Peruvian journalist sued by judge for defamation, ordered to pay a $14,500 fine
Bogotá, July 28, 2026—Peruvian judicial authorities must stop harassing journalist Carlos Yofré López for an old case and allow reporters to do their jobs without fear of unfounded defamation lawsuits, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. On July 20, an appeals court in the Pacific coast province of Huaura upheld a lower court decision that found…
Azerbaijan: CPJ condemns shocking sentences handed down in Toplum TV case
New York, July 28, 2026 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the extremely harsh prison sentences of up to 15 years handed down on July 27 to journalists and other individuals associated with leading Azerbaijani news outlet Toplum TV on charges related to receipt and use of foreign funds. “The shockingly heavy sentences meted…
Bangladesh charges journalists Farzana Rupa, Mozammel Babu with crimes against humanity
New Delhi, July 27, 2026—Bangladeshi authorities should immediately drop the charges of crimes against humanity against journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu and release them without delay, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Prosecutors at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday submitted a formal charge sheet naming the two journalists and 39 other…
Philippine journalist Marchel Espina charged with unjust vexation over opinion article
Bangkok, July 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on the Iglesia Ni Cristo religious group to drop its criminal complaint of unjust vexation against journalist Marchel Espina over an opinion piece published by a community news site. On July 17, Espina, former editor-in-chief of the local SunStar Cebu, voluntarily surrendered to the…
CPJ, partners demand release of Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar on arrest anniversary
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined partner organizations on Wednesday to mark Ashraf Omar’s second arrest anniversary by calling for his immediate release. In the letter, the signatories voice concern over the significant time that has passed since the Al-Manassa cartoonist was arrested in his home on July 22, 2024 and their refusal to accept…
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…
Cambodia jails journalist Luot Sophal for 2 years over report on soldiers’ water shortages
Bangkok, July 21, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the two-year prison sentence given to Cambodian journalist Luot Sophal on incitement charges and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Sophal, a reporter with the independent local news site Srotop Yuvakvey, was convicted on July 14 by the Oddar Meanchey Provincial Court on charges of…
Zambian journalist detained for audio leak under cyber laws weeks before elections
Lusaka, July 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Zambian authorities to immediately release journalist MacPherson Mukuka after four days in detention and not to criminalize journalism carried out in the public interest. Mukuka, a journalist with state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), has been detained at Kabwata Police Station in the capital Lusaka…
CPJ warns Bloomberg defamation ruling could chill reporting in Singapore
Jakarta, July 15, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the Singapore High Court’s decision ordering Bloomberg and one of its reporters to pay S$460,000 (US$356,000) in damages to two senior ministers who sued them for defamation over an article about their property deals. The coordinating minister for national security, K. Shanmugam, and…