From prosecutions to bans and spurious copyright claims: how Kazakhstan’s journalists are being silenced
Ahead of this month’s parliamentary election, independent journalists in Kazakhstan have faced “unprecedented” pressure, ranging from criminal prosecutions to professional bans, and this crackdown warrants heightened international scrutiny to ensure the country upholds its obligations on media freedom. Voters go to the polls on August 23 to elect a unicameral parliament established under a new…
Kazakhstan sentences journalist Gulnara Bazhkenova to eight years in prison as pre-election press crackdown intensifies
New York, August 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is shocked by the eight-year prison sentence handed down to Gulnara Bazhkenova, former editor-in-chief of independent outlet Orda, in Kazakhstan on August 18, and warns that this latest prosecution appears to be part of an escalating crackdown on the media ahead of elections this month. An Almaty…
CPJ, partners sound alarm over pre-election media crackdown in Kazakhstan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight local and international press freedom and human rights groups on Friday in expressing deep concern over escalating pressure on independent journalists in Kazakhstan ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for August 23. The groups’ joint statement details how, in the weeks leading up to the vote – the first…
5 years after Taliban takeover, CPJ calls for an end to deepening repression of journalists
New York, August 14, 2026—Five years on from the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the group to halt its brutal repression of the press — particularly women journalists — and lift sweeping restrictions that have cut access to independent information and allowed a propaganda ecosystem to flourish. After capturing…
Pakistan introduces sweeping rules to restrict foreign media amid Kashmir unrest
New York, August 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistani authorities to withdraw draconian new guidelines requiring journalists working for international media outlets to obtain authorization before reporting outside Islamabad, Karachi, or Lahore, in a move likely to censor coverage of unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The guidelines, reviewed by CPJ, require international and…
CPJ calls on Kazakhstan to overturn travel ban, end harassment of journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov
New York, August 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kazakhstan to stop harassing prominent journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov after he was barred from leaving the country for a holiday on August 3. “Amid a worrying surge in criminal prosecutions of leading independent journalists in Kazakhstan, the unexplained travel ban on Lukpan Akhmedyarov is deeply concerning,”…
Pakistani journalists Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif detained amid crackdown on Kashmir reporting
New York, August 5, 2026—Pakistani authorities must account for and immediately release journalists Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif, who were taken by men in police uniform from their office in the capital city Islamabad, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. Tahir and Saif, independent journalists who publish through Tahir’s popular social media…
Vietnamese journalist Doan Bao Chau sentenced in absentia to 7 years in prison for anti-state reporting
August 4, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Vietnamese authorities to end their harassment of journalist Doan Bao Chau after a Hanoi court sentenced him in absentia to seven years in prison over social media posts critical of the government. On August 3, the Hanoi People’s Court convicted Chau under Article 117 of Vietnam’s…
Hungary’s initial media reforms are promising but lasting safeguards still needed
Hungary’s new government has taken promising first steps to restore press freedom after years of state capture under former prime minister Viktor Orbán, but authorities must now move beyond quick fixes to deliver transparent, durable reforms that ensure the media is protected from any and all political interference. After his Tisza party won a landslide…
CPJ, SCM submit report to UN ahead of Syria human rights review
The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), has submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council documenting persistent threats to press freedom in Syria, ahead of the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR, a UN mechanism that reviews each member state’s human…