News

February 09, 2025 - Afghanistan -  Taliban authorities raided Radio Begum, Afghanistan’s only nationwide women-run radio station, arresting two employees and suspending its operations. The Ministry of Information and Culture cited "multiple violations," including the unauthorized provision of content to a foreign-based television channel, as grounds for the shutdown. Founded in March 2021 by Afghan journalist Hamida Aman, Radio Begum was established to provide educational programming for Afghan women and girls, particularly in the face of increasing restrictions on women's rights under Taliban rule. The station's content, produced entirely by Afghan women, includes lessons on...

February 09, 2025 - Turkey - Turkish authorities detained three journalists from the independent newspaper BirGün after they published a story about a visit by a journalist from the pro-government Sabah newspaper to Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Akın Gürlek. The detained journalists—Uğur Koç, Berkant Gültekin, and Yaşar Gökdemir—were accused under Turkey’s broad anti-terrorism laws of “targeting individuals engaged in counterterrorism efforts.” This move sparked significant backlash both within Turkey and internationally. The story at the center of the controversy had already been reported by Sabah itself, making the detention of the BirGün journalists even more contentious....

February 08, 2025 - Turkey/Iraq - Veteran Kurdish journalist Aziz Köylüoğlu was killed on January 27, 2025, in a targeted Turkish drone strike in the Ranya district of Sulaymaniyah province, part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Union of Democratic Press of Kurdistan (YRD) confirmed his death, describing the attack as a deliberate attempt to silence his critical reporting on Turkish state policies towards the Kurdish population. Born in 1976 in Diyarbakır (Amed), Turkey, Köylüoğlu began his journalistic career in the early 2000s. He worked across various media platforms, including RojNews, ANHA, and Ronahi...

February 08, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish journalist Ali Barış Kurt was imprisoned in Istanbul after the Court of Cassation upheld a prison sentence of two years and four months against him. The sentence stemmed from charges related to his social media activity and journalistic work, which Turkish authorities claimed violated anti-terrorism laws. Following his detention, Kurt was taken to the Bostancı District Security Directorate and then remanded in custody at Maltepe L Type Closed Prison No. 1. Kurt’s imprisonment is part of a wider crackdown on press freedom in Turkey, a country where journalists...

February 7, 2025 - Turkey - Öznur Değer, a journalist for the Kurdish women's news agency JinNews, was arrested during a police raid on her home in Mardin, Turkey. Authorities charged her with "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" based on her social media posts and journalistic work. Değer had previously reported on the 2021 massacre of seven members of the Dedeoğulları family in Konya, a case that garnered significant attention due to its ethnic implications. Her posts, such as "I am a Kurd too" and "Kurds are being massacred in Konya," were cited as...

February 7, 2025 - Syria/UK/Austria - Richard Medhurst, a Syrian-British journalist and political commentator, was arrested on August 15, 2024, at London Heathrow Airport under Section 12 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000. This section criminalizes expressing support for a proscribed organization, including opinions or beliefs that could encourage others to support such groups. Medhurst was detained for nearly 24 hours without being informed of the specific allegations against him. During his detention, his electronic devices and journalistic equipment were seized, and he was denied access to legal counsel until he explicitly requested it. He...

February 07, 2025 - China -  Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist and former lawyer, has been detained since May 2020 for her independent reporting on the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan. She was arrested after documenting the city's lockdown and the government's response, sharing her findings on social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and WeChat. In December 2020, Zhang was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a vaguely defined offense often used by Chinese authorities to suppress dissent. During her imprisonment, Zhang's...

February 07, 2025 - Pakistan -  Pakistan’s Digital Media Alliance (DigiMAP) has raised alarm over serious threats and intimidation targeting Munizae Jahangir, a senior journalist and anchor known for her fearless reporting on sensitive issues, including controversial blasphemy cases. As a founding member of DigiMAP, Jahangir has been subjected to coordinated attacks aimed at silencing her and undermining press freedom in Pakistan. The recent wave of hostility, largely driven by religious extremist groups, has put Jahangir’s physical safety and professional integrity at risk. This campaign follows earlier episodes of online harassment and trolling, escalating the...

February 07, 2025 - General -  The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is calling on journalists who have been targeted by spyware to confidentially report breaches to the organization. This appeal follows revelations that nearly 100 journalists and civil society members were targeted using Paragon Solutions' "Graphite" spyware via WhatsApp. WhatsApp disclosed the disruption of this spyware campaign in December 2024 and has since notified affected users. Francesco Cancellato, an Italian investigative journalist, was among the first to publicly acknowledge receiving a notification from WhatsApp about the breach. Cancellato's outlet, Fanpage, had previously exposed controversial...

February 07, 2025 - Serbia -  Journalists in Serbia are facing an alarming wave of attacks, harassment, and surveillance as the country grapples with mass anti-government protests and political unrest. The current crisis began after the collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad in late 2024, which killed 15 people and was widely blamed on government negligence. Since then, students and activists have led large-scale protests demanding accountability and reform. Independent journalists covering the protests have become frequent targets. According to PEN International, they’ve faced public smear campaigns, doxxing, and verbal threats, often...

February 07, 2025 - USA -  A woman from Slidell, Louisiana, has been arrested in connection with the February 2025 death of Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old Telemundo reporter from Kansas City. Manzano was found dead in a Kenner hotel room during his assignment covering Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The suspect, 48-year-old Danette Colbert, was taken into custody after authorities reviewed surveillance footage showing her entering Manzano’s hotel room early in the morning and leaving alone an hour later. Shortly after her departure, Manzano was found deceased. An autopsy later confirmed that he died...

February 07, 2025 - Ethiopia -  Ethiopia’s independent media sector is under severe strain as journalists contend with arrests, surveillance, exile, and increasing violence amid the country’s ongoing political and ethnic conflicts. Since 2019, at least 92 journalists have been detained, with many targeted during periods of civil unrest, especially in the Amhara and Tigray regions. The government has used states of emergency and vague legal justifications—often linking journalists to rebel groups or accusing them of spreading misinformation—to suppress dissenting voices. In 2024 alone, 43 journalists were arrested, imprisoned, or kidnapped. Some were held in...

February 6, 2025 - Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan's government has intensified its crackdown on independent media, with the recent arrests of two more journalists on smuggling charges, bringing the total number of detained media workers to at least 24 since November 2023. These arrests are part of broader investigations into three prominent independent outlets: Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Meydan TV. The latest detainees include Shamshad Agha, editor of the news website Argument, who was taken to court in Baku on February 6, 2025. Authorities accuse the journalists of smuggling foreign currency into the country, a...

February 06, 2025 - Russia/France -  France has strongly condemned Russia’s decision to revoke the accreditation of Benjamin Quénelle, Le Monde’s Moscow correspondent, calling it an unjustified and arbitrary “disguised expulsion.” This move has sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries amid already tense relations. The French Foreign Ministry expressed deep disapproval, warning Russia that such actions could prompt a formal response. France’s reaction comes shortly after Paris refused to grant visas to journalists from the Russian pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, accusing them of being linked to Russian intelligence services. France views this refusal...

February 06, 2025 - Ghana -  Ghanaian journalists are confronting escalating violence and intimidation, particularly when reporting on illegal mining activities, known locally as galamsey. Despite constitutional guarantees of press freedom, a pervasive culture of impunity persists, undermining journalistic safety and accountability. In December 2024, journalist Ohemeng Tawiah and his camera operator, Joseph Kusi, were attacked by armed men, some in military camouflage, while covering a police operation against illegal mining in the Ashanti region. The assailants assaulted Tawiah with stones and machetes, stole equipment, and destroyed Kusi’s camera. Despite Tawiah providing police with evidence,...

February 5, 2025 - Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan's government has escalated its repression of independent journalism, with the International Press Institute (IPI) condemning the recent arrests of two journalists, Shamshad Aghayev and Ahmad Mammadli, as part of a broader campaign to silence critical media voices. These detentions bring the total number of journalists arrested in Azerbaijan to at least 25 since late 2023, marking an unprecedented crackdown on press freedom in the country. Aghayev, editor of the independent outlet Argument, was detained in February 2025 and charged with "smuggling of foreign currency" under Article 206.3.2 of...

February 05, 2025 - Turkey - Turkey experienced a sharp increase in press freedom violations, sparking urgent calls for action from more than 40 international media and press freedom organizations. Groups including the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and Freedom House jointly condemned the intensifying crackdown on independent journalism across the country. The coalition highlighted alarming statistics: in January 2025 alone, at least nine journalists were arrested, six received prison sentences, five were detained, 23 faced investigations, and one was subjected...

February 05, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Bangladesh's press freedom landscape has deteriorated significantly in 2025, with journalists facing increased violence, harassment, and legal persecution. Despite the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has struggled to protect media workers and uphold press freedoms. According to Ain O Salish Kendra, from August 2024 to March 2025, there were 398 reported incidents of attacks and harassment against journalists, averaging over 50 incidents per month. Notably, in February and March alone, 82 such incidents were recorded. These attacks...

February 05, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Since the August 2024 ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's interim government under Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus has intensified its crackdown on journalists, particularly those perceived as supportive of the former regime. This repression has led to widespread arrests, legal harassment, and international condemnation. Among the most prominent cases are those of journalists Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed. On August 21, 2024, the couple was arrested at Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport while attempting to travel to Paris. They were charged with murder in connection with their journalistic...

February 05, 2025 - Georgia -  Mzia Amaglobeli, a prominent Georgian journalist and founder of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was transferred from prison to the Vivamedi clinic in early 2025 amid mounting concerns over her health. Amaglobeli was arrested on January 12, 2025, during a protest in Batumi, where she was charged with assaulting a police officer—a charge she and her supporters strongly dispute, arguing it was politically motivated. The protest itself was part of broader demonstrations calling for new elections and opposing the government’s suspension of Georgia’s European Union accession plans....

February 05, 2025 - Tunisia - Tunisia’s political climate has intensified as the government escalates its crackdown on opposition figures and independent journalists. Several opposition politicians and journalists have been arrested and sentenced by Tunisian courts, prompting widespread domestic and international criticism over the suppression of political dissent and press freedom. Among those detained are prominent opposition leaders and journalists who have openly criticized the government’s policies and called for democratic reforms. These arrests come amid ongoing political tensions following the 2021 constitutional changes that increased executive powers and weakened democratic institutions. Critics argue that...

February 05, 2025 - Ukraine -  Viktoria Dmytrenko, a journalist for My—Ukraina TV, was physically assaulted while reporting on a murder trial at the Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv. The incident occurred during proceedings related to the death of 16-year-old Maksym Materukhin, who was fatally injured at a Kyiv funicular station in April 2024. The suspect, Artem Kosov, an employee of the State Protection Department, was charged with premeditated murder. According to eyewitness accounts and video footage, a woman, identified as the mother of the accused, approached Dmytrenko, slapped her in the face, and forcibly...

February 05, 2025 -Iraq -  Kurdish journalist Bashdar Bazyani was arrested in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, after being summoned to the Sarchnar Police Station. Following interrogation, he was transferred to the Criminal Court, where a detention order was issued until February 9. Despite efforts by fellow journalists Sardasht Hama Salih and Dana Salih to visit him, access was reportedly denied. The Metro Center for the Defense of Journalists' Rights has called for Bazyani's immediate release on bail, emphasizing the need to handle journalistic cases under the Press Law and to avoid applying alternative laws to journalists...

February 05, 2025 - Mozambique -  Mozambican blogger Albino José Sibia, known online as "Mano Shottas," was fatally shot by police while livestreaming a protest in Ressano Garcia, near the South African border. Sibia, 30, was documenting police dispersal of demonstrators protesting environmental concerns related to chromium transport. During the livestream, he was shot twice in the back by a police officer. His final words, "Help. I got shot and they keep shooting… I am dying," were broadcast live on Facebook. He died approximately four hours later while being transferred from a local clinic to...

February 05, 2025 - Russia -  Voice of America (VOA) journalist Cristina Caicedo Smit became the target of a deepfake campaign, highlighting growing concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence to spread disinformation and undermine press freedom. At least two fabricated videos surfaced on social media platform X, depicting Caicedo Smit delivering news segments that she never recorded. These deepfakes utilized AI-generated visuals and audio to closely mimic her appearance and voice, making them appear convincingly authentic. The manipulated videos began with Caicedo Smit's standard introduction, lending an air of legitimacy, before transitioning into fabricated...