Asia

Contact CPJ Asia

Twitter: @cpjasia
Facebook: CPJ Asia Desk
Program Coordinator:
Beh Lih Yi

Researcher:
Sonali Dhawan

Tel: 212-465-1004
Fax: 212-214-0640

Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center
P.O. Box 2675
New York, NY 10108 USA

  

Surging violence haunts Indian journalists ahead of elections in politically polarized West Bengal

Indian journalists Soma Maity and Ranjit Mahato had been at the protest for a matter of minutes before they were attacked by a mob on January 16. Maity said she was grabbed and lifted by two men, who pulled her hair, restrained her legs, and tore at her clothes while others touched her body. She…

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An undated photo of Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu.

China moves journalist Dong Yuyu further from family with prison transfer

New York, April 15, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns China’s decision to transfer veteran journalist Dong Yuyu from a prison in Beijing to another facility in Tianjin, a move that takes the 63-year-old, who is serving a seven-year sentence for espionage, further from home and makes it more difficult for his family to visit….

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) speaks with Chief Minister of Assam state Himanta Biswa Sarma during a public meeting in Guwahati on February 14, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Biju Boro)

Office of Indian newspaper attacked after alleged threat by Assam chief minister

New Delhi, April 15, 2026—Indian authorities in the eastern state of Assam must conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the recent attack on the office of daily newspaper Asomiya Pratidin, and ensure that all journalists in the state can report without fear of retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Early on April…

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India internet regulation

Proposed Indian IT Rules grant government powers to censor independent journalists

New Delhi, April 14, 2026—The Indian government must immediately withdraw proposed amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules that would grant authorities sweeping powers to censor independent journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. The draft changes propose extending a regulatory code of ethics, previously applied only to large streaming platforms and broadcasters, to…

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Zakir Hussain Dahar

Press freedom coalition welcomes arrest in Shan Dahar murder, urges Pakistani authorities to order transparent reinvestigation

New York, April 9, 2026—Press freedom organizations Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcome the recent arrest of Irfan Brohi, a suspect in the 2014 murder of Pakistani journalist Zakir Hussain Dahar and call on authorities in Pakistan’s Sindh province to immediately appoint a senior police…

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An undated photo of Vietnamese journalist Huynh Ngoc Tuan.

Vietnam sentences journalist Huynh Ngoc Tuan to 8½ years for anti-state propaganda

Bangkok, April 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Thursday’s sentencing of Vietnamese journalist Huynh Ngoc Tuan to eight years and six months in prison under a criminal provision that bars “propagandizing against the state.” The People’s Court of Dak Lak Province ruled that 11 of Tuan’s live videos and 21 Facebook posts were defamatory,…

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Malaysian journalist Kalidas Subramaniam detained after reporting on alleged illegal migrant workers

Jakarta, April 1, 2026—Malaysian authorities in the northwestern state of Kedah should drop the trespass charge pending against journalist Kalidas Subramaniam and stop weaponizing criminal laws to silence legitimate journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Kalidas, a reporter with Tamil-language news site Thinathanti, was detained by Kulim district police about midday on March…

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An undated photo showing Cambodian journalists Phon Sopheap (left) and Pheap Phara.

CPJ signs joint statement calling for release of Cambodian journalists Phon Sopheap and Pheap Phara

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday joined 15 local and international partners in a joint statement calling for the release of imprisoned Cambodian journalists Phon Sopheap and Pheap Phara. The journalists were each sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason on December 17, 2025, under Section 445 of the criminal code for “supplying a foreign state with information…

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Independent journalist Nguyen Hoang Vi was allegedly assaulted by Ho Chi Minh City police. (Photo: Courtesy of Nguyen Hoang Vi)

Vietnamese journalist Nguyen Hoang Vi allegedly assaulted while in police detention

Bangkok, March 23, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Vietnamese authorities to investigate the alleged assault and arbitrary detention of independent journalist Nguyen Hoang Vi by Ho Chi Minh City police and to hold those responsible to account. On March 19, Vi was intercepted on the street by police while taking her child to…

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Journalist Irfan Mehraj has been detained for three years in a case that reflects a pattern of persecution of journalists and activists in Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: Sofi Ahsan)

CPJ, partners call for release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj after 3 years in detention

The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined 32 civil society organizations in a statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj, who marked three years in arbitrary pre-trial detention on March 20. In the joint statement, the organizations said Mehraj’s detention reflects a pattern of persecution of journalists and human…

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