News

September 04, 2025 – Russia - Nika Novak, a journalist with RFE/RL’s Russian Service, remains behind bars in Siberia—and now in solitary confinement. Authorities subjected her to a five-day isolation beginning August 21, after she refused to retract criticism of the conditions in which she is detained. She has since launched a hunger strike in protest. Novak has been imprisoned since December 2023, when security forces arrested her; a closed trial followed, and she was sentenced to four years on charges of “collaboration with a foreign organization” under sweeping legal provisions. Currently housed in a...

September 04, 2025 – Sudan – Sudanese freelance journalist Shamael Elnoor, known for her coverage of politics and Darfur, has returned to a drastically transformed Khartoum—only to discover that her home has been destroyed and once-bustling newsrooms have been emptied and looted. The collapse of Sudan’s media landscape reflects the deep scars the civil war has inflicted on independent journalism. Before the outbreak of hostilities in 2023, Sudan’s press was already under pressure from dwindling revenue and a global shift to digital media. But the arrival of armed conflict—pitting the army against the paramilitary Rapid...

September 04, 2025 – Palestine -  UN experts have urgently appealed to the international community, urging immediate action to protect journalists in Gaza amid a brutal wave of targeted killings. In the past 10 days, Israeli airstrikes have claimed the lives of six more Palestinian journalists, including two women, bringing the total of media casualties to an unprecedented level. The experts—Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories—condemned both the denial of media access and the targeting of local reporters. They...

September - 03, 2025 - South Africa/ Palestine - South African TV presenter Juliet Newell was removed from the air by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) following an interview in which she challenged guest Dr. Mamphela Ramphele for comparing Israel’s military action in Gaza to the Holocaust. Newell asked whether the analogy was “provocative,” arguing that such a comparison “almost undermines what the Holocaust was all about.” Ramphele insisted: “It is a Holocaust by any definition” because of “deliberate attacks on children… and starvation,” prompting a fraught exchange that ended with both acknowledging their...

September 03, 2025 - Azerbaijan -   Azerbaijan has intensified its assault on independent media by tacking on seven new financial crime charges—including currency smuggling—against ten journalists detained in the long-running Meydan TV case. The move, made public on September 3, 2025, expands the government's legal assault, exposing journalists to potential sentences of up to 12 years. ([turn0search1], [turn0search0]) Simultaneously, photojournalist Ahmad Mukhtar was arrested and detained, joining the growing roster of media professionals targeted under this case. Mukhtar is now the 12th person imprisoned, despite Meydan TV’s editor-in-chief denying any connection between Mukhtar and the...

September 03, 2025 - Iran/USA -  Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh has now endured over a year of harsh imprisonment in Iran solely for practicing journalism—from psychological torment to relentless interrogations—his ordeal laid bare through a poignant Q&A with his brother. Initially held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, Reza was later transferred to the overcrowded and medically inadequate Fashafouyeh Prison, where unsanitary conditions, scarce clean water, and contaminated food severely deteriorated his health. On August 9, 2025, he was reportedly sent back to Evin. A catalyst for his health’s sharp decline was an Israeli strike on...

September 03, 2025 - USA/Lebanon -  A Michigan-based businessman has filed a lawsuit against U.S. special envoy to Lebanon, Thomas Barrack, over remarks he made labeling Lebanese journalists as “animals.” The lawsuit, brought by American-Lebanese entrepreneur Dr. Benjamin Balout, objects not only to the insult but also to the broader implications it has for press freedom and diplomatic credibility. ([turn0search0]) Balout, who heads the trade firm Diplomatic Trade, alleges that Barrack's conduct amounts to defamation and echoes colonial-era arrogance that undermines the United States’ role as a mediator in the region. He argues that such...

September 03, 2025 - Ecuador -  The Foundation Journalists Unbound (FPSC) has sounded the alarm over a disturbing surge in attacks against media professionals in Ecuador during August 2025. The organization recorded 22 separate incidents targeting journalists and media outlets during that month, making it one of the most dangerous in the country’s recent history. This alarming figure contributes to a broader pattern of escalating threats: from January through August, FPSC documented a total of 168 attacks on journalists, revealing a sustained, hostile environment toward press freedom. These attacks range across a spectrum of abuses,...

September 03, 2025 - Iraq -  Iraqi Kurdish journalist and activist Hemn Mamand, host of the popular Sterk TV talk show “Sarinj – Comment”, was gravely wounded in an apparent targeted shooting on September 2, 2025, in Sulaymaniyah. The attack occurred just hours after his program aired, as he was departing a restaurant. Witnesses report that two assailants on a motorcycle opened fire, striking Mamand with five shots—one hitting his arm and shrapnel lodging in his abdomen—before fleeing the scene. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the assault, calling it a clear assassination...

September 03, 2025 - USA -  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security unveiled a proposal to drastically shorten the duration of journalist visas. Under the proposal, foreign correspondents would face fixed-term limits—just 240 days, and even 90 days for Chinese nationals—significantly reducing the previously more flexible, potentially indefinite validity of I-visas and J-visas for foreign media workers.  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly opposes this move, arguing it would erect unnecessary barriers to journalism and create a chilling environment for press freedom in the United States. RSF warns that it would force foreign journalists to constantly...

September 03, 2025 - USA -  White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has ignited controversy after singling out a CBS News journalist, echoing the combative media strategy long associated with Donald Trump. In an interview with The Daily Caller, Leavitt referred to the journalist as “stupid,” sparking criticism that the remark was not only unprofessional but also emblematic of the administration’s increasingly adversarial stance toward mainstream press outlets. The exchange quickly spread across social media, drawing both condemnation and praise depending on political affiliation. Leavitt, at just 27 years old, has become one of the...

September 03, 2025 - USA -  U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to take his legal battle with writer E. Jean Carroll to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to throw out a jury’s finding that he sexually abused her and then defamed her in public statements. The dispute stems from a May 2023 New York civil trial in which a jury ordered Trump to pay $5 million in damages to Carroll. Jurors concluded that he assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by calling her account a...

September 03, 2025 - Palestine -  On September 2, 2025, Gaza’s journalism community suffered another devastating loss with the killing of Eman al-Zamli. She was shot in the head by an explosive bullet while fetching water. The Palestinian journalist was caught in Israel’s latest wave of airstrikes. Al-Zamli was among more than one hundred Palestinians killed in a single day of bombardment that struck homes, streets, and aid gathering points across Gaza City and surrounding areas. Her death came on a day already marked by heavy bloodshed, where dozens of civilians, including children, were also...

September 03, 2025 - Palestine -  On September 2, 2025, the journalist community was dealt another devastating blow with the killing of broadcast engineer Ayman Haniyeh in Gaza City. Haniyeh, who worked with Iraq-based al-Manara Media Company, lost his life in an Israeli airstrike near the Jordanian Hospital. His death was reported just hours after the funeral of fellow photojournalist Rasmi Salem, who had also been killed under similar circumstances. According to reports, Haniyeh was returning from Salem’s funeral when the strike occurred. Witnesses describe it as a deliberate targeting of areas frequented by civilians,...

September 02, 2025 – Palestine – The war in Gaza has claimed yet another journalist, with Rasmi Jihad Salem, a cameraman for Manara Media Company, killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City. His death raises the total number of journalists and media workers killed since October 2023 to 248, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. Officials condemned the attack as part of a deliberate effort to silence the press and urged international institutions to pursue accountability under international law. In a statement, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) World Service mourned Salem as...

September 02, 2025 - France/Syria -  French judicial authorities have taken a decisive step against impunity by issuing European arrest warrants for seven senior former Syrian officials—including ex-president Bashar al‑Assad—in connection with the 2012 targeted bombing of a press center in Homs. This attack claimed the lives of prominent journalists Marie Colvin (American) and Rémi Ochlik (French), while seriously injuring others. The investigative probe, initiated in 2012 and progressively strengthened over more than a decade, broadened its scope from murder and attempted murder to encompass war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit such...

September 02, 2025 - General -  A TRT World commentary has sharply condemned the international media’s muted response to Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza, calling it part of a deliberate campaign to silence reporting from the besieged territory. Since the outbreak of war in October 2023, more than 274 Palestinian journalists have been killed, making Gaza the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern history. Among the latest casualties were Rasmi Jihad Salem, a cameraman for Manara Media, who died in an Israeli airstrike near Gaza City, and Eman al-Zamli, who was killed by...

September 02, 2025 – Nigeria – Journalists in Kwara North are facing mounting intimidation after being summoned to the palace of the Emir of Lafiagi, Alhaji Muhammad Kudu Kawu, and warned to cease reporting on terrorist and bandit attacks. The monarch reportedly delivered the threats at the behest of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, accusing media outlets of “embarrassing” the government with their coverage of insecurity in areas such as Lafiagi and Patigi. According to an anonymous source within the emirate, journalists were told that failure to comply could result in arrest. These developments follow...

September 02, 2025 – Ukraine – Former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko has revealed that Russian forces attempted to pressure him into luring prominent journalist Serhiy Nikitenko into a trap during the early days of the occupation. Mykolayenko, who was abducted by Russian troops in April 2022 for refusing to collaborate, recounted the ordeal after his release on August 24, 2025, following more than two years in captivity. According to Mykolayenko, Russian officers ordered him to contact Nikitenko, editor of the local outlet MOST, as well as volunteer Elika Markelia, and persuade them to attend a...

September 02, 2025 – Bangladesh – A Kurigram court has sent former Deputy Commissioner Sultana Parvin to jail after rejecting her bail in a long-running case over the abduction and torture of journalist Ariful Islam Rigan, the Kurigram correspondent for Bangla Tribune and Dhaka Tribune. The decision marks a rare victory for accountability in Bangladesh, where journalists frequently face threats, harassment, and violence in the line of duty. The case dates back to March 13, 2020, when Rigan was dragged from his home at midnight by local law enforcement and magistrates operating under Parvin’s orders....

September 02, 2025 – Turkey – A Turkish journalist has been jailed after uncovering an extortion scheme in the central province of Nevşehir, where local officials allegedly invoked the names of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya to pressure business owners for money. The journalist’s reporting detailed how officials leveraged political connections and Erdoğan’s image to lend credibility to their demands, creating fear among targeted citizens. Instead of investigating the allegations, Turkish authorities swiftly detained the journalist, accusing them of spreading disinformation and defaming state institutions. The decision has drawn sharp criticism...

September 02, 2025 - France/Syria - French judges have issued an arrest warrant for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accusing him of responsibility for the 2012 bombardment in Homs that killed American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Rémi Ochlik. The strike, which also injured other foreign reporters, targeted an informal press centre established to document atrocities committed during the brutal siege. The warrant represents a landmark moment in the pursuit of justice for crimes against journalists, directly implicating Assad in what investigators concluded was a deliberate attack to silence independent reporting. Colvin, a celebrated...

September 02, 2025 - Mexico - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Mexican NGO Propuesta Cívica filed two new complaints before the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, demanding accountability for the enforced disappearances of two Mexican journalists, María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe and José Antonio García Apac. Both cases, dating back nearly two decades, remain unresolved and exemplify the persistent impunity that endangers journalists across Mexico. Aguilar Cansimbe, who reported on organized crime and public security, vanished in Michoacán in November 2009 after leaving her home. Investigations into her disappearance were marred by negligence,...

September 02, 2025 - Qatar -  Al Jazeera Media Network officially appointed Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal bin Khalifa Al Thani as its new Director General, succeeding Dr. Mostefa Souag, who served in the position for over twelve years. The announcement marks a significant leadership transition for one of the world’s most influential media organizations, known for its global reach and commitment to press freedom. Sheikh Nasser, a Qatar University graduate, began his career at Barwa Real Estate before moving into the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2013. Over the next decade, he held several...

September 02, 2025 – Australia/Lebanon – Australian MP Bob Katter is facing mounting controversy after threatening to punch a reporter who asked about his Lebanese heritage during a press conference supporting an anti-immigration rally. The aggressive exchange was captured on video and has sparked widespread reactions from media condemnation to potential parliamentary sanctions. During a media appearance in Brisbane, when asked by Channel Nine reporter Josh Bavas about his Lebanese heritage, Katter accused him of racism and warned, “I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that.” He followed up by stating Bavas would “answer...