Georgia increasingly blocks entry to Western journalists amid authoritarian turn
New York, July 1, 2025—When British investigative journalist Will Neal was turned back at Georgia’s border with Armenia in May, he became the fifth of at least six European journalists in recent months to be denied entry into a country once seen as a regional leader for press freedom. Neal, who had lived in Georgia since 2022,…
CPJ calls on a Georgia solicitor-general to investigate charges against journalist Mario Guevara
The Committee to Protect Journalists sent a letter on Friday, June 27, to Gwinnett County Solicitor-General Lisamarie N. Bristol in Georgia to express concerns about three misdemeanor charges levied against journalist Mario Guevara. In the letter, CPJ asked Bristol to open an investigation as to why these charges — distracted driving, failure to obey traffic control devices,…
DRC military detains journalist Serge Sindani for warplane tweet
Kinshasa, June 26, 2025—A senior military officer of the Congolese armed forces arrested Serge Sindani, a defense reporter and director of the privately owned website Kis24.info, on Tuesday, June 24, for posting a photo of combat aircraft on his X account two days prior. “Authorities in the DRC must not legitimize the detention of journalist…
Russia and Belarus release 2 journalists who had been detained for years
Paris, June 23, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko and Belarusian journalist Ihar Karnei, who had been unjustly detained for years by Russia and Belarus, respectively. Russia freed Yesypenko on June 20 after he served a five-year prison sentence on charges of possessing and transporting explosives, which he denied. Karnei, detained for nearly two…
CPJ, partners express alarm over detention of journalist Mario Guevara by US immigration authorities
The Committee to Protect Journalists led a coalition of local and national civil society and press freedom organizations Friday in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expressing alarm about the detention of journalist Mario Guevara. Guevara, an Emmy-winning, Spanish-language reporter who covers immigration on his “MGnews” Facebook page and other social…
CPJ urges Paramount’s Shari Redstone to reconsider CBS lawsuit settlement
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed serious concern about the potential implications of a settlement in the lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump and U.S. House Rep. Ronny Jackson against Paramount and CBS. In a letter sent to Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone, CPJ emphasized that the lawsuit lacks merit and that CBS…
Spanish-language journalist arrested in Atlanta while covering protest, facing possible deportation
Washington, D.C., June 17, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by news reports of the ongoing detention and possible deportation of Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested June 14 while covering a “No Kings” protest against the actions of the Trump administration in an Atlanta, Georgia suburb. CPJ wrote a letter to DeKalb County Chief…
Iranian journalists censored, threatened over reporting Israel conflict
Paris, June 17, 2025—Iran’s conflict with Israel has intensified media censorship in the Islamic Republic, with Iranian journalists warned not to comment online and a task force set up to prosecute those sharing “fake” news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday, calling for press freedom to be respected. Two Iranian journalists, who spoke to…
Australian writer questioned, deported from US after report on pro-Palestinian protests
Washington, D.C., June 16, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by reports that Australian writer Alistair Kitchen was denied entry into the United States after border officials at the Los Angeles International Airport searched his phone and questioned him about his views on the Israel-Gaza war. “Alistair Kitchen’s deportation is a clear case of retaliation…
CPJ, partners call on Congress to reject proposed State Department reorganization plan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined human rights partners in a June 13 statement calling on the U.S. Congress to reject Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s proposed reorganization of the State Department. Secretary Rubio’s proposed plan, announced in May, would drastically downsize the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), which is responsible for documenting and responding…