Imprisoned

New York, February 9, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists demands that Iranian authorities halt their ongoing attacks and harassment of journalists and media workers and roll back punitive measures used to silence reporting, including raids, equipment seizures, financial pressure, and restrictions on communications. Azadeh Mokhtari, a social affairs editor at the Rokna news website,…

New York, February 9, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday condemned the sentencing of publisher Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison and jail terms of six to 10 years for former colleagues from the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, in Hong Kong’s largest media trial. “The rule of law has been completely shattered in…

Dakar, February 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Malian authorities to immediately release Youssouf Sissoko, who was detained on Thursday for publishing a commentary piece criticizing neighboring Niger’s president’s comments about a jihadist attack. “In recent years, Malian authorities have drastically reduced the media’s ability to criticize their actions and they are now…

New York, February 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting journalists and release all those behind bars, ahead of Monday’s expected sentencing of publisher Jimmy Lai and six former colleagues from his defunct Apple Daily newspaper, in the city’s largest media trial. “Jimmy Lai’s trial has been nothing…

New York, February 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists and more than 90 media groups around the world have called on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “right the wrong” and release jailed journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, as she marks six years behind bars on Saturday. In a joint letter to Marcos coordinated by CPJ…

New York, February 2, 2026— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalists Mehdi Mahmoudian and Vida Rabbani and to end the ongoing crackdown on journalists. Mahmoudian and Rabbani were arrested after signing a statement, alongside other Iranian journalists and activists, expressing their support of the recent mass…

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Cameroonian authorities to immediately release journalist Brand Kamga, who was arrested on January 19 and charged with attempting to abduct the child of a woman he was investigating. Kamga, editor of the online channel Naja TV, phoned and met with the plaintiff, Annette Josiane Wandji Njikeu, to investigate a tip-off alleging…

Ahead of a February 2 decision by Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court, the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven other human rights groups called on Kyrgyzstan authorities to comply with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s opinion and release journalist Tajibek kyzy without delay. Director of anti-corruption investigative outlets Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese,…

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…

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…