News

December 11, 2024 - Tunisia/Brazil -  The Tunisian Journalists’ Union (SNJT), supported by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), unveiled a practical legal guide designed to aid Tunisian journalists facing judicial harassment. Funded by the Norwegian government and produced with expertise from lawyers and press-freedom advocates, the guide—available in French and Arabic—maps the steps of criminal proceedings, outlines journalists’ rights during police summons, prosecutions, and trials, and offers best-practice legal strategies for responses in emergencies or when legal counsel is inaccessible. The initiative responds to growing repression in Tunisia since 2019, particularly the broad “false...

December 11, 2024 - Croatia -  Journalist Dario Topić, editor-in-chief at local outlet Komarilos.com, was violently assaulted in Osijek. He had been investigating alleged irregularities involving a 26-year parking concession held by the Elektromodul company. The company’s co-owner, Damir Taslidžić, lured Topić to his premises under the guise of providing information, then physically beat him—targeting his head and body—immediately after escorting him out of the premises. Topić sustained injuries requiring treatment at Osijek Clinical Hospital and reported the assault to police and prosecutors. On December 7, Taslidžić was detained on charges of “coercion against a person...

December 11, 2024 - Syria - Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has issued a powerful call urging Syria’s new leadership to prioritize press freedom, protect media workers, and ensure accountability for years of systemic persecution. With Assad’s fall marking a potential turning point, CPJ stresses that the opportunity must not be squandered. Under Assad’s 13-year crackdown on dissent, Syria became one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists. CPJ reports that at least 141 journalists have been killed since 2011, including 23 targeted killings...

December 11, 2024 - General -  A new report from United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) and the Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA) reveals a disturbing escalation in the volume, intensity, and impact of online harassment faced by sports journalists worldwide. The 2024 Sports Journalist Barometer underscores a growing threat not just to individual reporters but to press freedom itself. According to the findings, 95% of sports journalists surveyed believe online abuse is “very” or “fairly widespread” in their profession. Over 75% say it has worsened over the past year, with more than 40% describing the rise...

December 10, 2024 - General - In its 2024 year-end report, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) confirmed that 104 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide, making it one of the deadliest years for the profession in over a decade. More than half of these deaths occurred in the Middle East, with Gaza accounting for 55 fatalities—the highest ever recorded in a single territory for a single year. The figures reflect the extreme risks facing journalists in conflict zones, particularly in Gaza, where Israeli military operations and airstrikes have devastated local media infrastructure. Since...

December 10. 2024 - Syria - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has demanded that Bashar al‑Assad be prosecuted for the deaths of 181 journalists and media professionals killed by the regime and its allies since the 2011 revolution. The call comes amid the collapse of Assad’s government in December 2024 and growing international scrutiny of Syria’s legacy of media repression. Between 2011 and 2024, Syria descended into one of the deadliest environments for journalism. Beyond the regime’s 181 killings, another 102 journalists were murdered by other factions in the conflict, including six by Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham....

December 10, 2024 - Argentina -  Argentina witnessed growing concerns over press freedom as President Javier Milei’s administration introduced sweeping changes that critics say undermine journalistic independence. A report released by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Argentina’s National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) outlined a deteriorating media environment shaped by legislative overreach, restricted press access, and stigmatizing rhetoric from government officials. Central to the report is the passage of a controversial omnibus bill in June 2024 that granted President Milei broad decree powers across multiple sectors, including administrative and economic domains. While the government...

December 10, 2024 - Argentina -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that Argentina experienced a dramatic decline in press freedom during Javier Milei’s first year as president (Dec 2023–Dec 2024). The 2025 World Press Freedom Index saw Argentina fall an alarming 47 places, from 40th to 87th out of 180 countries, marking one of the steepest drops worldwide. RSF attributes this decline to several authoritarian shifts: the government stigmatized journalists, dismantled public media outlets, and weaponized state advertising to pressure independent outlets. President Milei personally escalated the hostility, threatening to dismiss or even arrest critical reporters from major...

December 10, 2024 - Belarus -  The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has intensified calls for the immediate release of all Belarusian journalists imprisoned under President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, now the largest jailer of journalists in Europe. As of June 2025, at least 40–45 independent media workers remain behind bars, serving lengthy sentences of up to 15 years. They face charges ranging from "extremist activity" and treason to passive defamation—a sweeping criminalization of routine reporting. Among them is Volha Radzivonava, a journalist convicted in December 2024 for "insulting the president" and sentenced to four years...

December 10, 2024 - Ghana -  As Ghana concluded its December 2024 presidential elections—won by John Mahama—Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a set of five recommendations aimed at safeguarding press freedom throughout the electoral process. While Ghana has long been regarded as a democratic leader in West Africa, RSF emphasized that recent challenges, including disinformation, harassment, and access restrictions, threatened to undermine that reputation. First and foremost, RSF called for the safety of journalists covering political rallies and polling centers. Zubaida Ismail, RSF’s representative in Ghana, stressed that journalists must not only be protected by...

December 10, 2024 - Senegal -  The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the regional arm of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), issued a stark warning about the escalating wave of violations targeting media professionals across the African continent. In a statement released from Senegal, FAJ condemned what it described as an increasingly hostile environment for journalists marked by violence, legal persecution, and widespread impunity. FAJ detailed a disturbing pattern: physical assaults, arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, and even assassinations of journalists have become more frequent, especially in countries facing political instability. In many cases, perpetrators...

December 10. 2024 - Turkey -  A coalition of 55 press freedom and human rights organizations—including the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and ARTICLE 19—sent a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging the EU to publicly oppose Türkiye’s proposed “agent of influence” bill. The controversial legislation, currently under parliamentary consideration, poses a significant threat to democratic freedoms and civil society in Türkiye. The bill would criminalize any act considered to be conducted “in the interest of a foreign state or organization” that...

December 10, 2024 - Azerbaijan - Following its high-profile hosting of the COP29 climate summit, Azerbaijan has launched a sweeping crackdown on independent journalism, drawing widespread condemnation from global rights organizations. On December 6, 2024—just days after the summit concluded—seven journalists affiliated with Meydan TV and the Baku School of Journalism were arrested on charges of “foreign currency smuggling,” a vaguely defined offense punishable by up to eight years in prison. Those detained include Meydan TV’s editor-in-chief Aynur Ganbarova and journalists Aytaj Ahmadova, Khayala Agayeva, Natig Javadli, Aysel Umudova, and Ramin Jabrayilzade, along with media...

December 10, 2024 - Cambodia -  Cambodian environmental journalist Chhoeung Chheng, aged 63, was shot in the abdomen while investigating illegal timber transport in Boeung Peam Wildlife Sanctuary, Siem Reap province. Transporting his findings alongside colleague Moeun Ny, Chheng was ambushed near Trapeang Phluoh village. He succumbed to his injuries three days later on December 7, at a Siem Reap hospital, with the suspected logger assailant arrested on December 5 and charged in connection with the shooting. Chheng worked for online outlet Kampuchea Aphivath, documenting illegal logging that, since 2002, has decimated 72% of Beng...

December 9, 2024 - Syria/USA - More than a decade after his disappearance in Syria, American journalist Austin Tice has become the focus of a renewed search effort by the U.S. government, now intensified in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s fall in December 2024. Tice, a former Marine and freelance reporter for outlets including The Washington Post and McClatchy, was abducted in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus. His fate has remained unknown for over 12 years. With Assad’s regime dismantled and rebel factions such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) now in control of large...

December 9, 2024 - Azerbaijan - Azerbaijani authorities continued their campaign against independent media by detaining photo‑reporter Ahmed Mukhtar, a long‑standing contributor to outlets such as Meydan TV. Mukhtar was arrested alongside several Meydan TV journalists on December 6, charged under Articles 510 (“petty hooliganism”) and 535.1 (“failure to obey police orders”) of the administrative offenses code. On December 8, he was sentenced to 20 days’ administrative detention. Mukhtar’s arrest occurred amid broader trials targeting Meydan TV contributors accused of supposedly “smuggling foreign currency.” While those colleagues have faced criminal charges and pre‑trial detention, Mukhtar received a lesser...

December 7, 2024 - Qatar - At the 22nd Doha Forum held in December 2024, Qatar positioned innovation and technology as central to addressing the world’s most pressing crises—from climate change and global security to economic development and digital governance. Under the theme “Diplomacy, Dialogue, Diversity,” the event brought together world leaders, policy experts, and academics to focus on sustainable, inclusive solutions driven by modern innovation. A highlight of this year’s forum was the launch of a major report titled The Innovation Imperative: Tech-Governance, Development & Security at a Crossroads, produced by the Stimson Center...

December 7, 2024 - Syria/USA - Twelve years after American journalist Austin Tice was abducted in Syria, his case has taken on new urgency following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024. The U.S. government, backed by newly surfaced intelligence and shifting geopolitical dynamics, has renewed its search efforts, with President Joe Biden affirming that officials believe Tice is still alive and that “we think we can get him back.” Tice, a former Marine and freelance journalist, was kidnapped near Damascus in August 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war. For years, his...

December 7, 2024 - Guinea - In a chilling reminder of the dangers facing journalists in military-ruled Guinea, investigative reporter Habib Marouane Camara, founder of the news site LeRévélateur224, was abducted on December 3, 2024, by uniformed men believed to be affiliated with the country’s security forces. The attack occurred in the capital, Conakry, while Camara was in his car with a companion. Witnesses reported that masked men in police or military gear smashed his windshield, beat him unconscious with batons, and dragged him away without presenting any warrant or identifying themselves. Camara had been...

December 6, 2024 - Palestine - Israeli troops arrested three Palestinian journalists in Sinjil, a town north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The detentions occurred as journalists were covering events in the area; no official charges were immediately disclosed. This incident marks the latest in a sharp rise of press suppression in the West Bank and Gaza since October 7, 2023. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 76 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been detained by Israeli forces—50 of whom remain held, including 20 under administrative detention—a process...

December 6, 2024 - Cambodia - Cambodian environmental journalist Chhoeung Chheng, aged 63, was fatally shot while conducting field reporting in Siem Reap province, near Trapeang Phluoh village, as he investigated illegal logging activities in the Boeung Per Wildlife Sanctuary. Chheng, a veteran reporter for Kampuchea Aphivath, was ambushed by an unidentified man wielding a firearm during a routine check of timber transport on December 4. He was struck in the abdomen and died three days later in a Siem Reap hospital. Witnesses say the assailant lay in wait, prompting suspicions that the attack was...

December 6, 2024 - Bosnia & Herzegovina - Bosnia’s Journalists’ Association and Free Media Help Line raised the alarm over an assassination plot targeting investigative journalist Avdo Avdić, who has repeatedly exposed high-level links between drug cartels, organised crime syndicates, and politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Avdić came under threat after commanding reports on Dino “Cezar” Muzaferović, a suspected crime figure arrested in Slovenia over a murder case tied to his organisation. Slovenian authorities alerted their Bosnian counterparts that Muzaferović's network had discussed plans to kill Avdić. The seriousness of this threat prompted immediate...

December 6, 2024 - Syria - The recent killing of two Syrian journalists near the town of Al-Hari in eastern Hama has ignited international condemnation and renewed calls for accountability in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media workers. The bodies of the two men, both correspondents for local press outlets, were discovered on December 5, 2024, showing signs of execution-style killings. Their identities have not yet been publicly released due to ongoing family notifications, but the circumstances of their deaths point toward targeted violence. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Syrian Center...

December 6, 2024 - USA - In a decisive move to protect press freedom, a U.S. federal court sentenced a New Hampshire man and several accomplices to significant prison terms for their roles in a targeted harassment campaign against two journalists from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). The attacks, which took place in 2022, were retaliation for investigative reporting into allegations of sexual misconduct by a local businessman, a personal associate of the lead perpetrator. Keenan Saniatan, 36, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy...

December 6, 2024 - Azerbaijan - Berlin-based Meydan TV publicly condemned the arrests of six of its journalists—Ramin Jabrayilzade, Aynur Elgunesh, Aytaj Ahmadova, Aysel Umudova, Khayala Aghayeva, and Natig Javadli—as part of the so-called “currency smuggling” case; all were taken into custody by Baku authorities on claims of illegal foreign currency importation under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code. Meydan TV’s management slammed the detentions as unlawful, refuting the allegations and describing the actions as part of a long-running persecution of their reporters and families, involving travel bans, Pegasus spyware surveillance, cyberattacks, and a longstanding website block since 2017. By December 8,...