News

September 19, 2024 - Georgia - Georgian authorities have intensified efforts to restrict press freedom by denying entry to several foreign journalists, raising serious concerns among international watchdogs. At least four journalists from France and the Czech Republic have been barred from entering the country since early 2024, with no clear legal justification provided. Media freedom groups warn this trend marks a dangerous authoritarian shift, particularly as Georgia approaches key political milestones. In February 2024, French journalist Clément Girardot was turned away at Tbilisi International Airport without explanation. His colleague Jérôme Chobeaux faced a similar...

September 18, 2024 - USA -  With the 118th U.S. Congress concluding on January 3, 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging the Senate to urgently pass the PRESS Act, a federal shield law designed to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal sources or disclose sensitive materials—something not currently guaranteed at the national level. Although nearly every U.S. state and the District of Columbia already provide shield protections, a federal statute would establish a consistent standard across jurisdictions and guard reporters operating in federal contexts, such as federal court proceedings, congressional investigations, or national security inquiries....

September 17, 2024 - Source: IFJ -  On 15 September, Belarusian journalist Andrei Mialeshka was denied entry to Georgia, where he has lived for the past three years after facing political persecution in Belarus. On 17 September, Armenian journalist Arsen Kharatyan, editor-in-chief of an independent non-profit bilingual Georgian-Armenia media platform Aliq Media based in Tbilisi, was also denied entry to Georgia. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn the denial of entry of both journalists and call on the Georgian authorities to uphold freedom of access for all journalists. Andrei Mialeshka was returning...

September 18, 2024 - El Salvador -  Between March and May 2024, the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) documented 50 attacks against journalists, revealing a disturbing increase in both digital and physical aggression. These findings were released in APES’ first quarterly report on press attacks, alongside its Digital Listening Report for the first half of 2024. Journalists are being targeted through online harassment, legal threats, censorship, and stigmatizing public statements. The digital space, especially platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, has become a major battleground. Attacks range from smear campaigns and defamation...

September 17, 2024 - Timor - Timor‑Leste police arrested Antonieta Kartono Martins, a reporter with Média Diligente Online, while she was covering an eviction operation against street vendors in Dili ahead of Pope Francis’s visit—a rare case of targeting a female journalist in the country. She was held for approximately four hours and released without charges, but the detention highlighted growing pressure on journalists covering public-interest events. Simultaneously, Suzana Cardoso, a journalist from Média One Timor, had her camera confiscated and footage documenting the eviction operation deleted by security forces. Video evidence shows police and masked individuals using...

September 17, 2024 - Romania - Romanian authorities have reopened a criminal investigation into the coordinated smear campaign targeting journalist Emilia Șercan, marking a significant development in a case long emblematic of institutional failure and media repression. The move follows a September 5 court decision ordering the case to be re-examined after prosecutors previously shelved it without sufficient action. Șercan, known for exposing plagiarism by top officials, faced a torrent of intimidation beginning in January 2022 after she revealed that then–Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had plagiarized his doctoral thesis. The following day, she received anonymous...

September 17, 2024 - Sri Lanka -  With Sri Lanka’s presidential election set for September 21, 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a grave warning over the rapid decline of press freedom in the country. The organization highlights an alarming rise in journalist arrests, legal intimidation, and systemic censorship that threaten the integrity of democratic processes. At least two journalists have already been arbitrarily detained this year. G.P. Nissanka, editor of Ravana Lanka, was arrested after reporting on alleged corruption involving a police official. Freelance journalist Bimal Ruhunage was detained for filming a peaceful...

September 17, 2024 - Palestine -  Amid growing tension over its coverage of Gaza, Israel has revoked the Government Press Office (GPO) credentials of four Al Jazeera journalists—two Israeli citizens and two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. Announced on September 12, 2024, this action follows the earlier shutdown and banning of Al Jazeera’s Israeli and West Bank bureaus, part of what press freedom advocates describe as a coordinated media crackdown. The GPO defended the decision, accusing Al Jazeera of disseminating "false content" and "incitement" that threatens Israeli soldiers and national security. The revoked journalists, primarily full-time...

September 17, 2024 - Belarus/Serbia -  Belarusian investigative journalist and filmmaker Andrey Gnyot—also known as Andrei Gnyot—remains under house arrest in Belgrade amid efforts by the Belarusian government to secure his extradition on politically motivated charges. Serbian authorities initially detained him in October 2023 on an Interpol red notice for alleged tax evasion—a charge Gnyot and press-freedom advocates say serves as a thinly veiled attempt to silence him. On May 31, 2024, Serbia’s Higher Court in Belgrade ruled in favor of extraditing Gnyot to Belarus. The decision was later communicated officially in mid-June, prompting condemnation from...

September 16, 2024 - Romania -  In an open letter, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside nearly 40 media outlets and rights organizations, called on Romanian authorities to launch a comprehensive and independent investigation into the highly orchestrated smear campaign targeting investigative journalist Emilia Șercan. The campaign—commonly referred to as a “kompromat” operation—involved the illicit dissemination of intimate photos of Șercan. These images had been stolen and distributed widely online, a tactic designed to intimidate and discredit her following her exposure of plagiarism among high-level Romanian officials. While a Bucharest court did eventually order the reopening of...

September 16, 2024 - Malaysia/UK -  The Federal Court of Malaysia has dismissed British investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown’s final appeal in a civil defamation lawsuit brought by the Sultanah of Terengganu. This ruling upholds a December 2023 decision that she must pay RM 300,000 (approx. £52,800) in damages and RM 135,000 in legal costs—totaling over RM 435,000 (£76,600)—after being found civilly liable for erroneously listing the Sultanah in her 2018 book on the 1MDB corruption scandal. Rewcastle Brown had corrected the mistake soon after publication, clarifying that it was the Sultan’s sister — not his wife — associated with a businessman...

September 16, 2024 - Vietnam -  A Hanoi court sentenced veteran journalist and blogger Nguyen Vu Binh to seven years in prison on charges of “making, storing, and distributing anti-state propaganda.” The 56-year-old was convicted under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, which has been widely criticized for its use against dissenting voices. His arrest and sentencing are part of an intensifying crackdown on independent journalism in Vietnam. The charges stem from four videos Binh posted in early 2022 on TNT Media Live, in which he discussed political, social, and economic issues. Authorities claimed the...

September 16, 2024 - Venezuela - In the wake of Venezuela’s contested July 28, 2024, presidential election, the country has witnessed an unprecedented wave of repression targeting journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the number of detained media professionals has reached levels not seen in decades. Security forces have arrested reporters with alarming frequency—often without warrants and sometimes demanding bribes of up to US$4,000 to avoid detention, CPJ reports. At least 14 journalists have had their passports revoked without explanation, severely restricting their ability to travel or report internationally. One of the most...

September 16, 2024 - Iran - Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released a detailed report exposing the systematic repression of women journalists in Iran. The report documents how female reporters have become primary targets of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on dissent following the mass “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that erupted in September 2022. According to RSF, at least 42 journalists were arrested in the initial weeks of the protests, 15 of whom were women. Broader estimates suggest up to 79 journalists have been detained...

September 16, 2024, - Nigeria -  In a troubling escalation against press freedom, Nigerian authorities have brought criminal charges against Haruna Mohammed Salisu, publisher of WikkiTimes, and reporter Yawale Adamu following a damning April 2024 investigation. The report exposed alleged embezzlement of public funds by federal lawmaker Mansur Manu Soro, who is accused of colluding with businessman Abubakar Abdullahi to siphon millions through inflated contracts, prompting Abdullahi to file suit two months later. On September 3, 2024, a magistrate court in Bauchi State issued a bench warrant for Salisu, who was abroad, and scheduled Adamu’s...

September 14, 2024 - China -  A wave of coordinated harassment has targeted dozens of journalists in Hong Kong, marking one of the largest organized intimidation campaigns against the press in recent years, according to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA). The attacks, which took place between June and August 2024, involved threats directed not only at journalists but also at their families, landlords, workplaces, and schools. At least 15 journalists from more than a dozen media outlets—including Hong Kong Free Press, InMediaHK, and HK Feature—were affected. Anonymous emails, letters, and social media posts were...

September 13, 2024 - Pakistan -  Pakistan’s deteriorating press freedom climate worsened further with the recent killings of two journalists, Muhammad Bachal Ghunio and Nisar Lehri, in separate incidents that underscore a disturbing rise in violence against the media. On August 27, 2024, Muhammad Bachal Ghunio, a reporter for Awaz TV, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Sindh province. His brother and local police said the murder was likely linked to his investigative reporting. Authorities have since arrested a suspect and recovered a weapon believed to be used in the attack, though details...

September 13, 2024 - Crimea -  Remzi Bekirov, an ethnic Crimean Tatar journalist from the Russian-occupied Crimea, continues to face severe harassment in jail as his court case approaches its next hearing on October 2, 2024. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Bekirov’s attorney report escalating mistreatment, including repeated placements in solitary confinement and intense scrutiny by prison authorities. Bekirov, previously a correspondent for the independent media outlet Grani, was arrested following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In March 2022, he was handed a draconian 19-year prison sentence on charges of “organizing the activities of...

September 13, 2024 - Botswana -  Journalists from nine Southern African countries have formed a regional alliance to combat the growing threat of disinformation and misinformation, launching a coordinated campaign during a three-day conference held in Gaborone, Botswana, from September 10–12, 2024. The initiative, supported by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UNESCO, brought together media union leaders from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The conference aimed to strengthen the capacity of journalists to respond to false information through a Training-of-Trainers program on Media and Information Literacy (MIL)....

September 13, 2024 - Tunisia -  In a concerning development for press freedom in Tunisia, an appeals court on September 10, 2024, upheld the conviction of lawyer and political commentator Sonia Dahmani for “spreading false news,” while reducing her prison sentence from one year to eight months. The ruling, issued without a hearing or the presence of her legal team, comes amid a broader campaign of media repression ahead of the October 6 presidential elections. Dahmani, a commentator on independent outlets IFM radio and Carthage Plus TV, was arrested on May 11, 2024, following critical remarks...

September 12, 2024 - Paraguay -  The Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (SPP) has launched a strategic training program aimed at reinforcing union strength and promoting collective labor rights within the media sector. Held in September 2024, the three-day workshop brought together 21 union delegates and executive members from seven media organizations across the country. Supported by Union to Union and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the training marked a significant step toward consolidating journalist-led labor activism in Paraguay. The program focused on three key areas. The first addressed the broader trade union landscape...

September 12, 2024 - Poland - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have joined forces with German media union dju/ver.di and Poland’s Society of Journalists to support workers at Bauer Publishing House Poland and its affiliate AKPA Agency. Employees are demanding improved pay and working conditions, citing low wages, lack of social benefits, and unfair salary structures amid soaring inflation. Since March 2024, staff at the two media companies have been engaged in negotiations with management, demanding three key reforms: a monthly salary increase of 1,000 Polish złoty...

September 12, 2024 - Pakistan -  At a political rally in Islamabad on September 8, 2024, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur—a senior member of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI—delivered a verbal tirade against female journalists, igniting concerns over media safety and incitement. Speaking to a crowd, Gandapur accused reporters of being "sellouts" for not covering PTI stories and invited supporters to join him in mocking them. He singled out one female presenter, calling her “transgender,” “corrupt,” and alleging she “performed journalism for money”—in an episode that press freedom groups branded a dangerous...

September 12, 2024 - General -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the French magazine Society have launched a powerful special edition titled “The Prison Papers”, shedding light on the lives and struggles of eight journalists currently imprisoned across four continents. The project combines long-form journalism, interviews, essays, and illustrations to document the personal and professional toll of incarceration for doing the work of reporting the truth. The stories featured represent a global spectrum of repression. Among them is José Rubén Zamora, the prominent Guatemalan journalist and founder of El Periódico, imprisoned since 2022 in what...

September 12, 2024 - Turkey -  Investigative journalist Murat Ağırel, a prominent reporter for the Turkish daily Yeniçağ, is facing a growing wave of death threats and intimidation due to his reporting on corruption and criminal networks. His case has triggered alarm among international press freedom groups, who are calling on Turkish authorities to take immediate action to protect him and his family. The threats against Ağırel began in late 2023 and intensified throughout 2024. He reported receiving anonymous death threats on social media after publishing investigations into financial misconduct, illegal betting rings, and alleged...