News

September 13, 2024 - Pakistan -  Pakistan’s deteriorating press freedom climate worsened further with the recent killings of two journalists, Muhammad Bachal Ghunio and Nisar Lehri, in separate incidents that underscore a disturbing rise in violence against the media. On August 27, 2024, Muhammad Bachal Ghunio, a reporter for Awaz TV, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Sindh province. His brother and local police said the murder was likely linked to his investigative reporting. Authorities have since arrested a suspect and recovered a weapon believed to be used in the attack, though details...

September 13, 2024 - Crimea -  Remzi Bekirov, an ethnic Crimean Tatar journalist from the Russian-occupied Crimea, continues to face severe harassment in jail as his court case approaches its next hearing on October 2, 2024. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Bekirov’s attorney report escalating mistreatment, including repeated placements in solitary confinement and intense scrutiny by prison authorities. Bekirov, previously a correspondent for the independent media outlet Grani, was arrested following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In March 2022, he was handed a draconian 19-year prison sentence on charges of “organizing the activities of...

September 13, 2024 - Botswana -  Journalists from nine Southern African countries have formed a regional alliance to combat the growing threat of disinformation and misinformation, launching a coordinated campaign during a three-day conference held in Gaborone, Botswana, from September 10–12, 2024. The initiative, supported by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UNESCO, brought together media union leaders from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The conference aimed to strengthen the capacity of journalists to respond to false information through a Training-of-Trainers program on Media and Information Literacy (MIL)....

September 13, 2024 - Tunisia -  In a concerning development for press freedom in Tunisia, an appeals court on September 10, 2024, upheld the conviction of lawyer and political commentator Sonia Dahmani for “spreading false news,” while reducing her prison sentence from one year to eight months. The ruling, issued without a hearing or the presence of her legal team, comes amid a broader campaign of media repression ahead of the October 6 presidential elections. Dahmani, a commentator on independent outlets IFM radio and Carthage Plus TV, was arrested on May 11, 2024, following critical remarks...

September 12, 2024 - Paraguay -  The Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP) has launched a strategic training program aimed at reinforcing union strength and promoting collective labor rights within the media sector. Held in September 2024, the three-day workshop brought together 21 union delegates and executive members from seven media organizations across the country. Supported by Union to Union and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the training marked a significant step toward consolidating journalist-led labor activism in Paraguay. The program focused on three key areas. The first addressed the broader trade union landscape...

September 12, 2024 - Poland - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have joined forces with German media union dju/ver.di and Poland’s Society of Journalists to support workers at Bauer Publishing House Poland and its affiliate AKPA Agency. Employees are demanding improved pay and working conditions, citing low wages, lack of social benefits, and unfair salary structures amid soaring inflation. Since March 2024, staff at the two media companies have been engaged in negotiations with management, demanding three key reforms: a monthly salary increase of 1,000 Polish złoty...

September 12, 2024 - Pakistan -  At a political rally in Islamabad on September 8, 2024, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur—a senior member of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI—delivered a verbal tirade against female journalists, igniting concerns over media safety and incitement. Speaking to a crowd, Gandapur accused reporters of being "sellouts" for not covering PTI stories and invited supporters to join him in mocking them. He singled out one female presenter, calling her “transgender,” “corrupt,” and alleging she “performed journalism for money”—in an episode that press freedom groups branded a dangerous...

September 12, 2024 - General -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the French magazine Society have launched a powerful special edition titled “The Prison Papers”, shedding light on the lives and struggles of eight journalists currently imprisoned across four continents. The project combines long-form journalism, interviews, essays, and illustrations to document the personal and professional toll of incarceration for doing the work of reporting the truth. The stories featured represent a global spectrum of repression. Among them is José Rubén Zamora, the prominent Guatemalan journalist and founder of El Periódico, imprisoned since 2022 in what...

September 12, 2024 - Turkey -  Investigative journalist Murat Ağırel, a prominent reporter for the Turkish daily Yeniçağ, is facing a growing wave of death threats and intimidation due to his reporting on corruption and criminal networks. His case has triggered alarm among international press freedom groups, who are calling on Turkish authorities to take immediate action to protect him and his family. The threats against Ağırel began in late 2023 and intensified throughout 2024. He reported receiving anonymous death threats on social media after publishing investigations into financial misconduct, illegal betting rings, and alleged...

September 12, 2024 - Greece -  Mali’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), has suspended two French television channels—TV5Monde and LCI—over their coverage of sensitive security issues, deepening concerns about press freedom under the ruling military junta. On September 5, 2024, HAC imposed a three-month suspension on TV5Monde, citing its report on a drone strike in Tinzaouatene, northern Mali. The regulator accused the broadcaster of presenting unbalanced coverage by failing to include the Malian military’s perspective. The report, which aired in late August, discussed civilian casualties allegedly caused by the Malian armed forces....

September 12, 2024 - China -  Circle 19, an independent collective of media professionals, scholars, and diaspora activists, has become a vital force in promoting the right to information for the Chinese public. Backed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the network advocates for access to verified, independent news in a country where state-controlled media dominates and censorship is systemic. Founded in 2019 and named after Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Circle 19 brings together around 30 members, including well-known figures like Chang Ping, Kris Cheng, and Xiao Qiang. While some members...

September 12, 2024 -Philippines - A 13-year legal saga reached a pivotal moment on September 11, 2024, when former Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes, alleging mastermind behind environmental journalist Gerry Ortega’s 2011 murder, surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Metro Manila. Reyes had evaded justice since an arrest warrant was issued in 2023 by Palawan courts following a Supreme Court directive. His 2018 release by the Court of Appeals sparked renewed public outrage and legal pressure. Ortega, a respected radio broadcaster, was gunned down on January 24, 2011, shortly after speaking out against alleged...

September 10, 2024 - Source: CPJ - A Hanoi court sentenced journalist Nguyen Vu Binh to seven years in prison on Tuesday on charges of propaganda against the state. Binh was convicted in connection to comments he made in videos on political, economic, and social topics posted on YouTube channel TNT Media Live in January and March 2022. The channel is owned by U.S.-based broadcasting outlet Tieng Nuoc Toi, or “My Country’s Language.” “Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh was arrested and sentenced to seven years for airing independent views, which Vietnamese authorities continue to treat as a criminal offense,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s...

September 12, 2024 - Turkey - In a troubling show of cross-border repression, independent Turkmen journalist Ruslan Myatiev, editor-in-chief of the Netherlands-based Turkmen. news, was abruptly denied entry into Turkey on July 25, 2024, while traveling with his family for vacation. Turkish authorities detained him for four hours at Antalya airport before deporting him back to the Netherlands. He overheard officers say his entry ban—cited as “activity against state security” (code G‑82)—was imposed at the request of Turkmenistan’s government. A Netherlands-based exile journalist blocked from travel by a second country based on Turkmenistan’s demand signals...

September 11, 2024 - Palestine -  Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has become one of the most enduring voices reporting from northern Gaza, where he has remained throughout the relentless Israeli bombardment. Despite losing colleagues, enduring the death of his father in a strike, and facing direct threats from the Israeli military, al-Sharif continues to document the devastation with a clarity and urgency that have made him a symbol of press resistance under fire. A native of Jabalia refugee camp, al-Sharif holds a journalism degree from Al-Aqsa University. Since the war began in October 2023,...

September 11, 2024 - Palestine - The Israel-Gaza war has marked a devastating chapter for press freedom, with journalist fatalities reaching historic levels. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the conflict has become the deadliest for media workers since CPJ began keeping records in 1992. By mid-2025, at least 185 journalists and media workers will have been killed across Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and the West Bank—an unprecedented toll in modern journalism. The vast majority of these deaths—over 80%—occurred in Gaza. In 2023 alone, 77 out of 99 journalist deaths worldwide happened in the...

September 11, 2024 - Philippines -  Former Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes—the alleged mastermind behind the 2011 killing of environmental journalist Gerry Ortega—surrendered to authorities in Metro Manila after evading arrest for over 13 years. Ortega, a popular broadcast reporter known for exposing political corruption on Palawan Island, was shot dead on January 24, 2011, shortly after challenging Reyes’s administration. A coalition of leading press freedom organizations—Free Press Unlimited, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—welcomed Reyes’s arrest and urged the Philippines to expedite a swift and impartial trial. They emphasized...

September 11, 2024 - Afghanistan - The Taliban has labeled the independent news outlet Afghanistan International as an "enemy" of the state, further intensifying its suppression of press freedom. The accusation came after the London-based broadcaster reported on allegations of international aid misuse following devastating floods in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province. In a speech on September 4, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Stanekzai condemned the station for waging what he called a “propaganda war” against the Taliban, warning journalists to sever ties with the outlet. The backlash against Afghanistan International is part of a broader Taliban campaign...

September 11, 2024 - Slovakia -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside the Investigative Centre of Jan Kuciak (ICJK), has suspended their participation in Slovakia’s government-backed Platform for the Promotion of Press Freedom and the Protection of Journalists. This move comes in protest against the government's controversial appointment of Dominik Papala—a radio host with a history of ethical breaches—to the advisory body's civil society seat (Platform), replacing respected journalist Zuzana Petkova. RSF and ICJK argue that his nomination violates the platform’s standards for expertise, professionalism, and genuine representation. Initially launched in October 2023 as a watchdog mechanism...

September 10, 2024 - Egypt - A coalition of over 30 press freedom and human rights organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ARTICLE 19, and Cartooning for Peace, issued a joint statement on September 9, 2024, condemning the arrests and enforced disappearances of four Egyptian journalists. The group called for their immediate release and accountability for those responsible for their mistreatment. The detained journalists—Ashraf Omar, Khaled Mamdouh, Ramadan Gouida, and Yasser Abu Al-Ela—have all been charged under broad anti-terrorism laws for their journalistic work. Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist with the independent outlet Al-Manassa,...

September 10, 2024 - Source: UNESCO - A new report published by UNESCO on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, warns of increasing violence against, and intimidation of journalists reporting on the environment and climate disruption. At least 749 journalists or news media reporting on environmental issues have been attacked in the last 15 years, and online disinformation has surged dramatically in this period. UNESCO is calling for stronger support for environmental journalists and better governance of digital platforms. "Without reliable scientific information about the ongoing environmental crisis, we can never hope to overcome it....

September 10, 2024 - China -  A new report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reveals how the Chinese government is extending its authoritarian grip beyond its borders to target Uyghur journalists living in exile. The case of Kasim Abdurehim, a U.S.-based Uyghur journalist originally from Xinjiang, illustrates the Chinese state’s alarming use of transnational repression to suppress independent reporting and stifle dissent. Abdurehim, who fled China in 2017, has been subject to ongoing intimidation. According to RSF, at least twelve of his former colleagues, classmates, and friends still in China were detained and interrogated by...

September 10, 2024 - Azerbaijan -  Azerbaijani freelance journalist Shahla Karim was forcibly detained while reporting on a protest led by opposition parliamentary candidate Vafa Nagi in the southern city of Neftchala. The demonstration was part of a broader outcry over alleged electoral fraud during the country’s September 1 parliamentary elections. Karim, who was documenting the event in her professional capacity, identified herself as a journalist but was still seized by a group of about ten masked plainclothes men. Karim was transported roughly 180 kilometers to the capital, Baku, where she was held for several...

September 09, 2024 - Philippines -  Manila Today journalist Roy Barbosa, who identifies as non-binary, was violently confronted while live‑reporting a protest outside the Malolos Regional Trial Court in Bulacan, Philippines. The rally was staged in support of labor activists facing terrorism charges. Barbosa was approached by a masked man claiming to be a "vlogger" and repeatedly harassed—yelled at, spat upon—and subjected to gender-based insults including references to their “bakla” (gay) identity. He was told to delete his footage under threat of legal repercussions. Several police officers present did nothing to intervene. Though Barbosa managed to...

September 09, 2024 - Jordan -  King Abdullah II enacted the new Cybercrime Law (Law No. 17 of 2023), significantly expanding restrictions on online speech and granting prosecutors sweeping powers to detain individuals—including journalists—without complaint under broadly defined charges of “fake news,” “defamation,” or undermining “national unity”. Over the following year, the law has been repeatedly exploited to suppress dissent during Jordan’s heightened protests over the Gaza war and domestic issues. RSF reports that at least four journalists have already been convicted under the law, with two still imprisoned. Jordan’s intelligence services have leveraged their authority...