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RFE/RL's Azerbaijani journalist Farid Mehralizada (left) and Abzas Media staff Elnara Gasimova, Nargiz Absalamova, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Hafiz Babali, Ulvi Hasanli, and Mahammad Kekalov are seen in this composite image published by Abzas Media.

8 journalists given lengthy jail terms as Azerbaijan crushes free press

New York, June 23, 2025— Eight Azerbaijani journalists have received prison sentences ranging from 7 ½ to 15 years, as part of an ongoing series of media trials likely to obliterate independent reporting in the Caucasus nation. In a closed-door trial on Monday, columnist and peace activist Bahruz Samadov was sentenced by a court in…

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Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar

Israel censors foreign press coverage of Iranian strike sites

New York, June 23, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by Israeli authorities’ orders that international media obtain prior approval from the military censor before broadcasting news from combat zones or missile impact areas in the country.  Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced Friday that broadcasting from those locations…

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CPJ alarmed by Zambian bill proposing jail for unlicensed journalists

Nairobi, June 23, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday expressed alarm at a Zambian bill that could jail journalists who work without a license for up to five years were it to become law, according to a draft reviewed by CPJ. “We are deeply concerned about the lack of transparency in the legislative process surrounding…

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Mario Guevara

CPJ, partners express alarm over detention of journalist Mario Guevara by US immigration authorities

The Committee to Protect Journalists led a coalition of local and national civil society and press freedom organizations Friday in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expressing alarm about the detention of journalist Mario Guevara. Guevara, an Emmy-winning, Spanish-language reporter who covers immigration on his “MGnews” Facebook page and other social…

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CPJ, Reporters Without Borders,Free Press Unlimited, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla

CPJ joins landmark mission to the Philippines supported by the Media Freedom Coalition

Manila, June 20, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists and partner organizations have completed a joint mission to the Philippines, a first-of-its-kind effort supported by the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), a grouping of 51 member states committed to defending press freedom worldwide. During the June 16-20 mission, CPJ, Reporters Without Borders, and Free Press Unlimited took…

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Togolese Gendarmerie in Togo's capital Lomé on June 6, 2025.

France 24 and RFI broadcasters suspended in Togo for 3 months

Dakar, June 20, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Togolese authorities to rescind a three-month broadcasting ban on France 24 television network and Radio France Internationale (RFI) for allegedly undermining stability with biased reporting. On June 16, Togo’s regulatory High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) suspended the two outlets, which are subsidiaries of…

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Hold the Line Coalition welcomes Maria Ressa and Rappler’s acquittal in foreign ownership case, urges closure of remaining case 

Manila, June 20, 2025—A Filipino court has acquitted Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, along with five Rappler directors, in a long-standing anti-dummy case. Filed in 2018 under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the case was based on the allegation that Rappler had violated constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership of…

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Journalists Nguyen Tuong Thuy (left), Pham Chi Dung (right), and Le Huu Minh Tuan (back) are seen at a courthouse in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, on January 5, 2021. The three were each sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. (Vietnam News Agency/AFP)

Vietnamese journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan’s health declines in prison

Bangkok, June 20, 2025—Vietnamese authorities must immediately release imprisoned journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan on humanitarian grounds so that he may receive urgent medical treatment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Tuan, who was arrested in 2020 and is serving an 11-year sentence for “conducting propaganda against the state” due to his journalism, has suffered from internal…

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Journalists in a press room watch Mikheil Kavelashvili, Georgia's newly elected president and leader of the Georgian Dream party, take the oath of office during his swearing-in ceremony at the parliament building in Tbilisi, on December 29, 2024. (Photo: AFP/Shlamov)

CPJ, partners call for an end to Georgia’s assault on media, repeal of new laws

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 23 other press freedom and journalist organizations on June 17 in condemning Georgia’s deepening restrictions on the media, including several repressive new laws, and calling on the international community to pressure the ruling Georgian Dream party to end its suppression of the independent press. The statement warned that independent…

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Nayib Bukele

CPJ, partners express concern over growing deterioration of press freedom in El Salvador

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 17 other international organizations in a joint statement Wednesday warning about the swift deterioration in press freedom in El Salvador, after at least 40 journalists have had to leave the country due to a sustained pattern of harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary restrictions on their work. The Salvadoran Journalists Association…

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