News

January 17, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  In war-torn Gaza, journalists have found that wearing a press vest—once a symbol of protection—is now a potential death sentence. Reports by The Guardian and The New Arab detail how Israeli strikes have increasingly targeted media workers, even when they are marked as press. One of the most harrowing cases involved Ibrahim Muhareb, a young journalist with Al-Quds Today, who was killed in Khan Younis by Israeli tank fire. He wore a helmet and a flak jacket labeled “PRESS,” but this did not save him. His colleague, Salma Kaddoumi,...

January 17, 2025 - France -  Paris’s anti‑terrorism judges decided not to indict Ariane Lavrilleux, an investigative journalist with Disclose, who had faced serious criminal charges tied to her reporting on French military operations in Egypt. Lavrilleux played a key role in exposing “Operation Sirli,” a secret mission where, based on leaked classified documents, France allegedly assisted Egypt in carrying out hundreds of extrajudicial killings. The revelations triggered a national defense secrecy probe, accusing Lavrilleux of “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret”—an offense punishable by up to five years in prison and heavy...

January 17, 2025 - Switzerland -  From January 20 to 31, 2025, Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, conducted an official visit to Zambia. The mission aimed to assess the state of free expression, media freedom, and access to information in the country, as well as the legal frameworks that govern them. Khan’s visit included meetings with government officials, judiciary representatives, journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society groups across several cities, including Lusaka, Livingstone, and Kitwe. Her focus was to...

January 17, 2025 - General -  In 2024, 361 journalists were imprisoned worldwide, marking one of the highest numbers ever recorded, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The three worst offenders were China, Israel, and Myanmar, each playing a leading role in the global crackdown on press freedom. China topped the list with 50 journalists behind bars. Many were arrested under sweeping national security laws, especially in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The government continues to target those reporting on human rights, political dissent, and minority issues. High-profile cases like Jimmy...

January 17, 2025 - USA -  U.S. journalist Sam Husseini and The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal were forcibly removed from a press briefing at the U.S. State Department after confronting Secretary of State Antony Blinken over America’s continued support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The incident has raised serious concerns about the treatment of dissenting journalists and press freedom in the U.S. As Blinken began his final briefing, Husseini challenged him with a direct question about U.S. complicity in alleged war crimes in Gaza, referencing the International Criminal Court and the controversial Hannibal Directive, an...

January 16, 2025 - Africa -  As of December 1, 2024, at least 67 journalists were imprisoned across Africa for their work, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This troubling figure highlights a growing pattern of repression against independent media across the continent, contributing to the global tally of 361 jailed journalists—the second-highest ever recorded by CPJ. The report identifies Egypt and Eritrea as the worst offenders. Egypt currently holds 17 journalists, many detained under vague anti-state or anti-terrorism charges. The country continues to suppress dissenting voices by weaponizing national...

January 16, 2025 - Egypt - Australian journalist Peter Greste has begun a 21-day hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office in London to demand the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian activist and writer imprisoned in Egypt. Greste, who was himself jailed in Egypt in 2013 while reporting for Al Jazeera, said he owes his life to Alaa, referencing the solidarity shown to him by the Egyptian activist during their shared time in Tora Prison. Alaa, a prominent voice during the 2011 Egyptian revolution, was re-arrested in 2019 and sentenced in 2021 to...

January 16, 2025 - Palestine/Israel - Palestinian journalist Ahmed Al-Shayyah was killed in an Israeli airstrike while reporting near a food distribution point in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The strike hit a tent sheltering displaced civilians, volunteers, and journalists. Al-Shayyah was reportedly on assignment documenting the humanitarian situation when the attack occurred. Al-Shayyah was a dedicated journalist working as an editor, producer, and correspondent for several Gaza-based media outlets, including ALEF Multimedia. Colleagues described him as deeply committed to telling the stories of civilians caught in the war. His death brings...

January 16, 2025 - Egypt -  Egyptian authorities arrested Nada Mougheeth, the wife of imprisoned satirical cartoonist Ashraf Omar, and Ahmed Serag, a journalist from the independent outlet ZatMasr. Their arrests came after Serag published an interview with Mougheeth in which she spoke out about her husband's detention and alleged abuses by security forces. According to human rights groups and press freedom advocates, the arrests mark a dangerous escalation in Egypt's efforts to silence dissent and intimidate anyone who speaks out. Mougheeth had publicly criticized the authorities for confiscating her family’s savings during Omar’s arrest...

January 16, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif, reporting for Al Jazeera, removed his flak jacket and helmet live on air following the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. The emotional gesture, captured during a live broadcast from Gaza City, quickly went viral, becoming a powerful symbol of both exhaustion and resilience after over a year of relentless war. Standing in a crowd of civilians reacting to the ceasefire news, al-Sharif declared, “Now, I can finally take off this helmet that has exhausted me, and this vest that has become part of...

January 16, 2025 - Senegal - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has raised serious concerns over the conviction of Senegalese journalist René Capain Bassène, who is serving a life sentence for his alleged involvement in a 2018 massacre in the Bayotte Forest region near Ziguinchor, Senegal. CPJ’s recent investigation has revealed major procedural flaws, coerced testimony, and questionable evidence, suggesting Bassène may have been wrongfully convicted. Bassène, a former correspondent and editor known for his reporting on the separatist conflict in Senegal’s Casamance region, was arrested in 2018 along with several others following the...

January 16, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalist Ahmed Abu al-Rous was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Abu al-Rous, known for his fearless reporting from the frontlines, died alongside his twin brother, three friends, and four other civilians when their vehicle was hit just hours before a temporary ceasefire was announced. Abu al-Rous was a respected freelance journalist and photographer, contributing to local media outlets including Fourth Estate. He had also been honored by the Sobh International Media Festival for his dedication to documenting life under siege...

January 16, 2025 - Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities released prominent free speech advocate Carlos Correa, director of the NGO Espacio Público, after nine days in detention. His arrest on January 7 occurred during a wave of crackdowns targeting activists, journalists, and opposition figures ahead of President Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration for a third term on January 10. Correa, a university professor and leading figure in the defense of press freedom in Venezuela, was taken by hooded security agents without a warrant. His family and colleagues were left without information on his whereabouts for days, prompting widespread...

January 16, 2025 - Europe -  Twenty-two member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issued a joint statement reaffirming the critical role of journalist safety and media freedom in maintaining peace and security. The declaration, led by Iceland and supported by countries including Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Ukraine, emphasized that there can be “no genuine security without media freedom, and no media freedom without journalists being able to carry out their work safely and freely.” The signatories expressed strong support for the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM)...

January 16, 2025 - UK/Brazil -  British journalist Dom Phillips, who was tragically killed in the Brazilian Amazon alongside Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in June 2022, will have his final investigative work, How to Save the Amazon: A Journalist’s Fatal Quest for Answers, published in May 2025. The book, a culmination of Phillips’s research plotting solutions to deforestation and environmental degradation, was completed posthumously by a team of close colleagues and his widow, Alessandra Sampaio. Phillips focused on uncovering sustainable approaches to preserve the world's largest rainforest, covering topics like agroforestry, bioeconomy, ecotourism, and Indigenous...

January 15, 2025 - Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities detained journalist Leandro Palmar, news director of Luz Radio at the University of Zulia, and his assistant, Belises Salvador Cubillá,n while they were covering anti-government protests in Maracaibo. Both were arrested on January 9 while reporting on demonstrations linked to growing public discontent with President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Just two days later, on January 11, a local court ordered their continued detention on preliminary charges of terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to hatred, and disturbing public order. Press freedom organizations and human rights advocates have strongly condemned the charges,...

January 15, 2025 - Afghanistan -  The Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) recently spotlighted the critical role of safe refuge in enabling Afghan journalists to continue their work under threat. In a featured case study, two Afghan reporters shared how escaping Taliban-controlled Afghanistan saved their lives—and preserved their ability to document injustice back home. Both correspondents emphasized that while exile is emotionally wrenching—marked by separation from family and the trauma of displacement—it is vital for survival and professional continuity. From their new bases, they have maintained coverage of human rights abuses, women's suppression, and civilian targeting,...

January 15, 2025 - Sudan -  Sudanese security forces detained journalist Ahmed Youssef Al‑Tay in Al‑Dindir, Sennar State (southeast Sudan). He was arrested without warrants or charges and subsequently transferred to Sinja, marking a blatant violation of press freedom according to the Committee for Justice (CFJ). CFJ strongly condemned the detention, stressing the arbitrary nature of the arrest and calling for Al‑Tay’s immediate and unconditional release. The committee rejected any justification for targeting journalists, underscoring that his detention undermines Sudan’s legal obligations and international press freedom standards. This arrest fits a troubling pattern in Sudan,...

January 15, 2025 - Russia -  The International Press Institute (IPI) has strongly condemned a new set of laws passed in Russia that significantly tighten state control over dissent, particularly targeting independent journalists and civil society actors. These laws mark an alarming expansion of the Kremlin’s “foreign agent” framework and further criminalize independent reporting, deepening the suppression of press freedom in the country. The legislation broadens the definition of who can be labeled a “foreign agent,” allowing authorities to apply the term to virtually anyone who receives foreign support or engages in vaguely defined political...

January 14, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Palestinian journalist Mohammad Bashir Al-Talmas, an editor at Safa News Agency, was killed following an Israeli airstrike in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of northern Gaza on January 13, 2025. He succumbed to injuries the next day, after undergoing emergency surgery. Al-Talmas, aged 40, was covering the humanitarian crisis in Gaza when the strike occurred, reportedly hitting a gathering that included displaced civilians and media workers. His death marks the latest in a devastating toll on media personnel since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023....

January 14, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Palestinian journalist and photographer Ahlam al‑Nafed was killed by an Israeli airstrike while walking to Al‑Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City. A dedicated frontline reporter, she had spent 100 days covering the besieged Indonesian Hospital, working for Drop Site News and other local media. At 33 years old, al‑Nafed documented atrocities in one of Gaza’s most embattled medical facilities, capturing images and stories that brought international focus to widespread suffering. Drop Site News mourned that “through her words and images, she ensured that atrocities which might have been silenced...

January 14, 2025 - Belarus -  Belarusian journalist Andrei Kuznechyk, a contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was released in early 2025 after spending more than three years behind bars in what human rights organizations have widely condemned as a politically motivated imprisonment. Kuznechyk had been arrested on November 25, 2021, near his home in Minsk while out cycling. Initially sentenced to short administrative detention for “hooliganism,” his case escalated when Belarusian authorities charged him with “participation in an extremist group,” a vague accusation often used to silence dissent. In June 2022, Kuznechyk was...

January 14, 2025 - Turkmenistan- Turkmen journalist Nurgeldi Halykov was prevented from boarding a flight at Ashgabat International Airport despite holding a valid passport and travel documents. Authorities told him he was under a travel ban, offering no written explanation or legal justification. Halykov had planned to fly to the United Arab Emirates to begin a new job in the hospitality industry, hoping to rebuild his life after years of state persecution. Halykov, a freelance contributor to the Netherlands-based outlet Turkmen. news, had previously spent nearly four years in prison on politically motivated charges. He...

January 14, 2025 - Sri Lanka -  Following the election of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the rise of the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, a coalition of 25 media and civil society organizations is urging the new Sri Lankan government to act decisively to protect press freedom. The Press Freedom Collective, which includes the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Federation of Media Employees and Trade Unions (FMETU), Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), and the Free Media Movement (FMM), issued a public statement outlining urgent reforms. The collective calls for an end to impunity...

January 14, 2025 - General -  A recent report by Equal Times exposes the deeply unstable and often dangerous conditions faced by journalists reporting from conflict zones such as Gaza, Lebanon, and Libya. While their work is vital for global understanding of war and human suffering, these journalists—especially freelancers and local reporters—are frequently left to operate without adequate support, training, or protection. Many of these journalists work without contracts, insurance, or institutional backing, making them highly vulnerable to injury, arrest, or death. The illusion of “entrepreneurial” journalism masks a reality of precarious gig work, where...