News

July 16, 2025 - Iran  - UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has strongly condemned the deaths of Iranian media workers Nima Rajabpour and Masoumeh Azimi, who were killed during an Israeli airstrike on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) headquarters in Tehran on June 16, 2025. Rajabpour, a 50-year-old news editor, and Azimi, an administrative staff member, were critically injured in the attack and died shortly thereafter. Their deaths highlight the severe risks faced by journalists and media personnel operating in conflict zones, where media infrastructure is increasingly targeted during military operations. Azoulay called for...

July 16, 2025 - Iraq - Iraqi Kurdish authorities have recently arrested and severely beaten three journalists while assaulting a fourth in a series of troubling incidents, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). These actions have sparked significant alarm among press freedom advocates, highlighting the increasingly hostile environment for journalists operating in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. On July 14, Hersh Qadir, head of NRT’s Erbil office, was violently assaulted by three security personnel while covering a protest in Erbil’s Ainkawa district. According to Qadir, a man in plainclothes, who...

July 16, 2025 - France - Nearly 100 prominent public figures, including writers, artists, and intellectuals, have signed an open letter calling for the immediate release of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who they say has been unjustly detained. The letter, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), expresses deep concern over the ongoing detention of Gleizes, describing it as a violation of press freedom and an attack on journalistic independence. Christophe Gleizes, known for his investigative reporting and commitment to uncovering difficult truths, was detained under unclear circumstances that his supporters argue lack proper legal justification....

July 16, 2025 - Syria - An Al Jazeera reporter narrowly escaped harm when an Israeli airstrike targeted Damascus, Syria, shaking the city and hitting key military and media sites. While covering the escalating conflict, Amin was caught in the chaos as the Israeli military launched strikes on multiple locations, including the Syrian army headquarters and a television studio. The strike occurred amid rising tensions between Israel and Syria, with Israeli forces targeting what they described as “military sites” in response to cross-border threats. The blast caused significant damage in Damascus, rattling buildings and forcing...

July 16, 2025 - Palestine - Veteran Palestinian journalist Dr. Nasser Laham, editor-in-chief of Ma’an News Agency, was released by Israeli authorities after being held for eight days on allegations of “incitement.” Laham, a well-known media figure in the West Bank, was detained at his home in Bethlehem without being formally charged. His arrest and detention drew strong criticism from press freedom advocates, who described it as arbitrary and politically motivated. During his detention, Laham reportedly endured harsh conditions, including solitary confinement and limited access to legal counsel. Human rights organisations condemned the treatment and...

July 16, 2025 - Nicaragua -  On 12 July 2024, Nicaraguan independent journalist and feminist activist Fabiola Tercero Castro vanished immediately after a police raid on her home in Managua. Seven officers reportedly seized her work equipment—including a computer—and she has not been seen or heard from since. Tercero was under house arrest at the time and forced to report daily to a police station, though no official charges were ever filed against her. RSF (Reporters Without Borders) describes her case as a possible forced disappearance and calls on Nicaraguan authorities to clarify her status....

July 16, 2025 - Ecuador -  In July 2025, Ecuador's Morona Santiago province witnessed a series of coordinated cyberattacks targeting local media outlets, resulting in the mass deletion of news content from their digital platforms. The affected outlets—La Mañana MS, Exprésate Morona Santiago, and Radio Sentimientos—reported that takedown requests were filed on the basis of alleged copyright violations. However, these media organizations contend that the true intent behind these actions was to suppress critical reporting on local authorities, particularly the Morona Santiago local and regional governments. This incident is part of a broader pattern of...

July 15, 2025 - Pakistan -  The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has raised urgent concerns about mounting threats to press freedom in Pakistan, citing a sharp rise in violence, harassment, and legal intimidation targeting media professionals. According to the IFJ’s latest Pakistan Press Freedom Report, shared with the Chief Justice of Pakistan, 34 violations were recorded between May 1, 2024, and April 30, 2025. These included 7 targeted killings, 8 incidents of non-fatal violence, and several cases involving defamation, threats, arrests, and institutional assaults. The IFJ warned that these escalating violations are fostering a...

July 15, 2025 - India - Indian journalist and YouTuber Ajit Anjum has been booked by Bihar police for allegedly disrupting an official electoral roll revision process in Begusarai district. An FIR was lodged against him on July 14 after a confrontation at a government office that led to accusations of interference with the duties of public servants and violating the Model Code of Conduct. According to police reports and statements from the Election Commission, Anjum visited a polling booth in Teghra, Begusarai, and recorded videos during an ongoing summary revision drive for the electoral...

July 15, 2025 - Palestine - The National Press Club’s Press Freedom Centre has issued a strong call for the immediate release of Palestinian journalist Ali Al-Samoudi, who has been detained by Israeli authorities since May 18, 2024. Al-Samoudi, a veteran journalist based in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, has worked for over two decades with several local and international outlets, including Al-Quds newspaper. He is known for covering Israeli military operations and reporting on Palestinian life under occupation. The Press Freedom Centre emphasised that Al-Samoudi’s arrest is part of a broader and deeply...

July 15, 2025 – Burkina Faso – Kalifara Séré, a columnist for the private television channel BF1, has reappeared in Ouagadougou after being missing for over a year. He was abducted on June 19, 2024, during a wave of disappearances targeting journalists critical of Burkina Faso’s military leadership. His sudden return on July 11, 2025, offers some relief, but six other journalists remain missing under similar circumstances, prompting renewed calls for accountability. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and IFEX have both expressed deep concern about the pattern of enforced disappearances. While Séré has not publicly commented...

July 15, 2025 - Palestine -  A CNN news team was assaulted by Israeli settlers in Sinjil, near Ramallah, while covering the death of 20-year-old Palestinian‑American, Saif Musallet. Jeremy Diamond, a Jerusalem‑based correspondent who previously reported from the White House, was among those targeted. Diamond shared that the rear window of their vehicle was smashed as they fled unharmed, warning, “This is just a sliver of the reality many Palestinians face in the West Bank amid rising settler violence.” The attack unfolded over the weekend of July 12–13, after Musallet was beaten to death by...

July 15, 2025 - Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyzstan has launched a sweeping assault on free press this July, tightening media controls through new legislation and judicial interference targeting independent outlets. On July 11, President Sadyr Japarov signed amendments to the national Code of Offenses imposing fines for “false information” disseminated via mass media or online platforms. The law authorizes fines of around 20,000 Kyrgyz soms (≈ US$228) for individuals and 65,000 soms (≈ US$743) for organizations. Advocates argue the law is vaguely defined and threatens to stifle dissent under the guise of curbing misinformation. Concurrently, a Bishkek court ordered the liquidation of...

July 15, 2025 – Lebanon - Petra Abou Haidar, a journalist working for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), was violently assaulted in a shocking road rage incident in the Furn El Chebbak area of Lebanon. The attack was carried out by a man and a woman riding an unlicensed motorcycle, who accused Abou Haidar of cutting them off in traffic. Following a verbal altercation, the man physically assaulted Abou Haidar by punching and kicking her, while the woman also participated by biting her. Bystanders intervened to stop the attack, after which the suspects fled...

July 15, 2025 – USA – The Washington Post is investigating a targeted cyberattack that compromised the email accounts of several of its journalists. The intrusion, discovered on June 12 and disclosed internally by Executive Editor Matt Murray on June 15, affected Microsoft-based email accounts used by reporters covering sensitive domains such as foreign affairs, national security, and economic policy, including China-related coverage. The breach is suspected to have been conducted by a foreign government, echoing a similar attack on News Corp in 2022 that targeted journalists working on China-related topics. Internal investigators believe the...

July 15, 2025 - USA/Palestine -  In a tense and widely shared moment, independent journalist Max Blumenthal publicly confronted Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine over controversial social media posts in which Fine appeared to support the killing of civilians in Gaza. The exchange, which took place at a public event, highlighted the growing scrutiny U.S. lawmakers face over their positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Blumenthal accused Fine of openly endorsing violence against civilians in Gaza, saying, “You’ve been a big supporter of killing civilians.” He cited Fine’s past online statements in which the congressman had...

July 15, 2025 - India -  In a disturbing assault on press freedom in India, 27-year-old journalist Sneha Barve was brutally attacked on July 11 while covering an alleged land-grabbing incident in Nighotwadi, Pune. Barve, who works for Pune Pulse, was assaulted by a group of men reportedly linked to a politically connected construction lobby. The attack occurred while she was reporting on illegal construction activities and encroachments on government-owned land. According to eyewitness accounts and statements from her family, Barve was dragged, beaten with wooden sticks and rods, and left injured in the open....

July 15, 2025 - Czechia -  A prominent Czech journalist is facing a vicious wave of online harassment after reporting on serious sexual abuse allegations made against a Czech Member of the European Parliament (MEP). The journalist, whose name has been withheld, broke a story in early July detailing accusations by several women who say the MEP sexually abused them. The exposé prompted swift backlash, with the reporter targeted by coordinated hate campaigns across social media platforms. Abusers circulated personal photos—including images of the journalist’s child—and broadcast false claims that he fabricated the allegations for...

July 14, 2025 - Palestine - Two Palestinian journalists were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes on July 14, bringing the number of media workers killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to over 230, according to medical sources and press organizations. The latest fatalities—Hossam al-Adlouni and Fadi Khalifa—underscore the escalating danger for journalists operating in the besieged enclave and fuel growing outrage over what press advocates describe as a systematic targeting of the media. Hossam al-Adlouni, a journalist affiliated with local Palestinian media outlets, was killed along with his wife and three...

July 14, 2025 - Philippines - The brutal murder of 19-year-old campus journalist Sophia Marie Coquilla has sent shockwaves across the Philippines, igniting widespread calls for justice and reform. Coquilla, a first-year student at the University of the Philippines–Mindanao, was found dead in her bedroom in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, on July 9. She had been stabbed 38 times. Her body was discovered by her family early that morning, triggering immediate police action and public outcry. Authorities initially suggested robbery as a motive after some of Coquilla’s belongings were reported missing. However, the severity...

July 14, 2025 - Azerbaijan/France - An exhibition honoring 14 Azerbaijani journalists who lost their lives while performing their professional duties during Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan has opened at the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Paris. Organized by the Baku Network Analytical Center with support from Azerbaijan’s Embassy in France, the event aims to shed light on the sacrifices made by these journalists in the line of duty. The exhibition features photographs of the fallen journalists, serving as a poignant reminder of the dangers faced by media professionals in conflict zones. The event underscores the...

July 14, 2025 - Mexico - In early July 2025, Mexico witnessed the murders of two media workers—Ángel Sevilla and Ronald Paz Pedro—in separate but equally alarming incidents that underscore the country’s ongoing crisis of violence against journalists. Ángel Sevilla, a digital technician and camera operator affiliated with an independent media outlet, was shot dead in Chilpancingo, Guerrero. Though not a reporter himself, Sevilla played a vital role in media production and distribution. His killing on July 6 adds to a growing list of media-related personnel targeted with deadly violence, illustrating that the dangers extend...

July 14, 2025 - USA -  Foreign journalists working and studying in the United States are increasingly engaging in self-censorship, fearing retaliation from immigration authorities and political targeting under Donald Trump’s renewed administration. A growing number of international reporters, especially those on student or work visas, are altering their professional behavior to avoid scrutiny that could endanger their legal status or personal safety. According to recent reports, many foreign-born journalists are deleting social media posts, removing bylines from sensitive stories, and avoiding controversial topics, especially criticism of the U.S. government or coverage related to their...

July 14, 2025 - West Africa -  In a case that has alarms ringing across West African press freedom circles, Beninese investigative journalist and rights defender Hugues Comlan Sosoukpe was allegedly lured to Abidjan under pretenses and forcibly handed over to Beninese authorities during a professional mission. Sosoukpe, the director of online investigative outlet Olofofo, had been living in exile in Togo since 2019 after obtaining refugee status. He was invited by Côte d'Ivoire’s Ministry of Digital Transition to attend the Ivoire Tech Forum in Abidjan from July 9–11, 2025. On July 10, while staying at the Palm...

July 13, 2025 - India -  On the night of July 12, 2025, journalist C.H. Naresh was brutally murdered in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, highlighting once again the dangerous conditions faced by journalists working in remote and vulnerable regions of India. The attack took place near Muraliguda village in the Motu area, where Naresh, a local web journalist, was reportedly speaking with two fellow journalists and two other youths when a group of five assailants arrived on motorcycles and launched a violent assault. Armed with swords and sharp weapons, the attackers targeted Naresh directly, inflicting deep...