Legal Action

Six months after a mass uprising ousted the increasingly autocratic administration of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi journalists continue to be threatened and attacked for their work, along with facing new fears that planned legislation could undermine press freedom. Bangladesh’s interim government — established amid high hopes of political and economic reform— has drawn…

Washington, D.C., February 14, 2025–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the White House decision to block The Associated Press (AP) from covering official events after AP’s decision to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its internationally known name, calling the action the latest in an alarming pattern of retaliation against a free press in…

Istanbul, February 14, 2025–Turkish authorities must continue searching for those who masterminded the 2007 murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday, after a retrial in which an Istanbul court issued nine defendants with life sentences. Lawyers representing the Dink family said they would appeal the February 7 verdict due…

The Committee to Protect Journalists sent a letter calling on the Zambian government to withdraw the Cyber Security Bill 2024 and Cyber Crimes Bill 2024 from the National Assembly for a comprehensive review to ensure they align with constitutional protections of press freedom, as well as regional and international standards on freedom of expression.  CPJ raised concerns that the two bills…

Mexico City, February 12, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Honduran Armed Forces to end its intimidation campaign against journalists following defamation complaints against 12 media outlets in connection with reports on alleged government corruption. “Armed forces should not weaponize the judicial system to silence the press,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America…

After a year that saw Russia increase its pressure on independent media and journalists, authorities are seeking to tighten the squeeze on dissenting voices from March 1 by blocking those designated as “foreign agents’” from access to their earnings. The 2025 law requires those listed by the justice ministry as “persons under foreign influence” to…

New York, February 10, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a February 6 Azerbaijani court decision remanding Toplum TV presenter Shahnaz Baylargizi to 3 ½ months in pretrial detention over foreign funding allegations and calls for her immediate release. “Veteran journalist Shahnaz Baylargizi’s arrest underscores how Azerbaijani authorities are exploiting allegations of Western funding to silence leading independent…

New York, February 7, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek after a Tunisian court sentenced her to five years in prison on Wednesday. Another journalist, freelancer Chahrazad Akacha, was sentenced to 27 years in absentia. “The sentencing of journalists Chadha Hadj Mbarek and Chahrazad Akacha is a clear example of how the Tunisian…

New York, February 6, 2025—Sri Lankan authorities must ensure those responsible for the 2009 murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge are held to account and take decisive steps to put an end to the country’s alarming record of impunity in journalist killings, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday.  “Justice must be served in journalists’ killings,” said CPJ Asia…

New York, February 4, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the two-month pretrial detention of Temirlan Yensebek, founder of the Instagram-based satirical outlet Qaznews24, on charges of inciting ethnic hatred, for which he could face seven years in jail.  “The incitement charges against Temirlan Yensebek raise concerns that he’s being targeted for his biting political…