CPJ welcomes Kyrgyzstan’s release of journalist Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, calls for charges to be dropped
New York, March 23, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Kyrgyz journalist Makhabat Tajibek kyzy’s release from prison and calls on authorities to drop all charges against her. In 2024, Tajibek kyzy, the director of anti-corruption investigative outlets Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese, was convicted on charges of calling for mass unrest and sentenced to six…
Reporter İsmail Arı imprisoned in Turkey for spreading ‘disinformation’
Istanbul, March 23, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release journalist İsmail Arı and stop misusing the disinformation law, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Arı, a reporter for the leftist daily BirGün, was taken into custody in the northern province of Tokat, where he was visiting family on March 21. He was taken to Ankara the…
CPJ, partners call for Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s release ahead of court ruling on conviction
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a coalition of international and local press freedom organizations on Thursday in calling for the immediate release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio ahead of a court ruling on whether to grant a review of her bogus conviction for “financing terrorism.” On March 23, the judge in Cumpio’s case is scheduled…
Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva released after serving over 5 years in prison
New York, March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva, who was among 250 prisoners freed on Thursday as part of a deal in which the United States agreed to ease sanctions against the Belarusian financial sector, and remove all remaining U.S. sanctions on potash exports. On the same day, U.S. Special Envoy John Coale met in Minsk, the capital,…
Azerbaijani journalist Ahmad Mammadli sentenced to 6 years in prison
New York, March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijan to release journalist Ahmad Mammadli and credibly investigate claims that police severely mistreated him. A court in the capital, Baku, sentenced Mammadli on Monday to six years in prison on a charge of causing serious bodily harm. Mammadli denied the charge and said it…
CPJ, partners call for Abduljalil Al-Singace’s release on 15th arrest anniversary
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 18 human rights and press freedom organizations in urging Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to immediately release blogger Abduljalil Al-Singace, who has completed 15 years of arbitrary imprisonment for his role in the pro-democracy movement. Since July 2021, Al-Singace,…
Veteran Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak sentenced to prison
Istanbul, March 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Turkish authorities on Monday not to fight the appeals of veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak. An Istanbul court found Altan, the former editor-in-chief of the defunct liberal daily Taraf, and Ilıcak, a former host for the defunct Can Erzincan TV, guilty of “aiding a [terrorist] organization without being…
Journalists in eastern DRC detained over war coverage, broadcasters occupied
Journalists in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo face constant danger as warring parties seek to control information. In January, February, and early March, government forces and rebel groups both detained journalists over their reporting, including several for simply conducting interviews, while the rebel forces that control parts of the country’s eastern provinces held military positions in…
Belarus sentences journalist Pavel Dabravolski to 9 years on treason charges
New York, March 9, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the March 6 sentencing of Belarusian journalist Pavel Dabravolski to nine years in jail on treason charges, and calls on Belarusian authorities to release him immediately. Dabravolski’s trial, held behind closed doors, started in Minsk, the capital, on February 27. The charges under Article 356, Part 1 of…
Belarusian court sentences journalist Aleh Khamenka to 3 years in prison
New York, March 5, 2026— Belarusian authorities must immediately release radio host Aleh Khamenka and stop jailing journalists for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On March 4, a Belarusian court in Minsk, the capital, convicted journalist Aleh Khamenka on charges of promoting “extremist” activities and sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ),…