CPJ Asia

#India: CPJ has written to major political parties preparing for elections in four Indian states and one territory, urging them to include strong commitments to protect press freedom and ensure journalists’ safety in their election manifestos. In separate letters, CPJ called on leading parties in the Indian states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, as well as the territory of Puducherry, to publicly commit to protecting journalists during the election period by rejecting violence, intimidation, harassment, and the misuse of criminal laws against members of the press. Read more: cpj.org/2026/03/cpj-ur… #PressFreedom #Assam #Kerala #TamilNadu #WestBengal #Puducherry

#Philippines: CPJ and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition are calling for the immediate release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio ahead of a judge’s decision on whether to grant a motion to reconsider her bogus conviction for "financing terrorism," along with a motion to review her bail. cpj.org/2026/03/cpj-pa… #PressFreedom #JournalismIsNotTerrorism

#India: With West Bengal heading into assembly elections, CPJ has urged Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to make a public commitment to press freedom and the safety of journalists. More on CPJ’s letter to Banerjee and other political parties here: x.com/CPJAsia/status… #PressFreedom #WestBengal #Elections2026 #WestBengalElections2026 @MamataOfficial @AITCofficial

#Bangladesh: The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other human rights organizations have written to Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman urging his government to take steps to protect human rights and uphold press freedom. In a joint letter, the groups called on the government to publicly affirm its commitment to press freedom and media independence, release detained journalists, and review cases filed against journalists under cybercrime laws, including the Digital Security Act and Cyber Security Act. More: cpj.org/2026/03/cpj-ri… #PressFreedom

#Pakistan: CPJ has joined @RSF_inter and Free Press Unlimited in calling on Pakistan’s Prime Minister @CMShehbaz to end the intensifying harassment, arbitrary arrests, and deportations of Afghan journalists living in exile in Pakistan. #Afghanistan #PressFreedom cpj.org/2026/03/cpj-pa…

#Myanmar: CPJ welcomes the early prison release of reporter Maung Maung Myo, but Myanmar’s junta has jailed scores of journalists since its 2021 coup, using terrorism charges as a weapon against independent reporting. His release is not enough. Free them all now. #PressFreedom Reader more: cpj.org/2026/03/at-lea… cpj.org/data/people/ma… 📷 Mekong News Agency

Fatir was beaten by riot police while covering a protest at the regional parliament building in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. Fatir and his legal team from Makassar Press Legal Aid on February 27 filed a pretrial lawsuit against South Sulawesi police claiming years of delays in the investigation had denied him justice. #PressFreedom @lbhpersjakarta

#Indonesia: CPJ calls on authorities in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi to ensure a thorough and timely investigation into the four police officers named as suspects in the 2019 assault on @antaranews journalist Darwin Fatir, and bring those responsible to justice. Read more ⤵️ lbhpers.org/sidang-prapera… cpj.org/2019/09/police… #LawanImpunitas @lbhpersjakarta

“Vietnamese authorities must release Le Anh Hung immediately and drop all charges against him,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Le Anh Hung never should have been imprisoned the first time, and detaining and charging him again is a gross affront to press freedom.” cpj.org/2026/03/vietna…

Hung, who contributes to various independent outlets and posts to his blog, has been charged under Article 117 of the penal code, which criminalizes “propagandizing against the state” and carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison

#Vietnam: CPJ calls on Vietnamese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Le Anh Hung and cease harassing independent commentators for expressing critical views online. cpj.org/2026/03/vietna… #PressFreedom #JournalismIsNotACrime

#Pakistan: CPJ is alarmed by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar’s vague threat of legal action against journalists and commentators who cross “red lines” when discussing foreign policy. Independent analysis and reporting of international affairs is critical to the public’s understanding of how global events impact domestic developments. Pakistani authorities must make clear they will not use broadly framed legal threats or political pressure to silence critical reporting on foreign policy. tribune.com.pk/story/2596814/… #PressFreedom #JournalismIsNotACrime @AzamNazeerTarar @CMShehbaz

“The detention of Sandaruwan Senadheera is a de facto attack on press freedom in Sri Lanka and will have a chilling effect on public interest reporting,” CPJ Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator @KunalMajumder. “Sri Lankan authorities should immediately release Senadheera and ensure that any legal proceedings against him respect due process and do not criminalize legitimate journalism.” #PressFreedom #JournalismIsNotACrime @PMDNewsGov #SriLanka

#SriLanka: Sri Lankan authorities should immediately release Sandaruwan Senadheera, editor of the exile news website Lanka-e-News, and ensure any legal proceedings against him follow due process and do not undermine press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Police officers detained Senadheera after he arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport on February 11 and transferred him to the Criminal Investigation Department in Colombo, according to multiple news reports. He was due to appear in court on Thursday. More: cpj.org/2026/03/sri-la…

#HongKong: CPJ regrets the High Court’s dismissal of a challenge filed by the Hong Kong Journalists Association against restrictions on media access to the vehicle registry. The decision shrinks public access to information and makes investigative reporting more difficult in one of the world’s leading business hubs. #PressFredoom Read more ⤵️ scmp.com/news/hong-kong… cpj.org/2025/06/why-a-…

“We welcome the arrest of three suspects involved in the appalling attack on Frendy Primadana and Dedy Wahyudi. Indonesian authorities must now show with the full force of the law that such assaults will not go unpunished,” said CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “Journalists play an essential role holding Indonesian businesses accountable for their environmental impact. Full prosecutions will send a strong signal that violence against the press is unacceptable.” cpj.org/2026/03/indone…

#Indonesia: CPJ calls on Indonesian authorities to hold accountable those responsible for assaulting journalists Frendy Primadana and Dedy Wahyudi and ensure all Indonesian reporters can cover environmental issues without fear of reprisal. cpj.org/2026/03/indone… #PressFreedom

#India: CPJ has written to major political parties preparing for elections in four Indian states and one territory, urging them to include strong commitments to protect press freedom and ensure journalists’ safety in their election manifestos. In separate letters, CPJ called on leading parties in the Indian states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, as well as the territory of Puducherry, to publicly commit to protecting journalists during the election period by rejecting violence, intimidation, harassment, and the misuse of criminal laws against members of the press. Read more: cpj.org/2026/03/cpj-ur… #PressFreedom #Assam #Kerala #TamilNadu #WestBengal #Puducherry

#Pakistan: CPJ is alarmed that police beat and detained three women journalists in Islamabad. Ismat Jabeen, Farhat Fatima, and Sehrish Qureshi were assaulted on #InternationalWomensDay while covering #AuratMarch protests. Journalists must never be attacked for doing their jobs. Pakistani authorities must investigate, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure journalists can report freely and safely. tribune.com.pk/story/2596690/… #PressFreedom #JournalismIsNotACrime

#WestBengal: CPJ has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, Congress state president Subhankar Sarkar, and CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim, urging them to commit to protecting press freedom and journalists’ safety. Read the letters: cpj.org/wp-content/upl… cpj.org/wp-content/upl… cpj.org/wp-content/upl… cpj.org/wp-content/upl… @MamataOfficial @AITCofficial @BJP4Bengal @SuvenduWB @salimdotcomrade @INCWestBengal #PressFreedom

#TamilNadu: CPJ has written to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of the DMK, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, BJP state president Nainar Nagendran, and Congress state president K. Selvaperunthagai, urging them to commit to protecting press freedom and journalists’ safety. Read the letters: cpj.org/wp-content/upl… cpj.org/wp-content/upl… cpj.org/wp-content/upl… cpj.org/wp-content/upl… @mkstalin @EPSTamilNadu @BJP4TamilNadu @INCTamilNadu @arivalayam @CMOTamilnadu #PressFreedom