News

March 08, 2026 - Iran - A journalist working with the Persian-language service of Voice of America (VOA) says he was dismissed from his position after challenging what he described as internal censorship related to coverage of Iran’s exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, raising concerns about editorial independence at the U.S. government-funded broadcaster. The journalist, Ahmad Batebi, said he was fired in early March 2026 after a confrontation with Ali Javanmardi, a senior adviser overseeing the VOA Persian service. According to Batebi, the dispute centered on editorial policies that he claimed restricted coverage of Pahlavi...

March 08, 2026 - India - India’s Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted controversial religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, overturning a life sentence issued by a special court and sparking renewed debate over accountability in crimes against journalists. The court delivered its verdict on 7 March 2026, setting aside the 2019 conviction by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, which had found Ram Rahim and three associates guilty of orchestrating the killing of Chhatrapati. Chhatrapati was the editor of the Hindi-language newspaper Poora...

March 08, 2026 - USA - A Spanish-language journalist in the United States has been detained by immigration authorities in Tennessee, raising concerns among press freedom advocates and immigration lawyers about the treatment of reporters and asylum seekers. Estefany Rodríguez Florez, a Colombian journalist and reporter for the Spanish-language outlet Nashville Noticias, was arrested by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on 4 March 2026 in Nashville. According to court filings and media reports, she was detained while sitting in a vehicle with her husband outside a local gym when immigration officers approached...

March 07, 2026 - Lebanon - Lebanese authorities have arrested journalist Aly Berro, a correspondent for the Hezbollah-affiliated television channel Al-Manar, following a judicial warrant linked to statements he made on social media, according to official media reports. Berro was detained on 6 March 2026 after a warrant was issued by Attorney General Judge Jamal Hajjar, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. Security forces from the Internal Security Forces’ information branch were instructed to question the journalist in the presence of his lawyer before deciding on further legal action. The case stems from a series...

March 07, 2026 - Belarus - A Belarusian court has sentenced journalist, musician, and radio host Aleh Khamenka to three years in prison on charges linked to alleged “extremist activities,” in a case that press freedom organizations say reflects the continuing crackdown on independent media in the country. The Minsk City Court delivered the verdict on 4 March 2026, convicting Khamenka of facilitating extremist activities and ordering him to serve three years in a general-regime penal colony. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of about 20,000 Belarusian rubles (approximately $6,800)....

March 07, 2026 - India - An Indian journalist who recently left Israeli-controlled areas has alleged that strict censorship and reporting restrictions severely limited the ability of journalists to document events on the ground during the escalating conflict in the region. Braj Mohan Singh, a reporter with the Indian outlet Sandha News, said he was trapped in the area between 28 February and 6 March 2026 while covering developments linked to the intensifying confrontation between Israel and Iran. After leaving the territory, Singh described what he said were significant obstacles to independent reporting imposed by...

March 07, 2026 - Afghanistan/Pakistan - Afghan journalists living in exile in Pakistan are increasingly being caught up in a widening crackdown on Afghan refugees as political and military tensions escalate between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, according to press freedom organizations and regional media reports. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned that Afghan journalists who fled Taliban rule and sought refuge in Pakistan are now facing arrests, harassment, and the threat of deportation. The organization says the crackdown intensified after Pakistan declared what it described as an “open warfare” stance against Afghanistan...

March 07, 2026 - India/Iran - Indian police have arrested two journalists and a boat driver in the southern state of Kerala after they allegedly entered a restricted zone and filmed an Iranian vessel anchored at Kochi Port, authorities said. The incident occurred on 7 March 2026 when a reporter and cameraman from the television network Republic TV were detained by security personnel while attempting to capture footage of the Iranian naval ship IRIS Lavan, which had docked at the port earlier in the week. The journalists had reportedly rented a boat and approached the...

March 07, 2026 - USA - A U.S. federal judge has raised serious concerns about new Pentagon rules that restrict journalists’ access to the Department of Defense, as a legal challenge brought by The New York Times and other media organizations moves forward in federal court. The case centers on a Pentagon credentialing policy introduced in October 2025 that requires reporters to agree to new terms governing how they gather and report information from inside the Pentagon. Media outlets argue that the rules place excessive limits on journalists and threaten their ability to conduct independent...

March 06, 2026 - Azerbaijan - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned of serious human rights concerns in Azerbaijan after several imprisoned women journalists reported sexual abuse, threats, and mistreatment while in detention. The allegations have intensified scrutiny of the country’s treatment of independent journalists amid an ongoing crackdown on critical media outlets. According to RSF, nine women journalists are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, including at least three reporters affiliated with the independent media outlet Meydan TV, which operates from exile in Berlin. The organization said several of the detainees have recently reported experiencing physical...

March 05, 2026 - Brazil - A Brazilian journalist has been sentenced to eight months in prison after a court ruled that a social media post criticizing a federal lawmaker constituted an attack on the politician’s honor, raising concerns among media advocates about judicial pressure on journalists in the country. The journalist, Leonildo Rosas, from the northern state of Acre, was convicted by the Criminal Chamber of the Acre Court of Justice and sentenced to eight months in a semi-open prison regime. The ruling stems from a post published in 2023 in which Rosas criticized...

March 05, 2026 - Myanmar - Myanmar’s military authorities have released at least four imprisoned journalists as part of a large-scale amnesty involving thousands of detainees, a move welcomed by press freedom advocates though concerns remain about the many reporters still behind bars. The releases were announced in early March 2026 as part of a government pardon that freed more than 7,000 prisoners convicted under counterterrorism or security laws, according to reports from media organizations and rights groups. The amnesty coincided with a national holiday and followed a broader tradition of periodic prisoner pardons by...

March 04, 2026 - Somalia - A Somali broadcast journalist was shot dead in the southern city of Kismayo in Jubaland state, prompting condemnation from press freedom groups and renewed concerns about the safety of journalists in Somalia. The journalist, Abshir Khalif Shidane, was fatally shot on the evening of 2 March 2026 at around 7:30 p.m. local time. According to initial reports gathered by media organisations and journalists’ unions, the shooting followed a brief altercation between Shidane and a police officer. Authorities later confirmed that the officer suspected of carrying out the shooting had...

March 04, 2026 - Lebanon - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has released a safety advisory for reporters working in Lebanon following a sharp escalation in hostilities that has placed media workers at significant risk. The guidance was issued in coordination with the Union of Journalists in Lebanon (UJL) after widespread Israeli airstrikes on 2 March 2026, and the collapse of the 2024 ceasefire intensified the dangers faced by journalists covering the conflict. In its advisory, the IFJ emphasized that the safety of journalists must remain the highest priority, reiterating the principle that “no...

March 04, 2026 - Peru - The release of a retired military officer convicted of murdering Peruvian journalist Hugo Bustíos has triggered strong criticism from press freedom advocates, who warn that the decision represents a major setback in the fight against impunity for crimes against journalists. On 3 March 2026, former interior minister and retired army officer Daniel Urresti was released from prison after Peru’s Constitutional Court annulled his 12-year sentence for the 1988 killing of Bustíos. The court’s decision followed a legal challenge invoking Law 32107, a 2024 statute that limits how international human...

March 04, 2026 - Georgia - Georgia’s Supreme Court has refused to consider an appeal from imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, effectively exhausting her remaining legal options within the country and prompting renewed criticism from press freedom advocates. The ruling, issued on 4 March 2026, declined to admit Amaglobeli’s appeal for review, leaving in place a two-year prison sentence imposed by lower courts. The decision means that the verdict against the journalist is now final under Georgia’s domestic legal system. Amaglobeli is the co-founder and director of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, both known...

March 04, 2026 - Burundi - Burundian journalist Sandra Muhoza has been provisionally released after spending nearly two years in detention, a decision welcomed by international press freedom organizations while legal proceedings against her continue. Muhoza, a reporter for the independent online outlet La Nova Burundi, was freed on 4 March 2026 following an order issued by the prosecutor at the Ngozi Court of Appeal in northern Burundi. The decision ended approximately 685 days in detention, during which the journalist remained imprisoned while contesting charges related to her reporting and communications with other journalists. Her...

March 04, 2026 - Turkey - Two Turkish journalists were detained by Israeli authorities while conducting a live broadcast outside a major military facility in Tel Aviv, prompting diplomatic protests from Turkey and renewed debate over press freedom during wartime reporting. The journalists, Emrah Çakmak, a reporter for CNN Türk, and cameraman Halil Kahraman, were taken into custody on 3 March 2026 while reporting near the Kirya military headquarters, the central base of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israeli police said the pair were suspected of filming a sensitive security installation while broadcasting live for...

March 03, 2026 - Iran - Journalists in Iran are facing an increasingly dangerous environment as escalating conflict and government restrictions severely limit access to information, according to recent reports by press freedom organisations. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that the war has created a severe crisis for journalism, with reporters working under air strikes while also confronting state repression and intimidation. Since the launch of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, journalists across the country have been attempting to cover events amid heavy bombardment and rapidly deteriorating security conditions....

March 03, 2026 - Bangladesh - Courts in Bangladesh have repeatedly denied bail to several detained journalists, prolonging their imprisonment and raising growing concerns among press freedom advocates about the state of media rights and due process in the country. The journalists have been held since the political upheaval that followed the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024. Since then, several reporters and editors have faced criminal cases tied to events during mass protests and unrest. Lawyers representing the detained journalists argue that many of the accusations are politically motivated and based...

March 03, 2026 - Kenya - A 35-year-old freelance journalist and photographer was found brutally murdered near Kihoto Estate in Naivasha, Kenya, in a case that has shocked residents and prompted a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Authorities discovered the victim’s body on February 25, 2026, about a kilometre from Naivasha town, after residents alerted police to a suspicious scene near a parked vehicle. According to witnesses, the man’s car was found with its doors open a few metres from where his body lay, suggesting a violent struggle had taken place. Blood...

March 02, 2026 - Belarus - A Belarusian court has sentenced two independent journalists to lengthy prison terms, drawing strong condemnation from international press freedom organisations that say the case reflects the continuing crackdown on independent media in the country. On 26 February 2026, the Brest Regional Court convicted journalists Uladzimir Yanukevich and Andrei Pakalenka on charges of “high treason,” sentencing them to 14 and 12 years in prison, respectively. The proceedings were held behind closed doors, and authorities have not publicly disclosed detailed evidence supporting the charges. Yanukevich, 65, is the founder and former...

March 02, 2026 - Ukraine/Russia - Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko has shared a detailed account of his imprisonment and alleged torture during more than four years in Russian custody, describing the physical abuse, coercion, and psychological pressure he endured after being detained in Russian-occupied Crimea. His testimony forms the basis of a recent feature published by the International Press Institute (IPI), which highlights both his experience and the broader campaign to free journalists detained worldwide. Yesypenko, a freelance contributor to Krym. Realii, a regional outlet of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was arrested by Russia’s Federal...

March 01, 2026 - Iran/US - US and Israeli military forces carried out airstrikes on parts of Iran’s state television and radio headquarters in central Tehran, significantly escalating regional tensions and drawing widespread international reaction. Iranian state-run broadcaster Press TV reported that warplanes struck sections of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) complex on March 1, 2026, damaging facilities associated with the national media infrastructure as well as nearby residential areas. Iranian media said the broadcaster continues to operate despite the attacks. The strikes were part of a broader joint offensive by the United...

March 01, 2026 - Turkey/USA - Two Turkish journalists were taken into custody by authorities after filming and livestreaming footage near İncirlik Air Base, a strategic military facility in southern Turkey that houses U.S. troops and NATO assets, in a case that has raised serious press freedom concerns. The detentions occurred on February 28, 2026, according to statements from local media and reporters’ unions. The journalists, identified as staff members of Koza TV working under contract with Anka News Agency, were reportedly shooting a live broadcast just outside the perimeter of the base near Adana...