Human Rights Day 2025: Press Freedom Groups Urge Asian Governments to Free Imprisoned Journalists

December 08, 2025 – Asia –

As the world marked Human Rights Day 2025 on December 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a major appeal to governments across Asia, calling for the release of journalists jailed for their reporting and for urgent reforms to protect press freedom. The appeal comes amid rising concern over the number of media workers detained in the region simply for doing their jobs.

In its statement, CPJ highlighted that at least 106 journalists and media workers remain imprisoned across Asia, many facing long sentences under broad charges such as “anti-state activities,” “national security violations,” or “spreading false information.” The organisation described these cases as emblematic of a wider pattern of repression aimed at silencing critics and restricting independent reporting.

CPJ emphasised that press freedom is an integral part of human rights and democratic accountability. In countries such as Myanmar, China, Vietnam, and Pakistan, journalists are detained without transparent legal processes, often held incommunicado or facing military or special courts that lack sufficient due-process safeguards. Other countries, including Bangladesh and Nepal, have seen threats, arrests, and judicial harassment used to intimidate reporters and constrain coverage of sensitive political issues.

The group urged Asian governments to immediately free all journalists imprisoned solely for their peaceful reporting and to drop charges brought under vague or overly broad national security or anti-terrorism laws. CPJ also called for concrete steps to improve legal protections for journalists, including repealing punitive laws, strengthening protections for digital expression, and ensuring journalists can report safely without fear of retaliation.

In addition to release and legal reform, CPJ stressed the importance of accountability for abuses against media workers, including independent investigations into arrests, detention conditions, and allegations of mistreatment or torture. It also urged governments to engage with civil society groups and international bodies to build a climate that respects and protects freedom of expression as a fundamental human right.

Human Rights Day provided a backdrop for these appeals, framing press freedom as not merely a professional concern but a core human right that underpins citizens’ access to information, transparency, and democratic participation. CPJ’s call comes at a moment when global press repression is intensifying, and advocates warn that without decisive action, the space for independent journalism in Asia may shrink further.

As governments consider their responses, media-freedom defenders say the issue transcends borders, affecting not only the detained journalists themselves but the health of societies where public debate and accountability depend on a free and fearless press.

Reference – 

https://ifex.org/human-rights-day-2025-cpj-calls-on-asian-governments-to-free-imprisoned-journalists/#:~:text=free%20imprisoned%20journalists-,Human%20Rights%20Day%202025%3A%20CPJ%20calls%20on,governments%20to%20free%20imprisoned%20journalists&text=Asia%20holds%20at%20least%20106,org%20on%208%20December%202025.

Human Rights Day 2025: CPJ calls on Asian governments to free imprisoned journalists