News

October 10, 2025 – South Africa KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has called for lawmakers to empower the State Security Agency to surveil media outlets and for journalists deemed to spread “misinformation” to be jailed. Mkhwanazi made these remarks during his testimony before a parliamentary committee investigating alleged “capture” of the criminal justice system. While he insisted he had “no issue with journalism as a profession,” he refused to withdraw his proposal. He also accused certain reporters of being “handled” by rogue elements within police intelligence, as part of a misinformation campaign....

October 10, 2025 - Palestine - At least 36 Palestinians, including journalists, were injured in a wave of violence involving Israeli troops and illegal settlers around Nablus in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that among the injured, two were struck by live ammunition, while others sustained bruises, cuts, and suffocation from tear gas and physical abuse. The attacks unfolded in Beita, Huwara, and Deir Sharaf—areas known for olive cultivation—where settlers reportedly assaulted olive pickers and media crews, burning vehicles and hurling stones. AFP photographer Jaafar Ishtayeh was among those targeted: his...

October 10, 2025 - Vatican City/Palestine - Pope Leo XIV has publicly honoured journalists who brave conflict zones like Gaza, emphasising that much of what the world knows about beleaguered regions comes at great personal cost. “If today we know what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine, and every other land bloodied by bombs, we largely owe it to them,” he asserted during a gathering of global news agency leaders. Speaking at the 39th Conference and Extraordinary General Assembly of MINDS International, the pontiff pressed news organizations not to compromise integrity for clicks or profit. He...

October 10, 2025 - Finland/Palestine - A Finnish journalist was briefly detained after posing a pointed query to President Alexander Stubb during a press moment, asking whether Finland should continue arms purchases from Israel in light of United Nations accusations of genocide. Video footage shared online shows the journalist, identified by his first name Tuomas, asking: “President Stubb, is it appropriate for Finland to continue arms purchases from Israel, a country that has been accused of genocide by the UN and ICJ?”  The president declined to respond. Soon afterwards, police officials intervened, escorting Tuomas away...

October 10, 2025 - Georgia - In a forceful appeal dated October 10, 2025, media freedom advocates and civil society organizations have raised alarms about an accelerating crackdown on Georgian journalists and press freedom defenders and called on the international community, especially the European Union, to act decisively. According to the joint statement, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) government has ratcheted up both institutional pressures and physical harassment against the press. On October 4, at least 11 journalists were targeted—both by independent outlets and state-aligned media—during municipal election protests, signalling a broader trend of suppression....

October 10, 2025 - Vietnam - Vietnamese authorities arrested Huynh Ngoc Tuan at his home in Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province, on October 7, 2025, accusing him of “propagandizing against the state” under Article 117 of the penal code—a provision that carries penalties of up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Tuan is a well-known independent writer and social commentator who frequently criticizes the Vietnamese government via posts on his Facebook page, particularly on issues of human rights, governance, and foreign affairs. His arrest marks the latest in a long history of harassment: over the years,...

October 10, 2025 - Egypt - In a provocative move against critical voices, an Egyptian court has sentenced commentator Abdel Khaleq Farouk to five years behind bars on charges widely interpreted as aimed at suppressing dissent. The case reflects broader tightening of restrictions on public discourse under the current regime. Farouk, known for his sharp political commentary, was convicted on unspecified charges tied to alleged threats to national security and spreading false information. The verdict follows a pattern in Egypt, where authorities increasingly deploy stringent laws to silence journalists, critics, and commentators who challenge the...

October 10, 2025 - Serbia - The Basic Court in Mitrovica has resumed hearings against Slavko Simić, deputy leader of the Serbian List (Srpska Lista), and Uroš Vukašinović, accused in connection with a violent assault on journalists during a June 2023 protest in Leposavić, northern Kosovo. According to the prosecution’s indictment, Simić is charged with inciting protesters to target journalists and participating in a mob intent on committing criminal acts, categorized under hooliganism. Vukašinović, meanwhile, is accused of direct assault and the same crowd-related offenses. During the attacks on June 16, 2023, reports state Albanian...

October 10, 2025 - Palestine - In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian reporters have paid tribute to their Gaza-based counterparts who have lost their lives covering the war. The phrase “You gave everything” has become a refrain in memorials honouring the risks and sacrifices made to document the conflict. Journalists in Hebron and elsewhere said that many in Gaza accepted the possibility of death to carry reports of suffering to the outside world. From the relative distance of the West Bank, they grapple with both grief and frustration—they too face Israeli military operations, tight movement...

October 10, 2025 - Lebanon/Palestine - Lebanon’s Cabinet has instructed the Ministry of Justice to explore legal avenues to hold Israel accountable for attacks against journalists, with a special focus on the fatal shelling that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and affected his colleagues. The initiative originated from a proposal by Information Minister Paul Morcos, endorsed by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. During a recent session at Beirut’s Grand Serail, the Cabinet approved the motion, citing prior resolutions calling for the inclusion of an independent Dutch report on Abdallah’s killing in Lebanon’s...

October 10, 2025 - USA -  In a decisive ruling, a U.S. federal judge has issued a 14-day temporary restraining order barring Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents from using riot control arms or physical force against journalists covering protests and immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area. The order also prohibits arrests, threats of arrest, or dispersal against identifiable journalists—unless there is specific probable cause that they have committed a crime. Judge Sara Ellis (Northern District of Illinois) extended the protections to agents from ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, requiring them to...

October 10, 2025 - Russia/Azerbaijan - Following a high-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Azerbaijan has transferred Igor Kartavykh, the executive director of Sputnik Azerbaijan, from prison to house arrest. Kartavykh and several of his colleagues had been detained in June, amid rising tensions between Moscow and Baku. The Russian state media outlet Sputnik was under investigation after Azerbaijani authorities ordered its closure and scrutiny of its ties to Rossiya Segodnya. According to Reuters sources, the decision to ease his detention coincided with the diplomatic encounter—and may...

October 10, 2025 - Afghanistan/India - Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, visiting New Delhi, held a press conference at the Afghan Embassy—but no women journalists were allowed to attend. The exclusion was widely criticized as a blatant act of gender discrimination. Journalists at the scene noted that invitations were extended only to a select group of male reporters. One remarked sarcastically, “Apparently, Indian women journalists cannot attend a presser … because the Taliban likes it that way.” The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) sharply condemned the decision, faulting both the Taliban and the...

October 09, 2025 - China - The Beijing High Court has postponed a decision on the appeal of veteran journalist Dong Yuyu, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage charges—drawing fresh criticism from press freedom groups. Dong, 63, once an editor and columnist at the state-run Guangming Daily, was detained in February 2022 while dining with a Japanese diplomat. He was convicted in November 2024 and filed an appeal in December of the same year. Originally, the court was expected to deliver a ruling by early May. That deadline has already been...

October 09, 2025 - Georgia - During a major anti-government demonstration in Tbilisi on 4 October, at least 11 journalists were physically assaulted while covering the rally, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The protest coincided with a partial boycott of municipal elections and was rooted in growing unrest over the ruling Georgian Dream party’s shift in foreign policy toward the European Union. Clashes broke out when some protesters attempted to approach the presidential residence and were repelled by riot police using tear gas, water cannons, and other crowd-control measures. Multiple journalists were...

October 09, 2025 - Guatemala - Veteran journalist José Rubén Zamora, detained in Guatemala since 2022 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated, has expressed deep concern that he may be killed while incarcerated—despite being under state custody. The warning came through the advocacy arm of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which relayed Zamora’s fears to AFP. At 69 years old, Zamora is the founder of the now-defunct newspaper El Periódico. He has been held for more than 1,100 days, accused of money laundering and other charges that many press freedom groups still dispute as judicial...

October 09, 2025 - USA/Palestine - During a recent White House roundtable on protests, President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Kristen Holmes, a CNN senior White House correspondent. He declined to take her question about a proposed Israel–Hamas peace plan. When Holmes asked whether Trump was personally involved in brokering the deal, the president interrupted her: “This is CNN speaking, by the way … one of the worst reporters that you’ll ever see.” He added that he didn’t “even want to take her question,” calling it “a waste of time.” The exchange came just after Secretary...

October 09, 2025 - Turkey -  In Istanbul, journalist Melisa Gülbaş has been ordered by a criminal court to pay 7,080 Turkish lira (around USD 220) after being convicted on a charge of insulting a public official under Article 125/3 of the Turkish Penal Code. The judgment came at the fourth hearing of her trial in the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Gülbaş did not attend this session; her legal team and representatives from the prosecution were present. The case stems from an investigative article she published on 18 December 2023 on the...

October 09, 2025 - General - In his first major public address as Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network, Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani urged stronger protections for journalists operating in war zones. Speaking on October 8, 2025, at the “Conference on The Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflicts” in Doha, he declared that “protecting journalists is protection of the truth.” Sheikh Nasser emphasized that the press should not be seen as a participant in conflicts, but as a vital conduit of information. He warned that without sufficient safeguards, many war crimes may...

October 08, 2025 - Pakistan - In a chilling attack in Sindh’s Ghotki district, local journalist Tufail Haiderani Rind was fatally shot while transporting his children to school. The brazen assault occurred near Jerwar Road in Mirpur Mathelo, where assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle. Rind died instantly, and, tragically, his eight-year-old niece later died, either from shock or the trauma of witnessing the killing. Rind was no stranger to threats: he had survived a prior assassination attempt and had previously petitioned for protection from local authorities. At the time of his...

October 08, 2025  - Bangladesh/Palestine -  A prominent Bangladeshi activist, participating in the Thousand Madleens / Freedom Flotilla mission to Gaza, has urged supporters worldwide to persist in the struggle for Palestinian liberation. He emphasized the urgency of maintaining pressure, saying: “I appeal to all my comrades and friends to continue fighting for the freedom of Palestine.” The activist in question is Shahidul Alam, a renowned photographer, writer, and director of the Dhaka-based media organization, Drik. He was among a group of approximately 145 activists from 30 countries who were intercepted by Israeli naval forces off...

October 08, 2025 - India -  A coordinated cyberbullying campaign has been launched against Gafira Qadir, a Kashmiri freelance journalist, following her film review that criticized how Songs of Paradise downplayed the political realities of Kashmir. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the attacks as an orchestrated attempt to silence dissenting voices in the region. After her review was published on 15 September, Qadir experienced a deluge of online abuse. Within three days, RSF documented at least 125 posts on platform X, peaking at 58 in a single day. The attacks included personal insults, accusations of...

October 07, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Bangladeshi journalist SM Hayat Uddin, a reporter for the daily Bhorer Chetana, was brutally hacked to death in the Harikhali area of Bagerhat district on Friday night, sparking outrage among journalists and press-freedom advocates across the country. According to witnesses, Hayat Uddin was attacked by several unidentified assailants armed with sharp weapons while returning home around 8 p.m. Locals rushed him to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. He was 42 years old. Hayat Uddin was not only an active journalist but also politically engaged, having...

October 07, 2025 - USA - A coalition of journalists, media organizations, unions, and protesters has filed a federal lawsuit against President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and other high-level officials. They claim that during protests outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, federal agents employed “extreme brutality” — including tear gas, pepper balls, flash grenades, and other forceful tactics — in violation of First Amendment protections. The 52-page complaint accuses agents of targeting journalists who were clearly identifiable by press credentials, injuring at least six reporters. It also recounts incidents affecting protesters and...

October 07, 2025 - Guinea -  The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Guinean authorities to take swift action after the 75-year-old father of exiled journalist Mamoudou Babila Keita was abducted by unidentified individuals. The kidnapping took place on September 29, 2025, in Nzérékoré, southeastern Guinea. Witnesses said two men approached Elhadj Adama Keita outside his residence, grabbed him by the neck, forced him into a vehicle, and fled the scene. The day before, unknown individuals were reportedly seen asking for the “family of Babila Keita,” a detail suggesting the abduction was premeditated and...