Ahead of Bangladesh election, CPJ urges political parties to protect press freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists has written to Bangladesh’s major political parties ahead of a national election scheduled for February 12, calling for urgent steps to safeguard press freedom and journalists’ safety. In separate letters, CPJ called on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, the National Citizen Party, and the Jatiya Party to make public…
European court rules Azerbaijan prosecuted Khadija Ismayilova in retaliation for journalism
Berlin, January 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) January 27 ruling that Azerbaijan violated the rights of journalist Khadija Ismayilova by prosecuting and imprisoning her in retaliation for her reporting, but calls on Azerbaijan to immediately enforce the judgment. Ismayilova, an award-winning investigative journalist, was detained in December 2014 and subsequently sentenced to…
Myanmar journalist Myat Thu Kyaw seriously injured in alleged prison assault
Bangkok, January 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the alleged physical abuse of imprisoned Myanmar journalist Myat Thu Kyaw at Yangon’s Insein Prison and calls on authorities to immediately release him on humanitarian grounds. Prison authorities orchestrated an assault on Myat Thu Kyaw and three other political prisoners using members of an incarcerated…
Turkey’s most frequently arrested reporter, Furkan Karabay, under house arrest
Istanbul, January 26, 2026—Turkish authorities should immediately cancel the order of house arrest for reporter Furkan Karabay and let him do his job, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Police in Istanbul took Karabay, a court reporter currently with the news website Medyascope, into custody and a court placed him under house arrest on the suspicion of “publicly spreading…
Tunisia issues fresh 3½-year jail terms to journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies
New York, January 26, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the three-and-a-half year prison sentences handed down to prominent Tunisian journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies for tax evasion, which are widely seen as in retaliation for their reporting. Zghidi and Baaies, who work for the local independent radio station IFM, have been behind bars…
CPJ condemns ‘absurd’ prison sentence of up to 18 years for Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio
Tacloban City, January 22, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday condemned the harsh 12- to 18-year prison sentence handed down to Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio after she was found guilty of financing terrorism, and called on authorities to immediately free her and stop targeting journalists. “This absurd verdict shows that the various pledges…
Journalist jailings imperil a free press worldwide amid reports of life-threatening prison conditions: CPJ
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…
CPJ joined more than 30 groups to urge Iran to free jailed journalists, activists, and restore internet access
On January 14, the Committee to Protect Journalists, along with more than 30 press freedom and human rights organizations, called for urgent protections for journalists, human rights defenders, and others jailed for their writing, expression of opinion, or peaceful assembly amid nationwide protests and internet shutdown. The signatory organizations called on Iranian authorities to immediately…
Report: Georgia violated journalist Mzia Amaglobeli’s right to a fair trial
New York, January 16, 2026—A report released Friday by TrialWatch found that Georgian authorities violated the fair trial rights of jailed journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli, citing a series of violations that indicate that Georgian authorities sought to make an example of a leading journalist amid a wider press freedom and rights crackdown in Georgia. The Committee to…
CPJ to release 2025 prison census
New York, January 16, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will release its annual report of journalists imprisoned globally on January 21, 2026. CPJ’s 2025 prison census includes analysis from CPJ experts about the leading countries that imprisoned journalists last year, as well as insights into the dire conditions many journalists face in…