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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…

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.

Amsterdam, January 21, 2026—Despite Pakistan’s repeated promises to protect press freedom, justice for murdered journalists remains out of reach. An investigation by international press freedom organizations has uncovered new evidence in the killing of journalist Shan Dahar, exposing police misconduct, political inaction, and years of impunity. Given the extensive evidence unearthed, and the suspected culprits…

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…

When a tear gas cartridge fired by a policeman struck independent Argentinian photographer Pablo Grillo in the head while he was covering a pensioner protest in Buenos Aires on March 12, 2025, a line was crossed in the country’s deteriorating relationship between President Javier Milei’s administration and the press, according to Agustín Lecchi, the general secretary at…

Journalist Julia Mengolini, founder and director of radio station Futuröck, caught widespread attention last summer after suing Argentinian President Javier Milei and more than 20 people connected to his administration, accusing them of “unlawful association, embezzlement of public funds, coercive threats,” and “public incitement to hatred.” A judge has yet to take up the case, Mengolini told CPJ….

Update: After publication, the Washington Post reported in an update that its newsroom has also been subpoenaed.  Washington, D.C., January 14, 2026—Federal agents with the FBI have made a highly unusual move of searching the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, and seizing her electronic devices, in a move that the Committee 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…

Ugandan journalist Ssematimba Bwegiire lost consciousness immediately after a security officer electrocuted him with a stun gun and pepper-sprayed him in the mouth. But he did not report the incident, reflecting widespread disillusionment among the media about authorities’ commitment to press freedom in elections on January 15. Bwegiire, a reporter with privately owned Radio Simba,…

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. Journalists and rights…