Journalist Yelis Ayaz arrested in Turkey for ‘spreading disinformation’
Istanbul, May 20, 2026—Turkish authorities must release journalist Yelis Ayaz without delay and stop punishing journalists for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Ayaz, publisher and editor-in-chief for the local newspaper Aydınpost in the western province of Aydın, was arrested pending trial by a court on May 15 on suspicion of…
Mexican journalist, IPFA recipient Maria Teresa Montaño targeted in possible malware, surveillance attacks
Mexico City, May 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mexican authorities to immediately and credibly investigate possible malware and digital surveillance attacks against Mexican journalist Maria Teresa Montaño Delgado and The ObserverMX, and take appropriate steps to guarantee her safety. Montaño, a 2023 recipient of CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award (IPFA), told CPJ on May…
CPJ, partners call on Gulf states to end crackdown on information
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 other organizations in calling on Gulf states to end their attacks on the free flow of information. The Iran war has sparked a sweeping new crackdown across the Gulf, as governments move to control what their populations can see, say, and share about the attacks unfolding in their…
CPJ calls on Israel to release press detained on Gaza-bound flotilla
Beirut, May 19, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release all journalists and media workers detained after Israeli forces intercepted vessels from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, and to disclose the location and legal status of those being held. According to organizers, on May 18, Israeli forces began intercepting…
Russia adds CPJ to its list of ‘undesirable organizations’
New York, May 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists has been included on a Russian government list of “undesirable organizations” — a label used to suppress media outlets, NGOs, and other independent voices that the Kremlin deems a threat to its narrative control. CPJ, which was not notified of the decision or the reasons behind…
Press crackdowns in Gulf spike following Iran war, risk becoming permanent
Since the Iran war started late February, CPJ has documented a crackdown on the press across the Gulf and tracked unpublicized cases of arrests, intimidation, and legal and financial actions against journalists and their media outlets. The escalation represents a significant and underreported threat to press freedom in Gulf countries, where free speech was already…
CPJ urges European Commission to not invite the Taliban to Brussels
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on the European Commission to scrap reported plans to invite the Taliban to Brussels. According to media reports, the technical talks would focus on the return of rejected asylum seekers and Afghans convicted of crimes. The European Union does not officially recognize the Taliban, and formal engagement…
Investigative reporter Tom Wright faces criminal defamation charge in Thailand
Mae Sot, May 18, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Thai politician Vorapak Tanyawong to drop his criminal defamation suit against Whale Hunting newsletter’s investigative reporter Tom Wright, and urges Thailand to reform its criminal statutes so that they cannot be abused to silence the press. Wright told CPJ that he faces criminal charges…
CPJ, press freedom organizations renew call for justice on 9th anniversary of journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas’ murder
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined family members, journalists and other press freedom organizations in Culiacán, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, to renew a call for justice in the murder of journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas. Valdez, a correspondent for Mexico City newspaper La Jornada and co-founder of weekly investigative magazine Ríodoce,…
Bangladesh tribunal shows journalists Rupa and Babu arrested over 2013 reporting
May 15, 2026, New Delhi—Bangladeshi authorities must release journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu, who were recently arrested in a crimes-against-humanity case filed at the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 14, the ICT in the capital Dhaka showed Rupa, a former chief reporter and presenter at…