Asia

New York, February 14, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Taliban to reverse Thursday’s ban on the broadcast of political and economic programs by domestic Afghan outlets. The Ministry of Information and Culture issued a verbal directive to media executives in the capital Kabul on February 13, stating that organizations may only address…

New York, February 14, 2025—The Nepalese government should withdraw a recently introduced social media bill that is expected to undermine press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “Nepal’s proposed social media law is ripe for misuse against journalists reporting on critical topics of public interest,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi….

On February 13, CPJ joined 11 other organizations in calling on the European Commission to step up its engagement with the Indian authorities over human rights, including press freedom, during its upcoming visit to the country. The European Commission is seeking to strengthen its partnership with India, at a time when the government has been…

New York, February 6, 2025—Sri Lankan authorities must ensure those responsible for the 2009 murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge are held to account and take decisive steps to put an end to the country’s alarming record of impunity in journalist killings, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday.  “Justice must be served in journalists’ killings,” said CPJ Asia…

New York, February 6, 2025—Taliban intelligence agents raided the Kabul station of Radio Begum on Tuesday, February 4, suspended broadcast operations, detained two unidentified media workers, and confiscated documents and essential broadcasting equipment, including computers, hard drives, and mobile devices. The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture accused the outlet of “non-compliance” with regulations and…

New Delhi, Feb 4, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Indian government to end its weaponization of regulatory measures targeting independent journalism following a decision to revoke The Reporters’ Collective’s nonprofit status and the tax exempt status of The File. “Journalism is a public service. The Indian government should not abuse regulatory processes to target investigative journalism,”…

Bangkok, February 3, 2025—Cambodian immigration officials denied re-entry to Gerald Flynn, a journalist with multilingual environmental news outlet Mongabay who has covered Cambodia’s deforestation crisis, and forced him onto a flight back to Bangkok, Thailand, on January 5, according to a February 3 statement by the California-based outlet and Flynn, who spoke with CPJ. The…

Bangkok, February 3, 2025—Cambodia should release journalists Duong Akhara and Lay Socheat, both of whom have been arrested and detained for incitement after publishing a video allegedly showing a man being tortured in a cyberscam center, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Local S.A. TVHD Online’s Akhara and Cambodia Star Daily News 24/24’s Socheat…

New York, January 31, 2025—A Taliban court in Kabul sentenced Sayed Rahim Saeedi, the editor and producer of the ANAR Media YouTube channel, to three years in prison on charges of disseminating anti-Taliban propaganda. He was sentenced on October 27, 2024, but those with knowledge of the case initially refrained from publicizing it out of…

Bangkok, January 30, 2025—Malaysian authorities must immediately return Malaysiakini’s executive editor RK Anand’s laptop, and stop harassing the independent news site, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “The police seizure of Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand’s laptop is a clear and gross violation of press freedom,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative….