Sudanese journalist Yahya Hamad Fadlallah dies after army arrest
Washington, D.C., January 22, 2025—Prominent Sudanese journalist Yahya Hamad Fadlallah has died in a hospital, one month after Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) arrested him and his son at their home in the capital Khartoum on December 11, according to news reports. Fadlallah was tortured by the army, falsely accused of collaborating with the paramilitary Rapid…
CPJ calls on Pakistani authorities to end harassment, deportation of Afghan journalists
New York, January 22, 2025—Pakistani authorities must stop deporting and harassing Afghan journalists who have fled Afghanistan because of threats to their lives, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. During the first week of January 2025, Pakistani security forces detained two Afghan journalists and their families before deporting them to Afghanistan, according to a…
CPJ calls for swift investigation into killing of Peruvian journalist Gastón Medina
Bogotá, January 21, 2025—Peruvian authorities should swiftly and comprehensively complete their investigation into the killing of journalist Gastón Medina, determine if he was targeted for his work, and hold those responsible to account, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday. “Peruvian authorities must conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the killing of Gáston…
Azerbaijani authorities bring new charges against Toplum TV, arrest another journalist
New York, January 21, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a decision by Azerbaijani authorities to bring six new charges against four Toplum TV journalists and the Friday arrest of the independent news outlet’s reporter Farid Ismayilov, who was remanded into pretrial custody. “The new charges against Toplum TV underscores an unprecedented media crackdown waged by Azerbaijani authorities,” said…
CPJ, partners call on Council of Europe to act on repression in Azerbaijan
On January 21, CPJ joined nine other organizations in calling on the Council of Europe’s parliament, when it meets at the end of the month, to challenge Azerbaijan’s escalating repression, including against the media. The Azerbaijani delegation is currently suspended from participating in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) because the country…
CPJ calls for release, investigation, after 2 Georgian journalists detained during protests
New York, January 17, 2025–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to release reporter Guram Murvanidze and to investigate whether Mzia Amaglobeli is facing retaliatory charges because of her journalism. Amaglobeli, founder and director of independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, and Murvanidze, also from Batumelebi, were arrested in the western city of Batumi on January 11 during protests calling for a re-run…
Taliban sentences Afghan journalist Mahdi Ansary to 18 months in prison
New York, January 17, 2025—A Taliban court in the capital Kabul on January 1 sentenced Afghan News Agency reporter Mahdi Ansary to 18 months in prison on charges of disseminating anti-Taliban propaganda. “Mahdi Ansary’s unjust sentence is indicative of the Taliban’s continued brutality and suppression of press freedom in Afghanistan,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s…
Egypt arrests journalist, wife of jailed cartoonist after interview
Update: Since publication of this alert, the SSSP ordered on January 16 that Serag be detained for 15 days pending investigation on charges of joining a terrorist organization, spreading false news, using a website to promote terrorist ideas, and committing a financing-related crime, according to independent media outlets Mada Masr and Al-Manassa. Washington, D.C., January…
How CPJ helps jailed journalists
CPJ’s 2024 imprisoned journalists’ data illustrates how arbitrary prison sentences handed down in connection with journalistic work can become a years-long nightmare. Globally, incarcerated journalists routinely face harsh conditions—including lack of access to medical care, food, hygiene products, and water—along with loss of vital emotional support because long, often expensive journeys make it difficult for…
Tunisia uses new cybercrime law to jail record number of journalists
Tunisia has reached a troubling milestone, with at least five journalists behind bars in CPJ’s December 1, 2024, prison census, the highest number since the organization began keeping track in 1992. Once hailed as a beacon of freedom in the Arab world after the 2011 revolution that sparked the Arab Spring, Tunisia is now erasing…