News

August 19, 2025 - Palestine -  On Monday, August 18, 2025, Israeli forces carried out heavy shelling across the Gaza Strip, striking both residential areas and displacement sites. Among the victims was Islam al-Kumi, a Palestinian journalist who lost his life when Israeli tanks bombarded a house belonging to the al-Ghazi family in the Sabra neighborhood of western Gaza. The strike killed al-Kumi and a woman, while others in the home sustained injuries. His death marks another devastating loss for Palestinian journalism, as reporters continue to face immense risks while documenting the war’s toll on...

August 19, 2025 - USA - A lawsuit was filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging the deployment of excessive force against protesters and journalists during immigration-related protests in Los Angeles. The suit, spearheaded by organizations like the ACLU of Southern California and the Los Angeles Press Club, accuses DHS agents of targeting peaceful demonstrators with rubber bullets, pepper balls, tear gas, and flash‑bang grenades, often without warning—even when journalists clearly displayed press credentials. Journalists were notably among the casualties: at least 20 to 27 media professionals reportedly suffered injuries from less-lethal munitions,...

August 19, 2025 - Yemen -  On August 16, 2025, Yemeni security forces raided the home of Jamana News Agency journalist Hamoud Hazz’a in Al‑Jufaina camp, Marib Governorate. His mobile phone and laptop were confiscated, and he was taken to an undisclosed location with no legal basis cited. Before the raid, Hazz’a had posted on Facebook that security personnel were stationed outside his home and that the Fourth Security Zone force had forcibly broken down his door, terrifying his family. Following his arrest, Hazz’a was transferred from political security detention to military prosecution and presented...

August 18, 2025 - Palestine -  In a deeply disturbing revelation, Al Jazeera reported that the remains of journalist Marwa Musallam were found 45 days after she was buried alive in the rubble of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. The harrowing incident reportedly occurred in July 2025, when an Israeli strike collapsed the building where Musallam was located. Despite her cries for help, rescue efforts were thwarted by ongoing bombardment and the denial of access to the area for emergency crews. Her remains were only recovered in mid‑August, roughly six weeks after the attack....

Cape Town, August 17, 2025 – More than 2,000 South African journalists and media workers marched through Sea Point, Cape Town, demanding protection for Palestinian colleagues in Gaza and denouncing what they described as Israel’s deliberate targeting of the press. The demonstration, organized by Journalists Against Apartheid (JAA) and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, drew wide support from civil society, including Mothers4Gaza, South African Jews for a Free Palestine, and Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine. Catalyst: Al-Shifa Hospital Strike The march was sparked by the August 10 airstrike on a tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City,...

August 18, 2025 - Vietnam -  In a powerful and revealing interview, independent journalist Doan Bao Chau declares: “My case clearly shows there is no press freedom in Vietnam.” Speaking to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), he asserts that the charges leveled against him are entirely fabricated and politically motivated. According to Chau, authorities accused him—in a message delivered to his wife—of leading the so‑called “Vinh Long State Party,” a claim he firmly rejects. He insists, “I have never been involved in any political party,” affirming instead that the real issue is his journalistic work: highlighting...

August 18, 2025 - Palestine -  In her compelling Guardian commentary published on 18 August 2025, Nesrine Malik elevates the resilience, dignity, and professionalism of Gaza’s journalists—even as they face targeted violence and relentless danger. Malik introduces Tamer Almisshal, the veteran's head of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau, who has witnessed the deaths of key colleagues—Hamza al-Dahdouh, Samer Abu Daqqa, and Anas al-Sharif—yet continues to lead a newsroom gripped by trauma, hunger, and loss. Malik warns that the targeting of these journalists appears deliberate, part of a broader strategy enforced by Israeli operations to silence first-hand accounts...

August 18, 2025 - General -  The war in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded, with more than 270 killed, most of them Palestinians. Despite repeated condemnations and legal efforts, traditional methods to protect journalists have proven ineffective. A recent initiative by the Columbia Journalism Review gathered media thinkers and press freedom advocates to propose urgent new approaches, arguing that symbolic protest, direct accountability, and institutional innovation are necessary to confront Israel’s ongoing suppression of independent reporting. The proposals stress that journalists and media organizations must move beyond passive statements and...

August 17, 2025 - Ethiopia -  Two Ethiopian journalists were abducted within a week in what rights groups say reflects an intensifying assault on press freedom. According to an exclusive report by Borkena, the first journalist, Abdulsameed Mohamed, host of the "Kidame Gebeya" program on Ahad Radio 94.3, was forcibly taken on 11 August 2025. He is a seasoned broadcaster with three decades of experience across major outlets, including Ethiopian Television, Radio, EBS TV, Ahadu Radio, and YouTube platforms. Just two days later, on 13 August 2025, Yonas Amare, a reporter for The Ethiopian Reporter known...

August 17, 2025 - Palestine -  In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Abdul‑Qader Fayez, head of Al Jazeera’s office in Tehran, asserts that the killing of journalists in Gaza—including that of correspondent Anas al-Sharif—is no accident, but a deliberate feature of Israel’s military and political strategy under Prime Minister Netanyahu. Fayez emphasizes that Palestinian media workers are being treated as “military targets simply because they reject Israel’s narrative.” He highlights growing consensus among international human rights groups and media watchdogs that these killings reflect a systematic policy, pointing to repeated unfounded accusations branding journalists...

August 16, 2025 - Palestine -  Journalists in Gaza live with a heightened and pervasive fear: their protective gear, once seen as a shield, now marks them as targets. This was vividly captured in the wake of a drone strike on August 10 that killed four Al Jazeera staff in a tent outside al‑Shifa Hospital. Israeli military officials admitted targeting the tent, defending the action with unsubstantiated allegations that one of the victims, Anas al‑Sharif, was a Hamas member. The Committee to Protect Journalists denounced these allegations as part of a broader campaign to delegitimize...

August 16, 2025 - Palestine -  A growing body of reporting suggests Israel has engaged in a systematic campaign to delegitimize and endanger journalists in Gaza by portraying them as Hamas operatives. Investigations by Israeli‑Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine and others reveal the existence of a covert "legitimisation cell" within Israeli military intelligence, established after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Its mission was to gather information—even of dubious credibility—to smear Palestinian journalists as terrorist affiliates, thus providing cover for strikes against them and deflecting international criticism. One intelligence source candidly described the aim as maintaining...

August 16, 2025 - China/USA -  President Donald Trump has promised to intervene on behalf of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who remains on trial under China’s sweeping national security law. Speaking in a radio interview, Trump stated that he would “do everything I can to save him,” making clear that Lai’s case has already been raised in official discussions. He acknowledged that taking up the matter would upset Chinese President Xi Jinping, but said that defending Lai is a matter of justice and press freedom. His remarks come as Washington and Beijing continue...

August 16, 2025 - Syria/USA -  At the National Press Club in Washington, the family of Austin Tice marked the thirteenth anniversary of his disappearance with new revelations from recently declassified intelligence. Tice, a freelance journalist and former Marine, vanished in Syria in 2012 while covering the conflict. His parents, Debra and Marc Tice, were granted access to raw intelligence files earlier this year by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The files, though heavily redacted and unverified, suggest that U.S. agencies received information almost daily about Tice’s captivity, including reports of his medical treatment...

August 15, 2025 - Somalia -  A Somaliland journalist, Ahmed Mohamud Dool, has been detained without charge since August 5, 2025, prompting the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to call for his immediate and unconditional release. Ahmed was taken into custody in Hargeisa after responding to a police summons at the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters. The Somaliland Journalist Association (SOLJA) and a local journalist familiar with the case confirmed his arrest. He runs a well‑followed Facebook page — with approximately 98,000 followers — reporting on local issues such as killings, insecurity, and protests. His lawyer,...

August 15, 2025 - Vietnam -  Vietnamese authorities issued a special arrest warrant for journalist Doan Bao Chau, accusing him of propagandizing against the state. The warrant was issued by the Hanoi municipal police and charged him with making, storing, disseminating, or spreading information aimed at opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This development was reported by state media and confirmed by Doan via messaging app to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Doan Bao Chau, a former freelance photographer for international agencies including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France‑Presse, and a former reporter for...

August 15, 2025 - Palestine - In a powerful episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour released on August 15, 2025, host David Remnick features Palestinian journalist Mohammed R. Mhawish, who recounts his harrowing experience during Israel’s invasion of Gaza following the October 7 attack. Mhawish, reporting for major outlets including Al Jazeera and The Nation, bore witness to the devastating humanitarian impact unfolding before his eyes. His account takes a dramatic turn when his own home is targeted in an Israeli airstrike. Miraculously, he survived the bombing and managed to flee Gaza, continuing his journalistic work from outside. The episode...

August 15, 2025 - Mexico -  The State Attorney General’s Office in Michoacán has confirmed the arrest of the alleged murderer responsible for the killing of journalist Armando Linares López, who was shot dead outside his home in Zitácuaro in March 2022. The suspect, known only as Magdiel “N,” was detained during an operational action in the same municipality where the crime took place. Authorities stated that Magdiel “N” will soon face a judicial proceeding to determine his legal situation. Linares had been the director of the digital news outlet Monitor Michoacán. His murder came only six...

August 15, 2025 - Russia -  Russia’s Ministry of Justice declared Reporters Without Borders (RSF) an “undesirable organization,” a move that effectively outlaws the group’s activities in the country. The decision had been made weeks earlier, on July 23rd, by the Prosecutor General’s Office, but was only made public in mid-August. With this ruling, RSF joins a growing list of more than 250 foreign and international organizations barred from operating in Russia. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Paris, RSF is one of the world’s most recognized press freedom organizations. It campaigns against censorship, defends...

August 14, 2025 - General - On Sunday, Gaza was shaken when an Israeli airstrike killed five Al-Jazeera journalists, sparking urgent condemnation from global journalist organizations. The attack occurred despite these media workers’ efforts to deliver vital on-the-ground reporting, often under extraordinarily perilous conditions. The incident highlights the growing dangers faced by journalists in Gaza and raises critical concerns about the erosion of press freedom. David Walmsley, president of the World Editors Forum, expressed strong condemnation of the killings. He emphasized that even under “insurmountable odds,” journalists strive to tell the world’s stories—and reminded us...

August 14, 2025 - USA -  U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced his support for allowing journalists into Gaza to observe humanitarian efforts directly. Speaking from the Oval Office on August 14, 2025, Trump said he would be “very fine with journalists going” into the region. He acknowledged the significant risks journalists face but expressed a clear preference for independent reporting from inside Gaza. Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, Israel has barred most foreign journalists from entering Gaza. Access has been strictly limited, with reporters required to travel under Israeli military escort and...

August 13, 2025 - China - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has issued an urgent appeal to Hong Kong authorities to drop all charges against 77‑year‑old publisher Jimmy Lai and release him immediately and unconditionally as his national security trial enters its final phase. Lai is facing serious charges—sedition and collusion with foreign forces—which, if upheld, could result in a life sentence. His trial, which began in December 2023 and was originally expected to last 30 days, has extended to nearly 150 days due to repeated delays. CPJ highlighted Lai’s deteriorating health after nearly...

August 13, 2025 - Palestine -  On 13 August 2025, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that Anas al‑Sharif, a 28‑year‑old Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza and member of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS), submitted a formal complaint to the PJS three days before his assassination in an Israeli strike. In his heartfelt letter, al‑Sharif highlighted the relentless threats he and his family endured since the war's onset on 7 October 2023. Al‑Sharif described how these threats began early in the conflict, including a targeted strike on his home, which resulted in the death...

August 12, 2025 – Palestine - In a powerful editorial titled “Israel Is Wiping Out the Witnesses”, The Guardian delivers a stark indictment of Israel’s ongoing targeting of journalists in Gaza, warning that these killings are systematically erasing independent voices from one of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. The piece frames the assassination of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, alongside his colleagues, as part of a deliberate effort to silence those documenting the realities of the war. According to the editorial, over 180 Palestinian media professionals have been killed in nearly two years of conflict,...

August 12, 2025 – Sri Lanka - Tamil Members of Parliament have sharply condemned Sri Lanka’s Counter-Terrorism and Investigation Division (CTID) after it summoned veteran journalist and human rights advocate Kanapathipillai Kumanan for questioning. The summons, issued in Mullaitivu for an alleged inquiry into his social media posts purportedly “promoting” the LTTE, was denounced as a clear attempt to intimidate and silence independent reporting. Shanakiyan Rasamanickam MP expressed dismay on social media, calling Kumanan “a respected and courageous journalist" and asserting that using terrorism investigations to muzzle press freedom is unacceptable. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam MP similarly...