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Lusaka, March 27, 2025—“I have learnt that free speech, free talk, is not free,” Zimbabwean journalist Blessed Mhlanga wrote in a letter from prison, which was made public on February 28, his fourth day behind bars. Mhlanga, who works with the privately owned broadcaster Heart and Soul TV, was arrested on February 24 and charged with…

New York, March 26, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a three-year prison sentence handed to Taiwan-based radio host and publisher Li Yanhe on charges of inciting separatism, and calls on Chinese authorities to allow the media to work freely. Li, who is a Chinese citizen and goes by the name Fucha, was arrested in…

New York, March 19, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of journalist Ahmed Awadhah, whose whereabouts are unknown since he disappeared on March 10 in the capital Sanaa, days after receiving threats from a Houthi-affiliated intelligence officer, according to local press freedom groups. “Ahmed Awadhah appears to be the latest Yemeni…

When Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power last December, Syrian journalist Tal al-Mallohi was among the thousands who poured out of the country’s jails. Mallohi was 18 when security police detained her in 2009 after posting on the then-popular Blogger platform poems and articles about Palestinian rights and other political issues. She spent 15…

New Delhi, March 13, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges India’s Maharashtra state authorities to consult with journalists and media groups to ensure that its plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor media coverage and correct “negative” reports does not undermine press freedom. According to a March 6 Government Resolution approving the release of…

On February 9, reporter Tolga Güney welcomed a CPJ representative into the apartment he shares with several colleagues in central Izmir, Turkey. It was his 362nd day under house arrest while awaiting trial on terrorism charges. “I believe I’m in this situation for doing my job,” he said over a glass of tea. Güney is…

Editor’s note: On March 14, the journalist B. Nantha Kumar was charged in a local court for allegedly receiving a bribe of 20,000 ringgit (US$4,500) in return for removing and not uploading articles about a migrant trafficking syndicate. Nantha pleaded not guilty and is out on bail pending trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison…

New York, February 28, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an Azerbaijani court decision on February 26 sentencing Aziz Orujov, director of independent broadcaster Kanal 13, to two years in prison on illegal construction charges. “Amid an unprecedented crackdown that has seen dozens of journalists incarcerated, Azerbaijan authorities’ singling out of Aziz Orujov from among…

Bangkok, February 27, 2025—Hanoi’s People’s Court sentenced Vietnamese journalist Truong Huy San to 30 months in prison on Thursday under a criminal provision that bars “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the State.” San, a well-known political commentator and author also known by his pen names Huy Duc and Osin, was convicted…

New York, February 21, 2025 – The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kyrgyz authorities to reverse amendments to the country’s Code of Offenses, which took effect February 10, that recriminalize libel and insult on the internet and in media. “Kyrgyzstan’s implementation of legislation that will make it easier to fine news outlets for defamation and insult…