Esteemed awardees from four regions to be recognized in November
New York, September 12, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today announced that it will honor journalists from China, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, and Tunisia – as well as a champion of U.S. press freedom – at its 35th annual International Press Freedom Awards in New York this November.
In a sign of the growing pressures on journalists around the world, two of this year’s awardees are currently behind bars for their journalism, and three were forced to flee their home countries and now report from exile.
“Journalists are at risk like never before and yet their work has never been more important,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “The International Press Freedom Awards are an opportunity to show all journalists who face hostility and persecution that we stand with them.”
This year’s awards program will feature a tribute to journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war. CPJ has repeatedly called for accountability over journalists’ killings in the war: the deadliest conflict for journalists the organization has ever documented. At last year’s awards, CPJ honored Gaza-based journalist Shrouq Al Aila, who continues to report from the territory.
The awards will be presented in New York on November 20. Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Anchor and a longtime supporter of CPJ, will return to the stage as master of ceremonies. In 2016, Amanpour was honored by CPJ for her extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom. The event will be chaired by Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, who was at the forefront of the Journal’s campaign to free wrongfully detained Russia correspondent Evan Gershkovich.
David McCraw, the New York Times’ lead newsroom lawyer, will receive the 2025 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award, an award presented annually by CPJ’s board of directors in recognition of an individual’s sustained commitment to press freedom.
“At a time when the rule of law must be upheld to preserve the fundamental freedom of the press, David McCraw’s record of defending journalists’ ability to report the news freely and safely is a shining example of what it takes to protect our right to be informed – and a reminder of how vigorously that right needs to be defended everywhere,” said CPJ Board Chair Jacob Weisberg.
CPJ’s 2025 awardees are:
Dong Yuyu, China
Veteran Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu is serving a seven-year sentence on espionage charges after he was arrested while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in 2022. He was convicted by a Beijing court in November 2024 and filed an appeal the following month. As of September 2025, Dong’s appeal was still pending at the Beijing High Court — an unusually long delay.
A long-time editor and columnist whose work is well known within China and beyond, Dong, 63, began working as a columnist for the state-run Guangming Daily in 1987. His writing is widely perceived as advocating for progressive reform in China, including support for the rule of law and constitutional democracy. Dong has also written for The New York Times’s Chinese-language website. Dong’s imprisonment underscores the growing trend of using espionage and national security charges to target journalists in China.
Elvira del Pilar Nole and Juan Carlos Tito, Ecuador
For more than two decades, Ecuadorian journalists Elvira del Pilar Nole and Juan Carlos Tito operated Radio Selva from the small highland town of Baeza — its only radio station, providing vital, independent community news. But their investigations into drug gangs led to death threats, and forced the family to flee, first to Colombia and then to Canada, from where they continue to broadcast.
The couple’s experience highlights the immense challenges facing journalists in Ecuador, where authorities and criminal groups are increasingly targeting reporters. They have joined a growing exodus of journalists — nearly 20 in the past two years — who have left the increasingly violent country for their safety. The police, who have been accused of collaborating with the gangs, offered Nole and Tito little protection from the death threats.
Bolot Temirov, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s seasoned investigative reporter, Bolot Temirov, runs Central Asia’s most prominent anti-corruption outlet, Temirov Live, from exile due to threats to his safety. From Europe, his YouTube-based outlet continues to publish investigations of top state officials, including the president, making his team a top target for authorities amid an unprecedented press freedom crackdown.
Temirov was beaten in 2020, shortly after the outlet that he led at the time, Factcheck.kg, published a joint investigation with Bellingcat journalists into vast corruption by a shadowy Kyrgyz official. Their exposé fuelled anger over evidence of electoral fraud, leading to protests that swept the government from power in October 2020.
During a 2022 raid on Temirov Live’s offices, police are widely believed to have planted drugs on Temirov. Despite being acquitted of the charges, after an astonishing Temirov Live investigation exposed the police’s actions, he was expelled from the country.
In January 2024, 11 current and former Temirov Live staff were arrested, a shocking step in a country previously seen as a haven for democracy in the region. Among them is Temirov’s wife, Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, the director of Temirov Live, who is serving a six-year sentence on charges of calling for mass unrest.
Sonia Dahmani, Tunisia
Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer, writer, and prominent media commentator known for her bold defense of human rights and civil liberties, is serving a nearly five-year sentence on multiple anti-state charges, after condemning racism in Tunisia. Her arrest in 2024 drew widespread international attention. She has become a symbol of the shrinking space for dissent in Tunisia, once a beacon of media freedom. Dahmani rose to fame for her sharp and outspoken commentary on radio and television, where she addressed issues such as Tunisia’s political climate, the erosion of judicial independence, shrinking civil liberties, prison conditions, and migration policy.
Her fearless media presence made her a powerful voice for accountability but also placed her at risk as authorities stepped up repression.
For more information about attending or sponsoring CPJ’s International Press Freedom Awards, please fill out this form, call Buckley Hall Events at (+1) 914-579-1000, or contact CPJ’s Development Office at (+1) 212- 300-9021 or CPJIPFA@buckleyhallevents.com.
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About the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
Notes to editors: Interviews with awardees or with relevant CPJ experts, may be arranged by emailing press@cpj.org. Spokespersons are available in Arabic, English, Russian and Spanish. Images of the awardees will be provided upon request.