Georgia seizes 2 media outlets’ accounts amid trial of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli
New York, July 22, 2025—Georgian authorities seized the financial accounts of independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti over tax arrears, days ahead of an expected verdict in the trial of the outlets’ director, Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been jailed since January on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. “The unwarranted seizure of Batumelebi and Netgazeti’s…
Egypt’s intelligence-controlled media company retaliates against programs, hosts critical of government
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 22, 2025—A media company linked to Egyptian authorities suspended three prominent television programs after their hosts criticized the government and road safety failures, raising concerns about media control by state-aligned entities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On July 16, United Media Services (UMS), a company owned and closely linked to Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, terminated its contract with…
Gag order imposed on retired Mexican journalist, newspaper over critical reports on governor
Mexico City, July 22, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a gag order placed on reporter-editor Jorge Luis González Valdez and the newspaper Tribuna by a court in the southeastern Mexican state of Campeche. CPJ calls on Gov. Layda Sansores to immediately cease any judicial harassment of the journalist and the publication over…
Radio journalist Erwin Labitad Segovia shot dead in the Philippines
Bangkok, July 22, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Philippine authorities to launch a swift and credible investigation into Monday’s killing of Radio WOW FM journalist Erwin Labitad Segovia, who was shot by unidentified assailants while riding his motorcycle home after his morning broadcast. Segovia was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital in…
Russia gearing up to prosecute internet users for searching ‘extremist’ content
Berlin, July 18, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a bill under consideration in the Russian State Duma that would introduce fines for accessing or searching for “extremist” online content, threatening to further restrict press freedom and access to information. The bill, which passed its second reading on July 17, 2025, is the “most serious step in censorship and…
Journalist Comlan Hugues Sossoukpè forcibly extradited to Benin
Dakar, July 17, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Beninese authorities to release Comlan Hugues Sossoukpè, publishing director of the banned online Beninese weekly newspaper Olofofo Info, following his arrest in Ivory Coast on July 10 and extradition to Benin. “The forcible transfer of journalist Comlan Hugues Sossoukpé by Ivory Coast to Benin, despite his refugee status in…
Iraqi Kurdish authorities arrest, severely beat 3 journalists, assault another
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, July 16, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iraqi authorities to investigate and hold to account the officers who arrested and severely assaulted four journalists in Iraq’s Kurdish region over the past week. “The arrest, abuse, and intimidation of journalists in Iraq’s Kurdish region are deeply concerning and reflect a broader pattern of hostility…
Mob attacks Indian journalist covering reports of illegal construction in Maharashtra
New Delhi, July 15, 2025—Authorities in India’s western state of Maharashtra must bring all of journalist Sneha Barve’s attackers to justice and take decisive steps to ensure press members can safely do their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Barwe, the founder of the Samarth Bharat Pariwar YouTube-based news channel, was brutally beaten July 4…
Kyrgyzstan tightens control over media with new false news laws
New York, July 15, 2025—President Sadyr Japarov signed amendments to the Kyrgyz Code of Offenses on July 8, introducing administrative penalties for spreading “false or unreliable” information via mass media or the internet — another in a series of ongoing moves toward cracking down on the country’s independent press. The law, whose signing was announced July 11, will go…
Senegalese commentator arrested, prime minister calls for media boycott
Dakar, July 14, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Senegalese authorities to release news commentator Badara Gadiaga, to cease arresting journalists, and to refrain from retaliating against the media for coverage critical of the government. Senegal’s special cybersecurity division (DSC) arrested Gadiaga on July 9 over his remarks during a July 4 broadcast about Prime Minister…