News

October 14, 2025 - Palestine -  Instagram has removed the account of slain Palestinian journalist Saleh Al-Jafarawi, which boasted about 4.5 million followers. The deletion extends beyond the account itself: archived snapshots on the Wayback Machine appear to have been disabled, raising fears that efforts are underway to erase public records of his work. Al-Jafarawi was reportedly killed on October 12 while covering clashes involving militias in Gaza during a fragile ceasefire. His death and the account removal together have provoked alarm among media watchers, who warn that silencing digital footprints of journalists undermines documentation,...

October 14, 2025 - Nigeria - A disturbing incident has drawn attention to the security risks faced by journalists in Nigeria. Salis Manaja, a multimedia reporter affiliated with PRNigeria and Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), was abducted by armed assailants while traveling toward Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, to attend the organization’s media fellowship. According to multiple accounts, Manaja departed from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, heading toward Kwara when he went missing along the highway section passing through Kogi State, which has become notorious for banditry and abductions in recent years.  His communication line reportedly...

October 14, 2025 - USA/Palestine -  Noa Avishag Schnall, an American photojournalist aboard a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla, has publicly alleged that she endured horrific mistreatment while in Israeli custody. According to her account, she and other detainees were subjected to beatings across multiple parts of the body, including the face, back, stomach, and skull. In one instance, she says guards lifted her by metal shackles attached to her wrists and ankles and seated a guard on her face, restricting her breathing. Schnall further claims the detainees were roused from sleep with explicit threats of rape....

October 14, 2025 - Afghanistan/India -  During a high-profile visit to New Delhi, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held a press event that sparked major controversy after female journalists were reportedly barred from attending the initial session.  The exclusion prompted strong reactions from Indian media, civil society, and opposition figures, who interpreted it as a stark reinforcement of gender discrimination under Taliban rule even beyond Afghanistan’s borders. In response to mounting criticism, Muttaqi convened a second press conference two days later, this time allowing women journalists to participate and publicly defending the earlier...

October 14, 2025 - Belarus -  Yauhen Nikalayevich, a former video correspondent for Media-Polesye, has been released after completing a one-and-a-half-year prison term tied to his alleged involvement in protests that took place in 2020. The Pinsk City and District Court had convicted him of engaging in acts that severely disrupted public order — charges tied to his journalistic coverage of the demonstrations in Pinsk during that period. His arrest in early 2024 followed his return to Belarus after having left the country amid prior detention actions. During earlier protests in 2020, he had been detained...

October 14, 2025 - Palestine -  Lawyers and rights advocates are pushing the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to open investigations into the killing of Saleh Aljafarawi, a Palestinian journalist who was reportedly abducted, tortured, and then murdered in Gaza City. They say his disappearance and subsequent death represent a “grave injustice” that demands accountability at the highest international levels. According to legal filings, advocates are lodging formal complaints to both the UN and ICC, accusing parties connected to the killing—allegedly involving an “Israeli-backed gang”—of orchestrating a deliberate attack on a media worker. The...

October 14, 2025 - Georgia -  The International Press Institute (IPI), in collaboration with International Media Support (IMS), has named Mzia Amaglobeli a 2025 World Press Freedom Hero. The award recognizes her steadfast dedication to independent journalism in the face of political pressure and her ongoing imprisonment in Georgia. Amaglobeli is the co-founder and leader of two respected independent news outlets, Batumelebi and Netgazeti, both of which have played critical roles in Georgia’s media landscape. Her prosecution and detention have become emblematic of the shrinking civic space and efforts to silence dissenting journalism in Georgia....

October 14, 2025 - Iran -  Shirin Saeedi, a veteran economic journalist in Iran, was released from Evin Prison in mid-October 2025 after being held for more than 21 months. Her release came under a general amnesty and directive for sentence reduction, though the precise reasons and legal mechanism behind the decision have not been publicly clarified. Saeedi was arrested in late December 2023. According to public reports, her detention followed a summons to the court, and she was then transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison after interrogation. In March 2024, she was convicted...

October 14, 2025 - Moldova/Belgium - The European Union Delegation in Moldova, in collaboration with the EU NEIGHBOURS East program, is inviting journalists from the Republic of Moldova to participate in a study visit to Brussels from 17 to 21 November 2025. The visit is strategically aligned with the EU Enlargement Forum on 18 November, giving participants the rare opportunity to follow crucial debates and policy discussions shaping the future of EU enlargement. The primary aim of this initiative is to strengthen the capacity of Moldovan media professionals by providing them with firsthand insight into...

October 14, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli authorities have freed fourteen journalists and other individuals who were detained earlier this month while aboard the Wijdan (Conscience), a vessel belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). The detentions occurred on October 8, 2025, when the Israeli military intercepted the flotilla as it attempted to sail toward Gaza. Most of those detained were held for approximately four days before being released. Among the released journalists were Emily Wilder, Noa Avishag Schnall, Thomas Hayes, Hicham Rami, José María Lozano Maneiro, Ali Kniss, and others. One of them, Thomas Bain Becker...

October 13, 2025 - Palestine - The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was supposed to bring a fragile pause to months of relentless war in Gaza. For many Palestinians, including journalist Salih Al-Caferavi, it was a moment of brief relief. Just days before his death, Al-Caferavi was filmed walking through the streets of Gaza joyfully announcing the truce. His optimism, shared widely on social media, stood in sharp contrast to what would follow only three days later. Al-Caferavi, known for documenting the realities of war on the ground, was in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood reporting...

Ocotber 13, 2025 - Australia/Palestine - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), have strongly denounced efforts by lobby groups to silence Australian journalists who report critically on Israel’s war in Gaza. In a public statement, IFJ and MEAA assert that targeting, harassment, and censorship campaigns represent serious threats to press freedom and democratic rights. They called on media organizations and regulatory bodies to uphold journalists’ fundamental rights to free expression and access to information. One high-profile case involves Lebanese-Australian journalist Antoinette Lattouf, who the...

October 13, 2025 – Ecuador - Ecuadorian press freedom organization Fundamedios has issued a strong condemnation following violent assaults by state security forces on journalists covering protests in Quito on October 12, 2025. The incident has triggered national and international outrage, raising serious concerns about the growing hostility toward the press during moments of political unrest. According to Fundamedios, reporters who were clearly identified as members of the press were deliberately targeted by security officers while documenting clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. Journalists were reportedly beaten, searched, and in some cases temporarily detained despite...

October 13, 2025 – Turkey – Turkish journalist and environmental activist Hakan Tosun, aged around 50, is fighting for his life after a violent assault in Istanbul that many believe was linked to his work reporting on environmental issues. Tosun went missing after getting off public transport and was later found unconscious and gravely wounded in the Esenyurt district. He had suffered a severe beating and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain hemorrhage and described his condition as critical. His family, alarmed by delays in locating him and obtaining hospital information,...

October 13, 2025 – Palestine – In the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, international journalists and press organizations have renewed urgent appeals for Israel to open Gaza’s borders and allow free, unrestricted foreign media access to the territory.  The Foreign Press Association (FPA), among others, welcomed the ceasefire but insisted that halting hostilities must be matched by transparency and independent reporting. Across multiple media platforms, commentators warn that shutting out international journalists deepens the already severe information blackout over Gaza, leaving coverage dependent on local reporters who work under extreme conditions and...

October 13, 2025 - Mexico -  Mexican press freedom group Artículo 19 has raised alarm over alleged intimidation by Senator Ricardo Sheffield against journalist Antonio Nieto following the publication of a probing exposé. The contested report, published on La Silla Rota, detailed claims from a protected witness that linked Sheffield, his successor at the consumer protection agency, and multiple officials to a network of corruption. In response to the article, Sheffield publicly denied the existence of any investigation and accused Nieto of fabricating the narrative. According to Artículo 19, Sheffield then messaged Nieto via WhatsApp...

October 13, 2025 - Burkina Faso -  In mid-October 2025, a violent turn of events shook Burkina Faso’s media and justice sectors when three appellate court magistrates and two senior journalists were reported abducted or missing. The journalists affected included Ousseni Ilboudo, editor-in-chief of L’Observateur Paalga, and Michel Nana, deputy editor of Le Pays. Ilboudo was forcibly taken from his newsroom by men claiming to be intelligence officials; Nana was similarly seized while at work. Among the magistrates, two were kidnapped on Friday and Sunday, and a third has been unaccounted for since Saturday. This...

October 12, 2025 - Afghanistan -  When Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited New Delhi in October 2025, he faced sharp criticism after women journalists were initially excluded from a press conference. The decision sparked outcry and was condemned as gender discrimination—and once the backlash mounted, a second press session was convened that included female reporters. Reporter Arpan Rai described how she and her female colleagues were forced to wait outside while male counterparts entered the venue without hindrance—despite efforts to secure interviews in the days leading up to the delegation’s arrival. At the...

October 12, 2025 – Palestine/Europe – In the wake of a ceasefire taking effect on 10 October 2025, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has issued a forceful demand: international journalists, investigators, UN rapporteurs, and fact-finding commissions must be granted full, unrestricted entry into Gaza to document the destruction and prevent further erasure of evidence. The group frames this access as a legal and moral imperative. It argues that without transparent coverage and forensic investigation, grave violations—including what it calls genocide—could be hidden, obscured, or denied. Euro-Med also notes that Israel has, over the course of hostilities,...

October 12, 2025 – Germany – A year has passed since Adonis Alkhaled, a journalist working for Deutsche Welle (DW), was violently assaulted, yet the wounds—both physical and institutional—remain largely unsettled. German authorities continue to investigate the episode, which occurred in the context of a concert by Syrian singer Al Shami. According to available reports, Alkhaled and a colleague were covering the concert when tensions flared. Despite having clear “PRESS” identification, he was attacked near the venue by security personnel. The assault reportedly followed insults and intimidation during their interview with Al Shami.  The incident...

October 12, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi was killed on Sunday while covering clashes in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City. He was 28 years old. His death marks yet another devastating blow to Gaza’s press community, which has already lost hundreds of journalists since the war began in October 2023. Aljafarawi was reported missing earlier in the day before footage emerged showing his body on the back of a truck, still wearing his press flak jacket. The circumstances of his death are tied to heavy armed confrontations that erupted in Sabra...

October 11, 2025 – Syria - A veteran war photographer, Jonathan Alpeyrie, shared harrowing details of his abduction in Syria, revealing that militants he had been documenting ultimately betrayed him and “sold” him as a hostage at a checkpoint. Alpeyrie, who had covered major conflict zones including Syria, Gaza, and Ukraine, described how he had once been filming militants when they turned against him. Despite having visible “PRESS” credentials, his captors handed him over to other armed actors who detained him. He recounted that the betrayal occurred during a routine filming assignment. After being escorted...

October 11, 2025 – France/Russia/Ukraine – On 3 October 2025, French freelance photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed in eastern Ukraine when a Russian-controlled drone attacked his position near Komyshuvakha, in the Donetsk region. His Ukrainian colleague, Georgiy Ivanchenko, was severely injured. Lallican, 37, had been covering the war in Ukraine since 2022 for a wide set of French and international outlets (including Le Monde, Libération, Paris Match, Der Spiegel, Die Welt, Le Temps, among others) and also worked through the Hans Lucas photography agency. He and Ivanchenko were accompanying the Ukrainian 4th Tank Brigade, reporting...

October 11, 2025 - Palestine - An AFP photojournalist, identified as Jaafar Ashtiyeh, was injured on October 10, 2025, while covering the olive harvest in the Palestinian village of Beita, south of Nablus, when Israeli settlers launched a violent assault. Ashtiyeh, a seasoned photographer with three decades of experience, said he had never before encountered such brutality. “If I hadn’t managed to escape, they would have killed me,” he later told AFP reporters. According to his account, two groups of some 70 settlers, armed with sticks and stones, descended on the harvesters and accompanying media...

October 10, 2025 – Palestine – As a fragile ceasefire took hold in Gaza, five journalists—four based inside Gaza and one in exile—shared haunting reflections on the physical, emotional, and moral toll of covering a conflict they describe as genocide. The truce, implemented midday Friday, marked a pause in the bombardment and an opportunity for many displaced civilians to return north. But for journalists, the ceasefire also signals a reckoning with what they have endured—and what lies ahead. In Gaza City, Huda Skaik described a tremor of cautious hope when she first heard the news....