News

September 15, 2025 – Crimea/Russia/Siberia - After more than six years of separation, Safiye, the daughter of Crimean Tatar journalist Remzi Bekirov, has finally reunited with her father for three days in a Russian Siberian penal colony. The meeting, in Khakassia, offered a brief but powerful respite for a family torn apart by political repression. Remzi Bekirov, a citizen journalist from Crimea, is serving a 19-year sentence under accusations of creating a Hizb ut-Tahrir cell, charges widely regarded by human rights defenders as falsified and politically motivated. His reports on repression against Crimean Tatars are...

September 15, 2025 - General -  Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Trymaine Lee has published a memoir, A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America, which sheds light on the physical and emotional toll of covering gun violence in Black communities. At age 38, Lee suffered a near-fatal heart attack, a medical emergency he believes resulted from the cumulative stress of his career reporting on death, trauma, and loss. That moment forced him to reckon more directly with how the work had impacted him—not just as a journalist, but as...

September 15, 2025 - UK -  MI5 has formally conceded that it unlawfully acquired communications data belonging to Vincent Kearney, a former BBC Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent, during two instances in 2006 and 2009. The data in question came to light in a letter addressed both to Kearney and the BBC, with the revelation emerging as part of a tribunal examining whether journalists in Northern Ireland have been subject to improper surveillance by police and security services. Kearney, who is now the Northern Editor for the Irish broadcaster RTÉ, had worked on a documentary...

September 14, 2025 - Palestine/Germany - Palestinian photojournalist Anas Zayed Fteiha, based in the Gaza Strip, has filed a legal claim against German publishing giant Axel Springer, accusing the company of violating his constitutional rights by falsely portraying him as a Hamas propagandist. The case, reported by The Intercept, centers on Springer’s flagship tabloid Bild, which allegedly mischaracterized Fteiha’s reporting as partisan propaganda in support of Hamas. Fteiha’s lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent Axel Springer from continuing to circulate what he describes as defamatory claims. According to the filing, Springer’s portrayal has damaged his...

September 14, 2025 - Yemen – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned an Israeli airstrike that killed at least nine journalists in Yemen, calling it a “grave violation of international law.” The strike on 10 September hit Sana’a and the northern province of Al Jawf, damaging the offices of the 26 September Newspaper, a media outlet under Houthi control. The fatalities include Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, Abbas Al-Dailami, Youssef Shams Al-Din Al-Bahri, Mohammed Al-Omeisi, Abdullah Al-Harazi, Murad Halboub Al-Faqih, Ali Naji Al-Shara’i, Ali Mohammed Al-Aqel, and Jamal Al-Adhi. Several others were wounded, among them Mansour...

September 14, 2025  – Palestine - Veteran photojournalist Reuven Castro, working with the Walla news site, was shoved to the ground by a police officer while covering a protest outside a Likud Party event on the evening of September 13. Protesters had gathered in Petah Tikvah ahead of the Jewish New Year, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 48 hostages held by Hamas. Hundreds of demonstrators stationed themselves at the entrance of the venue where Likud ministers were entering, carrying signs, chanting, and using drums and horns. While many were held behind...

September 14, 2025 - Turkey/USA -  A gathering of Turkish and American media professionals was held in New York during the Global Journalism Council’s International Media Friendship Awards ceremony at Turkish House. The event, hosted by the Turkish Consulate General, celebrated the contributions of journalists covering Turkish-American relations, US affairs, the United Nations, and more. Türkiye’s Consul General in New York, Muhittin Ahmet Yazal, underscored the importance of media in public diplomacy. He thanked the journalists present, recognizing the work of those covering different beats—some reporting on the Turkish-American community, others focusing on the US...

September 14, 2025 - Yemen -  An Israeli airstrike targeted Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen — including the capital Sanaa and al-Jawf province — and killed at least nine journalists, as confirmed by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The strike hit the offices of the 26 September Newspaper, a publication under the de facto Houthi government in Sanaa. While the newspaper is officially the outlet of the Yemeni Army (now aligned with Houthi authorities), the casualties included both military and civilian journalists, several of whom had no affiliation with the military. According to the Yemeni...

September 14, 2025 - Australia/Palestine -  In Brisbane on Sunday, approximately 400 protesters gathered outside the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) offices in South Bank to draw attention to journalists killed in Gaza. The demonstration, titled “ABC Stop Silencing Palestine – Rally & March,” was organized by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, a group focused on Palestinian solidarity in the area. The event began around 2 pm local time, with many attendees wearing “press” vests bearing the names of deceased journalists. One protester handed ABC staff a list of media workers who have died in Gaza. Protesters...

September 12, 2025 - Belarus -  Following their release from Belarusian prisons, several journalists linked to Belsat TV have spoken out, sharing the toll of incarceration and the ongoing challenges of repression, while expressing relief at regaining freedom. These individuals were among the group of 52 political prisoners pardoned and released by President Alexander Lukashenko on September 11, 2025. Among the freed are Iryna Slaunikava, convicted for alleged “extremism,” who served time in a penal colony, and Larysa Shchyrakova, also convicted under extremism-related charges. Others include Pavel Mazheika, Yauhen Merkis, Alena Tsimashchuk, Vyacheslau Lazarau, Pavel...

September 12, 2025 - Nepal - Nepal has been rocked by intense anti-government protests—led largely by young people (“Gen Z”)—that erupted following a controversial social media ban covering 26 apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and X. The nationwide demonstrations are rooted in deep frustrations over corruption, nepotism, and authoritarian governance under Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. The government’s ban triggered mass mobilization. Protesters decried the restrictions as infringements on free expression and pushed back against more than just internet censorship. The unrest has been particularly impactful in Kathmandu and other cities, where security forces used...

September 12, 2025 - Yemen -  A recent 59-page report by Human Rights Watch exposes a widespread campaign by various Yemeni factions—including the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and forces loyal to the internationally recognized government—to suppress journalism through violence, intimidation, and institutional control. Based on interviews with 27 people, including 16 journalists, the report documents 14 new cases of abuse since late 2023, along with abuses going back to 2014 after the Houthis took control of Sanaa. Among the abuses are arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and restrictions of access to medical care....

September 12, 2025 - China/Palestine -  The Press Freedom Committee of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) in Hong Kong held a solemn event on Monday to remember the journalists and media workers who have lost their lives during the ongoing war in Gaza. The gathering was a commemorative name-reading ceremony, during which almost 200 names of those killed were read aloud, serving as both tribute and a reminder of the human cost of covering conflict. At the heart of the event was the act of giving voice to those unable to speak—reading the names of...

September 11, 2025 - Yemen -  Human Rights Watch has published a report titled “We Pray to God by Torturing Journalists”: Warring Parties’ Systematic Violations Against Journalists and Press Freedom in Yemen, documenting grave abuses against media workers by Yemen’s various conflict actors — including the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and the internationally recognized government. Based on interviews conducted between October 2024 and May 2025 with 27 individuals — 16 of them journalists — alongside analysis of court documents, photos, and other evidence, the report identifies at least 14 specific cases of serious...

September 11, 2025 - Belarus -  Belarus freed at least eight journalists who had been imprisoned, some for several years, as part of a larger political prisoner release involving 52 detainees in total. This move came alongside the United States lifting certain sanctions imposed on Belavia, the national airline of Belarus. The released journalists include: Iryna Slaunikava (Belsat TV) has been detained since October 2021. Pavel Mazheika (Belsat TV), since August 2022. Yauhen Merkis, freelancer, from September 2022. Larysa Shchyrakova, freelancer, since December 2022. Alyaksandr Mantsevich, editor-in-chief of Rehiyanalnaya Gazeta, since March 2023. Alena Tsimashchuk,...

September 11, 2025 - Mexico - Alán Pallares Orozco, owner and director of a news website in Aldama, Chihuahua, survived an assassination attempt at his home. The attack took place late at night when two individuals on a motorcycle arrived, called his name, and fired at him at least twice as he was leaving his home to respond. Thankfully, Orozco was unharmed. Authorities from the Aldama municipality were the first to respond after emergency services received the report. According to those initial accounts, the assailants approached his property, called him out directly, and once Orozco...

September 11, 2025 - Palestine -  Internal emails obtained from Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs show that the Media Freedom Coalition—a 51-member grouping of countries committed to defending press freedom—struggled to coordinate a rapid, unified response after six Palestinian journalists were killed in Gaza in an Israeli air strike on August 10, 2025, including respected Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif. Members of the coalition received a request from its secretariat to confirm participation by midday on August 20 in a joint statement condemning violence against media workers. However, only 16 countries had responded by that...

September 11, 2025 - Canada/Palestine -  At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), a moment of tension unfolded when Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme was booed by sections of the audience after raising a question about Gaza’s death toll. The incident occurred during the post-screening discussion of The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary directed by Barry Avrich. The film traces the story of an Israeli general’s efforts to save his family during the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, a narrative centered on survival, fear, and the trauma of that day. The documentary,...

September 11, 2025 - Palestine - Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, has publicly decried what he calls the world's "indifference" in response to the suffering in Gaza, particularly after a series of airstrikes killed multiple members of his own family. In October 2023, a strike on Nuseirat refugee camp claimed the lives of his wife Amna, his 15-year-old son Mahmoud, and his 7-year-old daughter, Sham. His grandson Adam also perished in that attack. Weeks later, in January 2024, his eldest son Hamza, a journalist himself, was killed in another strike in southern Gaza....

September 11, 2025 ‒ Bangladesh ‒ Two leaders associated with Chhatra Dal have been accused of forcibly taking a journalist’s mobile phone and deleting a video that captured them carrying ballot boxes during the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union elections. The incident occurred on Wednesday at approximately 9:30 p.m. at the Election Commission office in the Senate Building. The accused are Zahir Uddin Muhammad Babar (Convener) and Mashiur Rahman Rozen (Joint Convener). Both are former students, Babar from the 2009-10 batch and Rozen from the 2010-11 batch, and were reportedly under notice, barring them from...

September 11, 2025 – Yemen – A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) documents widespread and systematic violations against journalists and media institutions by all parties in Yemen’s conflict, including the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and the Yemeni government. These abuses include arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and other ill treatment, severely undermining press freedom across the country. Between October 2024 and May 2025, HRW interviewed 27 people (including 16 journalists) and reviewed evidence such as official documents, court indictments, photographs, and reports. They documented 14 specific cases of abuse: three journalists...

September 10, 2025 - Sudan - El-Rashid Mohamed Haroun, a journalist from West Darfur, has been held in detention by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since July 2025, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). He was arrested at the Ardeiba market in El-Geneina without any stated reason. After more than a month in RSF custody, Haroun was transferred in August to Dagres Prison, located southwest of Nyala in South Darfur. He remains there without formal charges, and his family has been barred from visiting him. Haroun serves as the director of the local...

September 11, 2025 - China/USA -  The United States is proposing significant new restrictions on visas for foreign journalists, prompting immediate pushback from Beijing, which has denounced the measures as discriminatory and harmful to press freedom. Under the draft rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), visas for Chinese journalists would be limited to 90 days, with stricter provisions for extensions. Meanwhile, journalists from other countries would be allowed visas of up to 240 days. These limits would replace the current system, where I-visas (for media) can remain valid for much longer periods...

September 10, 2025 - Yemen/Palestine - The Palestinian Journalists Forum has strongly condemned an Israeli airstrike that targeted the offices of two Yemeni newspapers, 26 September and Al-Yemen. According to local reports, the assault killed and injured several journalists, along with several civilians and passersby in the vicinity of the buildings. The Forum described the attack as a deliberate war crime against the press, intended to silence voices and obstruct the flow of truth. In a statement carried by the Yemen News Agency, the Forum said that striking media offices is part of a systematic...

September 10, 2025 - Kosovo - Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has publicly condemned actions by certain journalists whom she accuses of endangering her young daughters. She criticized recent media behaviour that allegedly exposed her children’s private details, including their classes and location at school, without parental permission, actions she says put minors at risk. According to Osmani, her daughters attend the public “Ismail Qemali” school in Pristina, and journalists captured images or footage of them, recorded them without authorisation, and shared personal school-related information. The President emphasized that, as minors, her daughters’ safety and privacy...