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…
Cuban journalist threatened, interrogated by state security over newsletter
Miami, July 21—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on the Cuban government to end its harassment of journalist Austin Llerandi of Amanecer Habanero, a non-state media newsletter. Llerandi told CPJ that state security agents came looking for him at his father’s house on July 13 in Havana, demonstrating invasive knowledge of his personal life…
CPJ, partners call for investigation into the killing of Yemeni journalist Mohammed Aydah
The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with the Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory and the National Organization of Yemeni Reporters, sent a letter on Tuesday to members of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen calling for a swift, independent, and professional investigation into the killing of journalist Mohammed Aydah. CPJ and its partners urged Council Chairman…
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…
UPDATE: Sports journalist Luca Esposito killed in Italy
[Editor’s Note: On July 24, 2026, Italian police arrested a man in connection with the killing and local reports said the evidence gathered so far suggests the motive was not related to Esposito’s journalism.] Berlin, July 20, 2026—Italian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of sports journalist Luca Esposito, whose charred body was found on a farm in southern Italy on…
CPJ submits joint report to UN ahead of Sudan human rights review
The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS), has submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council documenting the devastating collapse of press freedom in Sudan, ahead of the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR, a UN mechanism that reviews each member state’s human rights record every 4½…
CPJ, partners call on Thailand not to deport detained journalist Bai Zhaodong to China
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined 58 other press freedom and civil society organizations in calling on Thailand to halt the forcible return of detained Chinese journalist Bai Zhaodong to China. Bai, a former reporter with Caijing magazine and an investigative journalist for over 25 years, has been held in immigration detention in Thailand since January…
Mexican journalist Josué Martínez shot dead in Puebla, fourth killed in over a month
Mexico City, July 17, 2026—Mexican authorities must swiftly and credibly investigate the killing of 39-year-old Josué Martínez Contreras, who is the fourth Mexican journalist to be killed in the country in just over a month, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday. Martínez, the founder and general director of the Facebook-based news site Noticias…