News

December 18, 2025 - Iran - Two Iranian journalists based in Lorestan Province, Majid Beiranvand and Ehsan Moayedi-Kia, have been sentenced to one year in prison and one year of forced residence (exile) following a court ruling tied to their criticism of the provincial governor and an online campaign published on social media, according to a report by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The sentences compound growing concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and press freedom in Iran, where journalists face arrests, legal action, and punitive measures for coverage critical of officials...

December 22, 2025 - Peru -  Two recent shooting incidents targeting journalists in Peru have prompted alarm from international press freedom organisations, which say the attacks and authorities’ limited responses highlight growing risks for media workers and a climate of impunity in the country. In the first incident on December 10, 2025, veteran investigative reporter José Medina was wounded when unknown assailants opened fire on his vehicle in Bagua, Amazonas region, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Medina, known for his reporting on regional corruption, escaped with non-life-threatening injuries, but the attack underscored persistent threats...

December 21, 2025 - Palestine - The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Jerusalem has welcomed a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court to set a January 4, 2026, deadline for the government to respond to its petition demanding unfettered press access to the Gaza Strip, marking a significant development in ongoing disputes over media freedom and reporting amid the protracted conflict. The court-ordered deadline comes after more than two years of litigation and repeated government requests for extensions. Since the outbreak of intense hostilities in October 2023, Israeli authorities have largely barred foreign journalists from...

December 21, 2025 - Pakistan -  Amnesty International has expressed serious concern over the detention of Islamabad-based journalist Sohrab Barkat, calling on Pakistani authorities to disclose the reasons for his arrest and ensure his rights are protected. The human rights organisation said Barkat’s continued detention without a transparent legal justification raises pressing questions about press freedom and due process in Pakistan. Barkat, a journalist known for his reporting on social and political issues in the Pakistani capital, was detained by law enforcement officials in Islamabad on December 20, 2025. The circumstances of his arrest have...

December 21, 2025 - India -  Filmmakers, writers, and cultural activists have issued a strong condemnation of censorship at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) and the Kerala state government’s decision to acquiesce to restrictions imposed by India’s central authorities on the screening of select films. The controversy has drawn widespread criticism from prominent figures in the artistic community, who frame the episode as an assault on artistic freedom and democratic values in cultural expression. The dispute began in mid-December 2025 when the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting declined to grant censor-exemption...

December 21, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Hundreds of journalists in Bangladesh took to the streets in coordinated protests this week to condemn recent attacks on news organisations and demand stronger protections for media workers, following a wave of violent actions that have targeted press institutions and journalists covering nationwide demonstrations. The rallies, held in Dhaka and several major cities, reflect deep frustration within the media community over what participants describe as a climate of hostility, impunity, and insufficient government response to threats against the press. The demonstrations followed arson attacks on the offices of prominent...

December 21, 2025 - Palestine/Egypt -  Palestinian-Egyptian journalist Youmna El Sayed, a seasoned correspondent for Al Jazeera English, has navigated profound personal and professional challenges in covering the war in Gaza, ultimately choosing to protect her children while remaining committed to documenting the conflict for global audiences. El Sayed’s experience underscores the human cost of frontline reporting and the difficult choices facing journalists in war zones. El Sayed, 35, was living in Gaza City with her husband and four young children when the October 7, 2023, conflict began between Hamas and Israel. Initially, she reported...

December 20, 2025 - Kashmir -  Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj has completed 1,000 days in jail, prompting renewed appeals from press freedom organisations and civil society for his immediate and unconditional release. Mehraj, a reporter with Kashmir Mirror, was arrested in 2022 by Indian authorities in the context of a broader security operation in Indian-administered Kashmir. His prolonged detention has drawn sustained criticism from media bodies, human rights advocates, and rights defenders who describe his continued incarceration as arbitrary and harmful to press freedom. According to statements from the Journalists Federation of Kashmir (JFK) and...

December 20, 2025 - Jordan -  Amid mounting concern from media advocates and political actors across the Arab world, Jordanian authorities have detained Lebanese journalist Mohammed Faraj without disclosing the legal basis for his arrest or his current status, prompting widespread criticism and calls for his release. Faraj, known for his work as a presenter and documentary maker with the Lebanese news outlet al-Mayadeen, was stopped by officials at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman when returning from Beirut with his wife, journalist Rana Abi Jumaa. Following an intensive search and questioning, he was taken...

December 19, 2025 - USA -  Florida authorities have dismissed criminal charges against photojournalist Daniel Smith, ending a legal case that had drawn concern from press freedom groups and civil liberties advocates. Smith, who was covering a protest in Tampa on September 5, 2025, was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, after police alleged he failed to comply with instructions while photographing demonstrators near the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The charges were formally dropped on December 22, 2025, following sustained advocacy by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and partner...

December 19, 2025 - China/USA - A Chinese citizen-journalist who fled to the United States in fear of retaliation for documenting alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims has had part of his deportation threat rescinded, but his legal status remains unresolved as he continues to pursue asylum. Guan Heng, a 38-year-old journalist from Henan Province known for filming footage of alleged detention facilities in China’s Xinjiang region, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August 2025 after entering the country without legal status. He has been held in a New York...

December 19, 2025 - Turkey -  Prominent Turkish journalist Levent Gültekin was detained by police in Istanbul this week following controversial remarks made on his YouTube channel, an incident that has drawn attention to ongoing restrictions on media expression in Turkey. Gültekin’s brief detention occurred late on December 17, 2025, when security forces took him into custody at a café in the Bebek district of the city, reportedly on suspicion of publicly disseminating “misleading information” related to political commentary he posted online. The exact legal basis for the allegation remains unclear, and Gültekin has publicly...

December 19, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Violent unrest in Bangladesh has escalated sharply in December 2025, claiming the life of a journalist and intensifying fears over press freedom and public safety amid nationwide protests. The turmoil erupted following the killing of a Hindu youth during demonstrations, triggering widespread clashes, arson, and targeted attacks across multiple regions. As protests spread, journalists increasingly found themselves caught in the violence, facing direct threats while reporting on the unfolding crisis. One of the most serious incidents occurred in Khulna, where journalist Imdadul Haque Milon was shot dead by unidentified...

December 19, 2025 - Guatemala -  Guatemalan journalist Jorge Agustín Zapeta Aguilar, 56, was found dead on December 16, 2025, in a rural stretch of El Aguacatal in the Suchitepéquez department, days after his family reported that he had received threats and subsequently went missing. Local media and press freedom advocates have condemned the killing, underscoring deepening concerns about journalist safety in Guatemala. According to local reporting, Zapeta was last seen alive on December 14, and his disappearance triggered urgent searches by relatives after he failed to make contact. His body was discovered alongside a...

December 19, 2025 - Bangladesh - Violent protests that erupted across Bangladesh in December 2025 following the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi have dramatically escalated, including unprecedented attacks on the country’s principal media institutions that have effectively silenced major newspapers and drawn condemnation from press freedom advocates. Late on December 18 and into early December 19, mobs of demonstrators stormed and set fire to the offices of two of Bangladesh’s leading newspapers — Prothom Alo and The Daily Star — in the Karwan Bazar area of Dhaka. Witnesses reported that attackers vandalised entrance...

December 18, 2025 - Latin America - Latin America and the Caribbean have once again been identified as the most dangerous region for journalists working outside active war zones in 2025, according to press freedom analysts and regional reporting. By the close of the year, at least 17 journalists were murdered across the region, a figure that represents more than a quarter of all journalist killings globally outside conflict zones, highlighting persistent threats to media workers covering critical local and national issues. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) statistics indicate that Mexico accounted for the highest number...

December 18, 2025 - Belarus -  Investigations by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and affiliated digital security researchers have revealed that Belarusian state security forces are deploying previously undisclosed spyware to infiltrate the mobile devices of journalists and media workers, escalating concerns about digital surveillance and press repression in the country. The spyware, identified and analysed by RSF’s Digital Security Lab (DSL) in collaboration with the Eastern European organisation RESIDENT.NGO was discovered on the smartphone of a Belarusian journalist known to have been interrogated by the State Security Committee (KGB). Rights advocates say this development illustrates a...

December 18, 2025 - India - Independent journalist Pankaj Mishra (50) died in Dehradun following a violent attack at his home, prompting police to arrest two suspects and launch a detailed investigation into the incident. The assault occurred late on December 15, 2025, when a group of men forcibly entered Mishra’s residence in the Doon Vihar area of Jakhan and allegedly subjected him to a severe beating. The attack resulted in critical injuries that led to his death in a hospital in the early hours of December 16, 2025. According to the complaint lodged by...

December 18, 2025 - Africa -  A coalition of 127 women journalists from across Africa has publicly expressed solidarity with Burundian reporter Sandra Muhoza, urging Burundian authorities to free her unconditionally as she faces fresh legal proceedings this week. The letter, published on December 18, 2025, highlights deep concern over her longstanding detention and frames her continued imprisonment as an affront to press freedom and democratic norms. Muhoza, whose appeal is scheduled to be heard on December 19, 2025, remains in custody despite earlier judicial decisions that should have resulted in her release. Muhoza, a...

December 17, 2025 - USA -  A tragic incident in Alabama has claimed the lives of a well-known American sports reporter and her husband in what authorities are describing as an apparent murder-suicide, with their young child found unharmed at the scene. Christina Chambers, 38, a respected sports journalist who covered professional and collegiate athletics for major media outlets, and her husband, Daniel Chambers, were discovered dead in their home in Mobile County on December 16, 2025, local law enforcement confirmed. Their 3-year-old child was found safe inside the residence and taken into protective custody....

December 17, 2025 - USA - Charges against photojournalist David “Dave” Decker in connection with a protest at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in Miami have been dropped, ending a legal ordeal that raised concerns among press-freedom advocates about journalists’ rights to document demonstrations and police responses. Decker was arrested in early December 2025 during a protest outside the Krome Service Processing Center, an ICE detention facility west of Miami, where immigrants were being held amid ongoing debates over U.S. immigration policy. He had been covering the demonstration for his publication when...

December 17, 2025 - Belarus/Georgia -  The European Parliament has awarded its 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to two imprisoned journalists from Belarus and Georgia, honoring their courage and resilience in the face of repression for carrying out their professional duties. The prize has been awarded to Andrzej Poczobut, a Belarusian journalist and activist, and Mzia Amaglobeli, a Georgian journalist, both of whom are currently detained over their reporting. The decision highlights growing concern within the European Union over the continued persecution of journalists across Europe and its neighboring regions. In announcing the...

December 17, 2025 - Palestine -  Detailed testimony from a Palestinian journalist and other former detainees has intensified scrutiny of alleged abuse in Israeli detention facilities, including claims of torture and sexual violence that rights groups and survivors say form part of a broader pattern of mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners. These allegations have surfaced through interviews with media outlets and public forums, prompting calls for independent investigations and accountability. Journalist’s TestimonyPalestinian freelance journalist Sami al-Sai, who was held without formal charges in Israeli prisons after his arrest in the occupied West Bank on February 23,...

December 17, 2025 - Myanmar -  Rights advocates and press freedom defenders have renewed global calls for the immediate release of photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike, who remains imprisoned in Myanmar following a harsh sentence handed down by the country’s military-controlled judicial system. Sai Zaw, a respected photographer for the independent news outlet Myanmar Now, was detained in May 2023 while documenting the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine State. He was subsequently tried in a single-day proceeding and sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour on charges including spreading false information and causing...

December 17, 2025 - Afghanistan -  The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has welcomed the release of two media professionals from Rasa Television who had been detained for approximately ten months, underscoring significant ongoing pressures on independent news workers under the current Afghan authorities. Ghulam Mohiuddin Sahibzada, editor-in-chief of Rasa TV, and reporter Jihadmal Habibi were freed on 15 December 2025, after completing lengthy detention that rights groups describe as arbitrary and linked to their journalistic work. Both had been held at Bagram Prison following their arrest in February 2025 by forces associated with the Taliban’s...