CPJ Press Freedom

Istanbul, October 12, 2026—Turkey’s ongoing crackdown on independent media is continuing at an alarming pace with four more journalists arrested and placed under house arrest over the weekend on suspicion of publicly spreading disinformation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.  On October 9, Turkish police questioned Mustafa Balcı and İsmail Saymaz from the independent Sözcü media outlet, freelancer Şaban Sevinç, and Murat Ağırel, who works for the independent Cumhuriyet and On

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday joined 20 local and international partner organizations in a joint statement asking Turkey and social media platforms to stop censoring journalists and rights defenders online by blocking their accounts, and respect the right to free expression.  The Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) found that in September alone, Turkish authorities and courts ordered the blocking of access to at least 1,270 accounts on the social media platform X, w

New York, October 9, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on South African authorities to ensure the safety of News24 investigative journalist Khaya Koko, who received numerous threats after the leader of the anti-immigration group March and March published his phone number on Facebook.  “Doxxing a journalist simply for seeking legitimate comment is an attack on press freedom. It’s not only dangerous and irresponsible, but a blatant act of intimidation,” said CPJ Afr

Berlin, October 9, 2026—Austrian authorities must urgently explain why Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach and his colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko were violently detained in Vienna on Thursday and held for more than 12 hours on suspicion of espionage, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday.  Both men work for the independent news website Ukrainska Pravda. Editor-in-chief Sevgil Musaieva told CPJ on Friday that cameraman Bondarenko was injured during the incident

Bangkok, October 8, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Thai politician and financier Vorapak Tanyawong to drop his criminal defamation suit against investigative reporter Tom Wright, following a Thai court’s decision to hear two separate complaints. Wright, the Singapore-based co-founder of the corruption-focused Whale Hunting newsletter, told CPJ that the two charges focus on his reporting alleging that Vorapak was involved in a criminal network that laundered funds from Camb

New York, October 8, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately release blogger Hajer Awadi and overturn her 26-month prison sentence over a social media post concerning a security operation. On September 30, the misdemeanor chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced Awadi to eight months for “praising and glorifying terrorism”, one year for “inciting hatred”, and six months for “making threats”, according to news reports. Her lawyer, Sa

In 2025, Angolan journalist Daniel Frederico fled his home country for fear that he would be jailed for defamation for an article that he did not write. His fears were realized on October 2, 2026, when he was given a 14-month sentence, despite his absence, for a 2022 report written and published by another media outlet. Frederico, editor of the Reporter Angola news site, told CPJ from exile that his only ‘crime’ was to meet the prosecutor mentioned in Angola Online’s article to hear his

In a letter sent on Thursday, Lebanese journalist Christina Assi is calling on EU leaders and officials to hold Israel to account for crimes against journalists in Lebanon and Gaza as part of the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council and European Council. Christina Assi was gravely wounded on October 13, 2023, in a targeted Israeli strike in southern Lebanon that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah.  She is CPJ’s 2026 International Press Freedom Award honoree.  Read the full letter

Investigative journalist Gauthier Sey Tshiang was evacuated to France on Monday for medical treatment after being assaulted and left unconscious in a street — one of a series of attacks on the press in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent weeks. Another journalist has been missing for a month and two are behind bars.  “This is an extremely worrying situation and represents an unacceptable price paid by media professionals in a country that ought to guarantee a free and independent p

Mexico City, October 6, 2026—Guatemalan authorities must swiftly and credibly investigate the killing of Maya journalist Evelio Lisandro López Sánchez and determine whether he was targeted for his work, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday. López, the founder and administrator of the local digital news outlet Huehue es Noticias, was shot dead October 2 while on his way home in San Pedro Necta, a town in the northwestern Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango, according to news

Istanbul, October 6, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release journalist Derya Okatan and stop an escalating press crackdown that in this case involves imprisoning a veteran reporter based on flimsy evidence, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Okatan, who most recently worked for independent broadcaster TELE1 before it was taken over by the government, was taken into police custody at her house in Ankara on October 2 and then transferred to Istanbul where the 1st Cour

Istanbul, October 5, 2026—Turkish authorities have weaponized the country’s disinformation law to stifle independent reporting by repeatedly detaining and arresting journalists on charges of spreading false information based on the vague tenets of this poorly conceived legislation. This tactic fits into a global pattern of using legal systems and institutions to criminalize legitimate journalism and silence reporting – a practice known as lawfare.  CPJ has called for the law &#8

Miami, October 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Havana court’s Thursday sentencing of influencer and content creator Anna Sofía Benítez, 21, and her mother, Caridad Silvente, to two years of “restricted freedom” after they were found guilty of supposedly violating a Ministry of the Interior (MININT) agent’s privacy. Outlets reported that the agent was upset that Benítez, known as “Anna Bensi” online, and her mother recorded the him as he delivered a summons in connectio

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined an amicus brief authored by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) in support of a lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico against the Trump administration for banning the outlets’ access to the White House beginning September 19. A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order on September 24, requiring the White House to restore press credentials for two weeks.  The brief supports the outlets’ motion

Washington, D.C., October 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release the six detained journalists working for investigative media platform Matsadaash, “Don’t Believe It”, reveal their whereabouts, ensure they have prompt access to lawyers and families, and drop any charges stemming solely from their legitimate journalistic work. The crackdown began with security forces raiding the homes of journalists Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira and Abdalla

Miami, October 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the forced exile of Cuban journalist Austin Llerandi, director of the community newsletter Amanecer Habanero, who fled the island on Tuesday and is currently in Brazil. Llerandi left the island with his pregnant wife after Cuban State Security agents threatened him with prison time if he did not stop distributing the Amanecer Habanero. “No citizen should be banished from the country of their birth,” said Jose Zamora, CPJ’

New York, October 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Moroccan authorities to immediately end the unlawful surveillance of journalists, and hold those responsible to account. This demand follows a newly published Amnesty International report documenting the use of spyware and other surveillance methods by Morocco’s intelligence services to monitor journalists, human rights defenders, and other critical voices. “Amnesty International’s findings provide a chilling picture of the

The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom organizations on Thursday called on Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela to allow sufficient time for an open, transparent, and consultative review, including by international experts, of a draft media reform bill, due to be introduced to parliament in the coming weeks.  The bill’s introduction comes just weeks after businessman Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of involvement in the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana G

New York, September 30, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Hong Kong government to release independent journalist Tang Ho-wing, who was arrested on Wednesday after covering a recent gathering in the latest sedition case. Police said they arrested a 37-year-old man under Hong Kong’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance on suspicion of acting with “seditious intention,” according to a statement. Local media identified the man as Tang, founder of the independent media out

New York, September 28, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to overturn the convictions of two journalists sentenced on September 27, drop a new prosecution against a magazine editor, and immediately release veteran photojournalist Majid Saeedi, whose whereabouts remain unknown nearly three weeks after his arrest. “The latest convictions and prosecutions show how Iranian authorities continue to weaponise the judicial system to silence critical reporting an