Exiled investigative journalist surveilled, doxxed by Belarusian state TV
New York, April 24, 2026—CPJ is alarmed that the Belarusian state-owned TV channel STV broadcast the address and phone number of exiled investigative journalist Stanislau Ivashkevich, and shared personal information about 20 other journalists. We call on Polish authorities to thoroughly investigate allegations that Ivashkevich has been surveilled by Belarusian security services, and on Belarus…
Ugandan journalists face up to 20 years in jail under draconian foreign agents bill
New York, April 24, 2026—Uganda is set to pass a foreign agents bill, whose sweeping provisions could be used to imprison journalists critically reporting on economics, foreign policy, or elections for up to 20 years, limit foreign media funding to about $100,000, and subject newsrooms to intrusive state oversight. The Protection of Sovereignty Bill says…
CPJ calls for urgent international investigation into Israel’s killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil
New York, April 23, 2026—Israel’s failure to allow medical crews access to injured Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in time to save her may constitute a war crime, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. Khalil, a reporter for the privately owned local daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, was on assignment documenting the aftermath of attacks in…
US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin acquitted of all charges
Update: In an April 29, 2026, statement, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin’s attorneys clarified that the journalist was acquitted on only one of three charges. Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes a Kuwaiti court’s acquittal of U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin on all charges following nearly two months of detention. “We are relieved…
Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil found dead after being trapped in rubble following Israeli strike, obstruction of rescue
UPDATE: This alert has been updated throughout after the Red Cross reported that they had found the body of Amal Khalil under the rubble. Beirut, April 22, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) apparently targeted Lebanese journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj in Al Tayri, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday….
CPJ, partners file ECtHR amicus brief on spyware use against journalists in Azerbaijan
The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with partners Access Now, Data Rights, and Human Constanta, filed an amicus brief on April 21 to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on the use of spyware to silence journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. The brief was filed in support of a group of cases involving the secret surveillance…
CPJ shares statement from international legal counsel acting in case of US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin
On April 22, the international legal counsel acting for the sisters of U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin issued an urgent statement, saying they were “extremely concerned for Ahmed’s safety and wellbeing” in Kuwaiti detention, and demanding his release. The international legal team has filed urgent appeals with United Nations experts, and they are engaging with U.S.,…
Zambian lawyers fight for media freedom as journalists harassed ahead of election
Lusaka, April 22, 2026—For months, lawyer Josiah Kalala has been working late into the night on a case he believes could define the future of press freedom in Zambia: preparing arguments, reviewing legal provisions, and consulting colleagues. Kalala, who heads Chapter One Foundation, a local human rights group, hopes that the hundreds of hours he…
CPJ, partners urge Malta to take action on media reforms
CPJ joins four press freedom and journalist organizations to call on the Maltese authorities to make long-overdue media reforms an immediate priority, and to commit to meaningful and transparent collaboration with national and international civil society. The assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb attack in 2017, generated…
How the Pentagon is trying to control the narrative
The Defense Department oversees the country’s armed forces and commands a nearly $1 trillion budget in 2026. A departure from longstanding norms and Constitutionally guaranteed media access at the Pentagon carries significant implications for press freedom in the United States as well as for public understanding of the impact of U.S. military spending and actions. Here are five things you need to…