CPJ, partners call for release of Turkish journalist İsmail Arı
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight other local and international press freedom and human rights organizations in calling on Turkish authorities to release daily BirGün reporter İsmail Arı, who was arrested pending trial last week. Arı’s arrest was based on a 2022 disinformation law that introduced prison sentences of up to three years for…
Malian journalist given 2-year prison sentence for insulting Niger’s president
Dakar, March 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Malian authorities to release journalist Youssouf Sissoko, who was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison and a fine of 1 million West African francs (US$1,759) for offending a foreign head of state by publishing a commentary piece that criticized Niger’s president. “The severity…
CPJ welcomes Kyrgyzstan’s release of journalist Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, calls for charges to be dropped
New York, March 23, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Kyrgyz journalist Makhabat Tajibek kyzy’s release from prison and calls on authorities to drop all charges against her. In 2024, Tajibek kyzy, the director of anti-corruption investigative outlets Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese, was convicted on charges of calling for mass unrest and sentenced to six…
Reporter İsmail Arı imprisoned in Turkey for spreading ‘disinformation’
Istanbul, March 23, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release journalist İsmail Arı and stop misusing the disinformation law, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Arı, a reporter for the leftist daily BirGün, was taken into custody in the northern province of Tokat, where he was visiting family on March 21. He was taken to Ankara the…
CPJ, partners call for Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s release ahead of court ruling on conviction
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a coalition of international and local press freedom organizations on Thursday in calling for the immediate release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio ahead of a court ruling on whether to grant a review of her bogus conviction for “financing terrorism.” On March 23, the judge in Cumpio’s case is scheduled…
Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva released after serving over 5 years in prison
Update: After publication, CPJ was able to confirm that two other journalists, Aleh Supruniuk and Valeryia Kastsiuhova, had been released domestically. Journalist Dzmitry Navazhylau remained behind bars as of April 7, despite initial reports that he was among those released. New York, March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva, who was among 250 prisoners freed on Thursday…
Azerbaijani journalist Ahmad Mammadli sentenced to 6 years in prison
New York, March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijan to release journalist Ahmad Mammadli and credibly investigate claims that police severely mistreated him. A court in the capital, Baku, sentenced Mammadli on Monday to six years in prison on a charge of causing serious bodily harm. Mammadli denied the charge and said it…
CPJ, partners call for Abduljalil Al-Singace’s release on 15th arrest anniversary
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 18 human rights and press freedom organizations in urging Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to immediately release blogger Abduljalil Al-Singace, who has completed 15 years of arbitrary imprisonment for his role in the pro-democracy movement. Since July 2021, Al-Singace,…
Veteran Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak sentenced to prison
Istanbul, March 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Turkish authorities on Monday not to fight the appeals of veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak. An Istanbul court found Altan, the former editor-in-chief of the defunct liberal daily Taraf, and Ilıcak, a former host for the defunct Can Erzincan TV, guilty of “aiding a [terrorist] organization without being…
Journalists in eastern DRC detained over war coverage, broadcasters occupied
Journalists in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo face constant danger as warring parties seek to control information. In January, February, and early March, government forces and rebel groups both detained journalists over their reporting, including several for simply conducting interviews, while the rebel forces that control parts of the country’s eastern provinces held military positions in…