ICE defies court, says journalist Mario Guevara ‘not releasable’
Washington, D.C., July 7, 2025— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities to respect an immigration court ruling and release on bail journalist Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador who has been legally in the U.S. for the past 20 years. On Monday, ICE denied Guevara’s…
Timeline: Reporter Mario Guevara’s arrest and ICE detention
Spanish-language reporter Mario Guevara, who has covered immigrant issues in the Atlanta metro area for the past 20 years, was detained by local law enforcement while livestreaming a local “No Kings” protest in mid-June. He was charged with three misdemeanors and then denied bond when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer against him,…
Colombian journalist, wife wounded in targeted shooting
Bogotá, July 7, 2025—Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the shooting of journalist Gustavo Chicangana and his wife, Ana Milena Torres, to determine whether the reporter was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Saturday, July 5, Chicangana, news director of radio station Guaviare Estéreo, and Torres…
Indian state’s proposed misinformation law opens door to criminalizing press
New Delhi, July 7, 2025—Authorities in the southern Indian state of Karnataka must ensure that a proposed law to curb misinformation and fake news does not infringe on press freedom or criminalize journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “Criminalizing vague and undefined forms of ‘fake news’ without proper judicial oversight risks silencing critical…
Home or exile? Syrian journalists grapple with new realities post-Assad
After almost 14 years of civil war, the lightning overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in December has unleashed the possibility of returning home for hundreds of exiled journalists. For Ahmad Primo, who was arrested by the government for reporting that the 2011 protests were a revolution and then jailed by Islamic State, the idea…
Authorities arrest journalist on unknown charges in central Yemen
Washington, D.C., July 3, 2025— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the June 18 arrest of journalist Muzahim Bajaber in central Yemen’s Hadramout Governorate on unspecified charges. The warrant, reviewed by CPJ, was issued by a Specialized Criminal Court and violates Article 13 of Yemen’s Press and Publications Law, which protects journalists from punishment for publishing their opinions unless they…
Zimbabwe authorities arrest newspaper editor on charges of insulting the president
New York July 2, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Zimbabwean authorities to release newspaper editor Faith Zaba, who was arrested on July 1. She is facing charges of “undermining or insulting the authority of the president” in connection with a satirical column. “This case sends the message that Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and…
Iraqi authorities shut down Iraq AlHadath channel without clear explanation
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, July 2, 2025—Iraqi authorities must immediately end their unexplained shutdown and suspension of the privately owned Iraq AlHadath news broadcaster in Baghdad and ensure that media outlets can operate freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “The shutdown of Iraq AlHadath without transparent justification represents a troubling move against press freedom in…
CPJ outraged at ICE refusal of judge’s order to release journalist Mario Guevara
Atlanta, July 2, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the decision by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities not to comply with a federal immigration judge order that granted bail to Atlanta-based Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who was originally arrested on First Amendment-related charges. Those charges were dropped on June 25. CPJ calls for Guevara’s immediate…
CPJ: Kyrgyz president must veto ‘dangerous’ media law
UPDATE: On August 6, President Sadyr Japarov signed the media law into effect. New York, July 2, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov to veto a new mass media law that would require all publications to register with the state and heavily restricts any foreign legal entities from founding or owning media outlets. Parliament…