News

January 14, 2025 - Afghanistan -  A Taliban-run court in Kabul sentenced Afghan journalist Mahdi Ansari to 18 months in prison on charges of spreading “anti-regime propaganda.” The verdict follows his October 2024 arrest, when Taliban intelligence forces detained him in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of Kabul. Ansari, who works for Afghan News Agency (AFKA), had reportedly shared videos on his personal YouTube channel that included speeches critical of Taliban rule, particularly by Shia cleric Ayatollah Waez Behsoudi, who opposed the Taliban’s restrictions and destruction of Hazara cultural monuments. Ansari had previously been briefly detained in...

January 13, 2025 - General - The United Nations and leading press freedom experts sharply criticized the banning of Al-Jazeera in an undisclosed country, warning that the move sets a dangerous precedent that undermines journalism and fosters impunity for human rights violations. The ban—likely imposed in a politically sensitive region amid conflict—has drawn strong reactions from international institutions committed to safeguarding free expression. The UN expressed grave concern that restricting access to Al-Jazeera, a globally recognized news outlet, effectively denies the public critical information during a time when transparent reporting is essential. A UN spokesperson...

January 14, 2025 - Palestine -  During a reporting assignment in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Al Jazeera cameraman Fadi al‑Wahidi was critically injured by Israeli military fire. Fadi, wearing a marked press vest, captured drone footage before being struck in the neck by a bullet fired by an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft. He and reporter Anas al‑Sharif were documenting the effects of displacement when the Israeli drone targeted their location. Al‑Sharif recalled how Fadi fell and collapsed, with colleagues unable to assist immediately due to ongoing gunfire. Fadi was rushed to al-Ahli Hospital, where...

January 13, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Abubaker Abed, a 22-year-old Palestinian journalist from Deir al-Balah, has become one of the most powerful voices documenting the human cost of war in Gaza. Originally a sports commentator, Abed transformed into a frontline war reporter amid Israel’s relentless bombardment. In a recent interview with Democracy Now!, he shared his harrowing experience and the emotional toll of covering atrocities while living through them. Abed described Gaza as “a mass grave,” saying that journalists on the ground are not only recording the war—they are surviving it. He detailed how he...

January 13, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish journalist Fatoş Sarıkaya was violently assaulted by police in the southern city of Mersin while attempting to film a public protest. The demonstration was sparked by the government’s controversial removal of elected co-mayors in the Akdeniz district—a move many observers labeled a political intervention. Sarıkaya, an accredited journalist, was shoved, her press card knocked to the ground, and she was physically prevented from recording the event. According to the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ), Sarıkaya’s experience is part of a disturbing trend in Turkey, where journalists, particularly...

January 13, 2025 - Venezuela -  As Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a controversial third term on January 10, 2025, the country witnessed an intensified wave of repression targeting journalists and digital media, accompanied by significant legal consequences. In the days surrounding the inauguration, at least four journalists were detained while covering opposition demonstrations in cities like Maracaibo, where press freedom organizations recorded multiple arrests and violent incidents. Journalist and human rights defender Carlos Correa, director of Espacio Público, was among those seized by hooded agents on January 7 and disappeared for over a week...

January 13, 2025 - Nicaragua -  In 2024, at least 46 Nicaraguan journalists were forced into exile due to escalating repression under President Daniel Ortega’s regime, according to a report by the Costa Rica-based Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED). This brings the total number of exiled journalists since the brutal 2018 crackdown to 283, underscoring the systematic dismantling of press freedom in the country. The FLED report documented 81 press freedom violations in 2024, including arbitrary arrests, surveillance, newsroom raids, confiscation of equipment, and enforced disappearances. Prominent journalists such as Fabiola Tercero...

January 13, 2025 - UN -  UNESCO has launched a call for proposals aimed at strengthening freedom of expression and journalist safety in Somalia, where media workers face persistent threats from conflict, political instability, and targeted violence. Announced on January 13, 2025, the initiative will fund projects with a total budget of US$ 35,000 and run from the second to the fourth quarter of 2025. The call supports organizations capable of implementing practical, locally grounded activities to enhance protection for journalists—particularly women—and promote institutional engagement around media safety. Interested applicants must submit proposals by January 31,...

January 13, 2025 - France - Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside 110 civil society and media organizations, has jointly demanded that the French government enact robust legal protections for journalists’ sources. This collaborative appeal, announced in early 2025, highlights growing concerns over diminished press freedom and criminal risks facing journalists and their informants. At the heart of the coalition’s demand is France’s lagging shield law for source confidentiality. Under current regulations, several court rulings have compelled journalists to reveal their sources during legal proceedings, despite promises of confidentiality. RSF warns that this not only deters...

January 13, 2025 - Venezuela -  Since Venezuela’s contentious July 28, 2024, presidential election, the country has been engulfed in a severe human rights crisis. As of January 11, 2025, the Foro Penal human rights network reported 221 individuals—181 more than in late December—have been detained for political reasons. This crackdown has swept up opposition figures, journalists, and human rights defenders alike. Foro Penal’s tally reveals nearly 1,700 people currently imprisoned, with 1,503 detained in connection with post-electoral protests alone, and over 900 arrested immediately after the election. Detainees include 221 politicians, 23 journalists, and six...

January 13, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has reported that, on average, three journalists are being killed every week in Gaza, underscoring the extraordinary dangers faced by media workers amid Israel’s ongoing military operations. As of mid-January 2025, more than 200 journalists—mostly Palestinians—have been killed since the war began in October 2023, making this the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern history. The latest incident involved the killing of a journalist by Israeli sniper fire in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on January 12. The victim was...

January 12, 2025 - Georgia -  Seasoned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, co-founder and director of independent media outlets Batumelebi (Batumi) and Netgazeti (national), was arrested during protests in Batumi calling for fresh elections. The arrest unfolded in two stages: she was initially detained on January 11 for placing a protest sticker near the police headquarters, released, then re-arrested minutes later—this time accused of slapping Batumi’s police chief, Irakli Dgebuadze, during a confrontation. Authorities charged her under Article 353 of Georgia’s Criminal Code—assaulting a police officer—punishable by up to seven years in prison. The Batumi City Court promptly ordered...

January 12, 2025 - USA -  Dennis Sharkey Jr., a 50-year-old sports journalist for the Platte County Citizen in Missouri, was fatally shot on January 10, 2025, in what authorities believe was a road-rage incident. The tragedy occurred as Sharkey was driving home from covering a high school basketball game, just one day after celebrating his 50th birthday. Police say Sharkey’s vehicle veered off Interstate 29 near 72nd Street and crashed into a fence. Witnesses reported that his car had pulled over on the side of the highway alongside another vehicle. A man reportedly exited...

January 12, 2025 - Kurdistan -  In Iraq’s southern province of Dhi Qar, journalists are increasingly becoming targets of repression for reporting on corruption and anti-government protests. According to Kurdistan24, several reporters have been detained, tortured, and denied access to information after attempting to cover demonstrations and investigate allegations of mismanagement within local government institutions. The crackdown appears to be part of a coordinated campaign to silence critical voices. Journalists have reported being held for hours without explanation, interrogated under harsh conditions, and subjected to physical abuse by security forces. In some cases, their equipment...

January 12, 2025 - Italy/Iran -  In a delicate diplomatic maneuver, Italy released Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini on January 12, 2025, just days after Tehran freed Italian journalist Cecilia Sala. Abedini had been detained in Milan since December 16 on a U.S. extradition warrant alleging he supplied drone parts used in a January 2024 strike in Jordan that killed three American service members. Rome’s Justice Minister intervened, revoking Abedini’s arrest warrant. Italian courts concluded that his alleged offense—violating U.S. sanctions via the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—had no equivalent crime under Italian law and thus...

January 12, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  A recent 60 Minutes segment aired on CBS News revealed a staggering toll on media workers covering the Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 160 journalists, translators, fixers, and support staff have been killed since hostilities erupted in October 2023. This marks the most lethal period for reporters since CPJ began tracking deaths in 1992. The program noted that the vast majority of those killed in Gaza are Palestinian, with deaths extending to their families, raising fears the targeting of journalists may...

January 12, 2025 - Palestine/Israel - Palestinian journalist Jarrah Khalaf has reportedly been tortured while in the custody of Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, raising serious concerns about media repression and human rights abuses in the West Bank. Khalaf, known for covering press conferences and field reports from the Jenin refugee camp, was arrested at a PA checkpoint earlier this month. His detention comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent and independent journalism during ongoing PA-led operations in Jenin. According to his family and the advocacy group Lawyers for Justice, Khalaf was subjected to severe...

January 11, 2025 - Palestine/Israel/China -  According to a January 2025 report by China’s state news agency Xinhua, interprovincial migration in China remained largely stable throughout 2024, countering expectations of a significant rural-to-urban population shift. Government data shows that approximately 5.2 million people moved between provinces last year, only a slight increase from the 5.1 million recorded in 2023. The figures suggest that despite ongoing economic pressures and urbanization trends, internal migration levels have plateaued, signaling a new phase in China’s demographic and labor strategy. Of the total movers, 2.7 million relocated to major metropolitan...

January 11, 2025 - Palestine/Israel - Since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, at least 203 Palestinian journalists have been killed, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. This staggering figure represents the deadliest conflict for media professionals in modern history and underscores the increasing dangers faced by local reporters documenting war crimes, humanitarian crises, and military operations on the ground. The most recent casualty, Sa’ed al-Nabhan, a freelance cameraman, was shot by an Israeli sniper in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp. He was reportedly wearing press identification and attempting to...

10 January 2025 - Palestine -  On January 10, 2025, Saed Abu Nabhan, a 25-year-old freelance cameraman working with Anadolu Agency and Alghad TV, was fatally shot by an Israeli sniper while reporting inside the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The Israeli military reportedly surrounded the Al-Jadeed Camp—a known area where journalists congregate—before targeting media workers, including Abu Nabhan. Eyewitness footage shows him attempting to flee with his camera equipment before he was struck by a long-range bullet. Medical crews rushed to evacuate him amid active gunfire; unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries in the...

January 10, 2025 - Congo -  The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has banned Al Jazeera for 90 days following the network’s broadcast of an interview with Bertrand Bisimwa, the leader of the M23 rebel group. The ban, announced in January 2025, was imposed by the Congolese Ministry of Communication, which accused the Qatari-based outlet of failing to obtain proper accreditation and offering a platform to a group it labels a “terrorist organization.” The M23 group has been responsible for major escalations in eastern Congo, capturing territory and displacing over a million people. The government...

January 10, 2025 - Bangladesh -  A surge in violence and repression targeting journalists in Bangladesh has raised deep concerns about the state of press freedom in the country. Recent incidents, including a brutal assault on six reporters at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) building, signal an increasingly dangerous environment for media professionals. On May 21, 2025, six journalists, including DRU President Abu Saleh Akon and Secretary Rafiq Rafi, were violently attacked by a group of armed assailants allegedly linked to ruling party affiliates. The attackers, wielding pistols, sticks, and homemade weapons, stormed the DRU...

09 January 2025 -Sri Lanka -  Freelance journalist Murukaiya Thamilselvan, a Tamil reporter from northern Sri Lanka, narrowly escaped a violent kidnapping attempt on December 26, 2024, while traveling on the A9 road near Kilinochchi. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), unidentified men in a vehicle intercepted him, forcibly dragged him from his motorcycle, and attempted to abduct him. Thamilselvan resisted, calling for help, which prompted the attackers to flee the scene. The motive behind the attack appears to be linked to his recent investigative reporting on local corruption and criminal networks. Thamilselvan...

January 09, 2025 - Palestine  -  A recent report by ARTICLE 19 paints a grim picture of media repression in the West Bank, with both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israeli forces systematically curtailing press freedom. The crackdown includes suspensions, arrests, censorship, and even deadly violence against journalists and media institutions operating in the region. On January 5, 2025, the PA suspended Al Jazeera’s operations in the West Bank and blocked its website for four months, citing allegations of “provocative content” and “incitement.” The suspension, carried out under cybercrime laws and upheld by a Ramallah...

January 08, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Freelance Palestinian photojournalist Omar Salah Al-Derawi, aged 25, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck his family home in al-Zawaida, central Gaza. The attack also claimed the lives of his parents. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Al-Derawi’s death brings the number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 7, 2023, to 203, marking one of the deadliest conflicts for media professionals in modern history. Al-Derawi worked with several international and regional news agencies, documenting the conflict on the ground despite the immense risks. He was reportedly wearing...