Arrests of Palestinian journalists since start of Israel-Gaza war
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, an unprecedented number of journalists and media workers have been arrested — often without charge — in what they and their attorneys say is retaliation for their journalism and commentary. As of December 12, 2024, CPJ has documented a total of 75 arrests of journalists in the Palestinian…
CPJ calls on new Syrian leaders to protect journalist safety, hold Assad’s media persecutors to account
As Syria transitions to a new government following the December 8 toppling of Bashar al-Assad, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to take decisive action to ensure the safety of all journalists and hold accountable those responsible for the killing, imprisonment, and silencing of members of the media during the country’s 13-year civil…
CPJ condemns 7-year jail sentence for Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu on spy charges
New York, November 29, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a harsh seven-year jail sentence handed down to veteran Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu on Friday on espionage charges, and calls for his immediate release. Dong, 62, a columnist for the state-run newspaper Guangming Daily, was arrested in Beijing in February 2022 while having…
‘I will always keep fighting,’ José Rubén Zamora tells CPJ before court orders him back to jail
Less than a month after being moved to house arrest, a Guatemalan appeals court ordered journalist José Rubén Zamora back to jail on November 15, 2024. Zamora remains in house arrest while his lawyers and the Attorney General’s Office have appealed the motion, his son told CPJ. The decision is a new blow to press freedom in Guatemala. Zamora,…
Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong jail is ‘breaking his body,’ says his son
In his tireless global campaign to save 77-year-old media publisher Jimmy Lai from life imprisonment in Hong Kong, Sebastien Lai has not seen his father for more than four years. Sebastien, who leads the #FreeJimmyLai campaign, last saw his father in August 2020 — weeks after Beijing imposed a national security law that led to…
Hong Kong must end Jimmy Lai’s show trial, CPJ urges ahead of hearing
New York, November 18, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Hong Kong government to drop its trumped-up charges against media publisher Jimmy Lai, who is set to take the stand for the first time on Wednesday in his trial on national security charges, which could see the 77-year-old jailed for life if convicted. “This…
CPJ, others ask UN working group for update on Egyptian writer Alaa Abdelfattah
The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 26 other press freedom and human rights organizations, sent a letter on November 12 to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) seeking updates on the urgent appeal filed on November 14, 2023, concerning the imprisonment of Egyptian writer Alaa Abdelfattah. The appeal, submitted by Abdelfattah and…
Turkish journalist Furkan Karabay arrested over reporting on opposition arrest
Istanbul, November 11, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Turkish authorities to immediately free reporter Furkan Karabay, who was seized from his home at dawn on Friday after he published a report about the arrest of an opposition mayor. “Journalist Furkan Karabay is the latest in a long line of journalists who have ended…
As COP29 opens, CPJ calls for jailed Azerbaijani journalists to be freed
New York, November 11, 2024—With the opening of the United Nations annual climate talks in Azerbaijan on Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on visiting delegations to press Azerbaijan to end its unprecedented media crackdown. “With at least 15 journalists awaiting trial on charges that could see them jailed for between eight and 20…
As COP29 nears, CPJ, partners urge EU to hold Azerbaijan to account over rights abuses
CPJ and 16 other international human rights organizations on Wednesday called on the European Union to press Azerbaijan to release around a dozen jailed journalists and improve its dire human rights record as the country hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference on November 11-22, 2024. The statement highlights how, in the months leading up…