News

December 13, 2024 - USA/Syria - American journalist Austin Tice, kidnapped in 2012 while reporting from northern Syria, remains one of the most enduring cases of an unresolved journalist disappearance in recent history. A freelance war reporter, Tice was covering the unfolding civil war in Damascus when he vanished. After being held by unknown groups, a video released later confirmed his captivity, but his precise whereabouts and condition have remained shrouded in uncertainty since then. Following years of silence, the U.S. government and non-profit organizations recently revealed that new intelligence obtained earlier in 2024 placed...

December 13, 2024 - Pakistan - Pakistani journalist Malik Zafar Iqbal Naich was shot and killed in a targeted attack in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, marking a grim continuation of violence against media workers in the country. Naich, a local correspondent known for reporting on governance issues, crime, and community concerns, was gunned down by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle while on his way to work. The brazen nature of the attack has sparked outrage and renewed fears among journalists already working under mounting pressure and insecurity. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ),...

December 13, 2024 - South Africa/Libya - South African photojournalist Anton Hammerl was killed on April 5, 2011, by pro-Gaddafi forces in the Libyan desert while covering the civil war. His body was never recovered, and for over a month, his family was misled to believe he was in custody. After being informed of his death, the family entered a long period of sorrow and unanswered questions, compounded when Libya withheld his passport despite years of international inquiries. On December 12, 2024, Hammerl’s widow, Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl—a journalist herself—filed a formal complaint with the U.N. Human...

December 13, 2024 - Russia - Nadezhda Kevorkova, a prominent 66-year-old journalist renowned for covering conflict zones in the Middle East, North Caucasus, and beyond, has had her pretrial detention extended by Moscow courts on multiple occasions throughout 2024 and early 2025. Initially arrested in May 2024 and charged with "publicly justifying terrorism" under Article 205.2, her case centers on two-year-old Telegram posts: one sharing an article by a fellow journalist about a militant raid in Nalchik, and another praising the Taliban for freeing prisoners. Her detention was first extended in October, then again in...

December 13, 2024 - Palestine/USA - Journalist arrests in the United States surged in 2024, with nearly one reporter detained or charged each week, largely at Israel‑Gaza war protests. According to data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there were at least 48 arrests or detentions of journalists, marking the third-highest annual total since 2017. Remarkably, approximately 90 percent of these incidents occurred during demonstrations related to the Israel‑Gaza conflict, reflecting a dramatic rise in police actions in response to public dissent. New York City’s Police Department played an especially prominent role, accounting for nearly...

December 13, 2024 - Belarus - Belarusian authorities arrested seven journalists from the independent online outlet Intex‑Press in Baranavichy in early December 2024, leveling charges of “supporting extremist activities.” The Belarusian Association of Journalists condemned the detentions as a deliberate effort to extinguish dissenting voices in the run‑up to January’s presidential election, calling it the single largest group of arrests from one media platform in the past year. The arrests come on the heels of a four‑year prison sentence handed down to journalist Volha Radzivonava earlier in December for her critical coverage of the regime,...

December 13, 2024 - Georgia - A coalition of major press freedom organizations, including the International Federation of Journalists and European Federation of Journalists, has urged the European Union to demand an immediate halt to the rising wave of repression against journalists in Georgia. In an open letter dated 12 December, the groups called on key EU figures—Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, Roberta Metsola, and Kaja Kallas—to address systematic threats to media professionals during increasingly violent anti-government protests in Tbilisi. Since late 2024, demonstrators have rallied against Georgia’s political leadership, especially following the suspension...

13 December 2024 - Poland/Russia -  Grzegorz Rzeczkowski, a respected investigative journalist in Poland, has become the target of threats due to his reporting on suspected Russian influence in Polish politics and business. According to Reporters Without Borders, Warsaw prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into acts of intimidation against Rzeczkowski following the arrival of menacing messages and phone calls warning him to cease his exposés. The situation escalated to the point that Poland’s Interior Minister intervened, directing intelligence and police services to ensure his protection, signaling official alarm over the threats he faced. Rzeczkowski’s...

December 12, 2024 - Palestine - A deadly Israeli airstrike struck a residential building in Gaza City on December 12, 2024, claiming the lives of Palestinian freelance journalist Iman al‑Shanti and her two children. Al‑Shanti, who contributed to regional outlets and international media, had recently returned to her home and was unarmed and identified as a civilian. Local emergency responders confirmed that her children, aged six and four, were killed alongside her, while her husband and other family members were also severely injured. Rights groups and press freedom advocates have condemned the strike as a...

December 12, 2024 - UK/Syria - British war photographer and correspondent John Henry Cantlie, who was abducted in November 2012 alongside American journalist James Foley, is still missing nearly 12 years later. After initially being captured by Islamist militants and briefly escaping in mid‑2012, he was re‑abducted in November during a joint assignment with Foley. Foley was tragically executed by ISIS in 2014, while Cantlie was forced into propaganda videos that he narrated until late 2016, shedding light on the dire humanitarian consequences of war through a distorted lens. Cantlie appeared in multiple ISIS-produced clips, including the “Lend...

December 12, 2024 - Sudan - Rapid Support Forces (RSF) soldiers brutally raided the home of Sudanese journalist Hanan Adam in Wad Al‑Asha, Al‑Gezira state. Adam, a correspondent for the Communist Party newspaper al‑Midan, and her brother Youssef were both shot dead at the scene. Their deaths are a harrowing illustration of the extreme dangers faced by Sudanese media professionals during the ongoing civil war. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced the killings as part of an escalating campaign of violence by the RSF against journalists and civilians. CPJ’s Interim MENA Program Coordinator described the...

December 12, 2024 - Palestine - Media freedom organizations and press coalitions have sharply condemned Israel following the deaths of dozens of journalists covering the Gaza conflict, calling it an unprecedented “massacre” of press workers. Reports from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and others found that Israeli military actions killed 18 journalists in 2024—16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon, while other monitoring groups report far higher figures for Palestinian media casualties. RSF described the losses in Gaza as “an unprecedented massacre,” highlighting that most of those killed were local journalists or freelancers operating without institutional...

December 12, 2024 - Palestine - Gaza has emerged as the deadliest region in the world for journalists in 2024, marking an unprecedented level of danger for media professionals, particularly local Palestinian reporters. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), at least 54 journalists were killed globally in 2024, with a third—18—directly attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza and Lebanon. However, broader counts estimate the toll in Gaza since October 2023 to be far higher, with some figures placing the number of journalist deaths at over 145, and others, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists...

December 12, 2024 - Palestine - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) cautions that 2024 marked a devastating surge in journalist fatalities, with 54 journalists killed globally, the highest annual figure seen in five years. Disturbingly, one-third of these deaths, 18 reporters, were caused by Israeli military operations: 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon. RSF’s data emphasise the intensity of the threat to media professionals in conflict zones. It states that over 145 journalists have died in Gaza since October 2023, at least 35 deliberately targeted while working. RSF highlights that many of those killed wore identifiable...

December 12, 2024 - Syria - Recent reporting highlights a growing chorus of voices demanding justice for the journalists killed during Bashar al‑Assad’s rule. The atrocities, some dating back nearly 14 years, are finally being addressed following the regime’s collapse in December 2024. According to Voice of America and Ground News, press freedom organizations—including CPJ, RSF, and Human Rights Watch—are urging formal accountability for Assad-era crimes against the media. Francesca Conroy of RSF emphasizes the dual aim of securing “justice and accountability for Syrian citizens, but also the press”. RSF reports that at least 23 journalists...

December 12, 2024 - General - In 2024, at least 68 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide while on duty—more than 60% of those deaths occurred in active conflict zones, marking the highest proportion seen in over a decade. Although the overall number slightly declined from 74 in 2023 and 88 in 2022, the concentration of deaths in war-torn regions remains deeply troubling. Breaking down the statistics, UNESCO reports 42 deaths occurred in conflict areas: 18 in Palestine, four each in Ukraine and Colombia, three each in Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and one each...

December 12, 2024 - Source: United Nations - For the second consecutive year, conflict zones have proven dangerous for journalists and media workers, with 2024 seeing at least 68 deaths in the line of duty, according to new data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  More than 60 per cent of these killings occurred in countries experiencing conflict – the highest percentage in over a decade. Reliable information is vital in conflict situations to help affected populations and to enlighten the world," said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “It is unacceptable that journalists pay with their...

December 12, 2024 - Congo -  The brutal murder of journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province has sparked international condemnation and renewed fears over the safety of local journalists in conflict zones. Machozi, a presenter for Mpety Community Radio (RCMP), was abducted on October 29, 2024, during a raid on the station by suspected M23 rebels. His body was found days later on November 6 along a riverbank near the village of Katobi, just four kilometers from the town of Mpety. Machozi hosted both music and sports programming...

December 12, 2024 - Tbilisi/Georgia - Georgian journalist Beka Korshia was arrested amid a sweeping crackdown on independent media during pro-European protests in Tbilisi. Korshia, an anchor and reporter for Mtavari Arkhi TV, was detained by police on the ninth consecutive night of demonstrations. His family reported his sudden disappearance from Rustaveli Avenue as akin to a “kidnapping.” He later reappeared in police custody and was charged with an administrative offense and fined 2,200 GEL by a Tbilisi court. The protests, sparked by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s abandonment of a European Union accession roadmap,...

December 12, 2024 - General - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its 2024 annual round-up, revealing a deeply alarming global environment for journalists marked by unprecedented violence, mass detentions, and growing impunity. The report underscores that journalism has paid an “exorbitant human price” this year, particularly in regions plagued by war and authoritarian repression. According to RSF, at least 145 journalists have been killed in Palestine since October 2023, with over 35 of those deaths confirmed as deliberate targeting while on duty. The organization called it the most lethal toll for journalists in any...

December 12, 2024 - Bangladesh - According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Bangladesh ranked among the most dangerous countries for journalists in 2024, becoming the third deadliest in Asia. The year was defined by political turmoil and violent crackdowns, particularly during and after the July Revolution—a mass youth-led uprising that ultimately led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. At least five journalists were killed in Bangladesh in 2024, four of them during July’s nationwide protests. These deaths contributed to a grim regional picture, with Bangladesh and Pakistan together accounting for a significant...

December 12, 2024 - Korea - South Korea experienced a brief but shocking political upheaval as President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in an attempt to suppress what he termed “anti-state forces.” The unprecedented move marked the first use of martial law in the country since the democratic transition of the late 1980s. Though the decree lasted only six hours before being overturned by the National Assembly, the impact on the country’s journalists was immediate and deeply unsettling. Newsrooms were thrown into chaos as military forces attempted to control the media. Journalists were barred...

December 12, 2024 - Georgia - In the wake of violent crackdowns on journalists during pro-European protests in Georgia, international media organizations and press freedom advocates have rallied in solidarity with the country’s embattled media. Statements from the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), and over 80 prominent editors and journalists across 48 countries denounce the Georgian government's escalating attacks on press freedom. Between November 28 and December 10, 2024, more than 90 journalists were assaulted, harassed, or detained while covering mass protests in Tbilisi. Many were visibly...

December 11, 2024 - USA/Syria -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on the Biden administration to act decisively to secure the release of American journalist Austin Tice, who has been held captive in Syria since 2012. With the recent collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, RSF argues that the United States now has a rare and urgent opportunity to resolve one of the longest-standing journalist abduction cases in modern history. Tice, a former U.S. Marine and freelance reporter for outlets including The Washington Post, CBS, and McClatchy, disappeared near Damascus on August 14, 2012, while...

December 11, 2024 - Guatemala - Guatemalan authorities issued an arrest warrant for prominent investigative journalist Juan Luis Font, currently exiled in France. Font, co-director of the radio show Con Criterio and co-founder of El Periódico, stands accused of “collusion and passive bribery”—allegations he vehemently denies. The charges, based on an old case, were revived on December 6, 2024, and observers see them as part of a broader campaign to silence anti-corruption journalism. Font has faced ongoing intimidation since 2022, when he fled Guatemala after critical reporting exposed government malfeasance. In particular, authorities appeared triggered by his interviews and...