and after his arrest by Israeli authorities.

Palestinian journalist Sami al-Sai alleges torture, sexual violence in Israeli prison

Amman, December 16, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by the harrowing public testimony given on Sunday by Palestinian freelance journalist Sami al-Sai, who described experiencing alleged torture and sexual violence while in Israeli prison. The journalist, who has reported for the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher and the local broadcaster…

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Police have arrested a man who forced his way into the Infomax newsroom in Skopje.

Man storms Infomax newsroom during live broadcast in North Macedonia

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…

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Myanmar journalist Sut Ring Pan serving 13 years in prison on incitement, terrorism charges

Bangkok, December 16, 2025—Myanmar authorities must immediately and unconditionally release freelance journalist Sut Ring Pan, who is serving a combined 13-year prison sentence on incitement and terrorism charges, and stop using vague and overbroad laws to imprison journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 2, Yangon’s Western District Court convicted and sentenced…

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Maryna Zolatava was one of 123 prisoners freed as part of a deal in which the United States announced it was lifting sanctions on Belarus’s potash exports.

Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava released after serving over 4 years in prison

Paris, December 15, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava, who was among 123 prisoners freed on Saturday as part of a deal in which the United States announced it was lifting sanctions on Belarus’s potash exports. All were pardoned by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.  “We are relieved that journalist Maryna Zolatava is finally free,…

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Publisher Jimmy Lai poses during an interview at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong on June 16, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)

CPJ condemns Hong Kong’s conviction of Jimmy Lai in national security case

New York, December 14, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Hong Kong court’s conviction of Jimmy Lai, founder of the defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, in a landmark national security trial and calls on authorities to immediately free the 78-year-old British citizen. “This sham conviction is a disgraceful act of persecution,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific…

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If convicted, the journalists face up to 12 years in prison on a raft of financial crime charges linked to alleged receipt of Western donor funding, including currency smuggling, money laundering, and tax evasion.

Trial of 12 journalists begins in Azerbaijan’s case against Meydan TV

New York, December 12, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Azerbaijan to drop all charges and release 12 journalists as the trial against Germany-based Meydan TV began Friday in the capital, Baku. “The sorry sight of 11 journalists and a respected journalism teacher on trial in the case against award-winning Meydan TV only underscores the vast…

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