Statements

Berlin, June 9, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes that Polish prosecutors are preparing for a new trial in the 1992 disappearance and presumed murder of investigative journalist Jarosław Ziętara, after a court recently transferred the case to national prosecutors in Krakow for further evidence-gathering. Hearing dates have yet to be announced. On May 25,…

New York, June 5, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists rejects comments by Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Laurent Zarka, characterizing the October 13, 2023 Israeli strikes that killed Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists a “mistake.” His remarks fail to justify why Israeli forces attacked a clearly identifiable group…

The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by jailed Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh’s latest harrowing report of physical pressure, psychological abuse, and the denial of critical medical care inside Tehran’s Evin Prison. A recently released voice memo, obtained and aired by CBS News, offers a rare firsthand account of conditions inside the prison. In…

Dakar, May 27, 2026—CPJ welcomes the release of journalist and writer René Capain Bassène, who had been detained since 2018 in Senegal. Bassène was sentenced to life in prison on charges of complicity in murder and attempted murder, crimes that CPJ reporting found he could not have committed. “CPJ is particularly pleased by Senegalese President…

New York, May 25, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the continued judicial harassment of lawyer and media commentator Sonia Dahmani, amid escalating attacks on press freedom in Tunisia, including the obstruction of journalists covering public protests. The sustained targeting of journalists, commentators, and independent voices signals a dangerous deterioration of civic space and media…

Beirut, May 21, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by the video showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting those detained aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla at Ashdod Port in Israel, which included at least 14 international journalists, while they were handcuffed and held in stress positions on the…

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…

Washington, D.C., May 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists demands that the United States Justice Department immediately withdraw grand jury subpoenas targeting reporters at The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in connection with their reporting on the Iran war. CNN reported that President Donald Trump ordered acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to submit the subpoenas using a sticky…

New York, May 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges U.S. President Donald Trump to do everything possible to secure the release of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai during his meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lai, a British citizen and founder of the defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was sentenced to…

São Paulo, April 30, 2026—The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court ordered the state of São Paulo to pay $20,000 in moral damage compensation and a lifetime pension to freelance photojournalist Sergio Andrade da Silva, who lost sight in his left eye after being struck by a rubber bullet fired by the police during a protest on June 13, 2013. “This…