News

September 29, 2025 - France -  Sixteen French journalism schools have launched an unprecedented joint campaign calling for the immediate release of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports reporter currently serving a prison sentence in Algeria. The initiative, endorsed by RSF (Reporters Without Borders), seeks to intensify public pressure and draw global attention to his case. Gleizes, 36, who contributes to So Foot and Society, was arrested in May 2024 while reporting on Algeria’s JS Kabylie football club and its connections to political figures. In June 2025, a court convicted him on charges of “glorifying terrorism”...

September 29, 2025 - Australia -  A recent press release by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reveals that several Australian journalists have been targeted, harassed, and effectively censored by lobby groups after producing work critical of Israel’s war in Gaza. The IFJ, together with its local affiliate MEAA (Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance), has denounced these tactics, urging Australian media outlets and regulatory bodies to uphold freedom of expression and ensure access to information remains protected. One prominent case involves Antoinette Lattouf, a Lebanese-Australian journalist. The Federal Court found on June 25, 2025, that...

September 29, 2025 - Egypt/UK/Palestine -  The Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate, led by Khaled El-Balshy, has publicly condemned the BBC’s actions against Egyptian journalist Mohad ElSharkawy, calling them “arbitrary and unjust.” According to Ahram Online, ElSharkawy was relieved of prospective duties at the BBC after the network accused him of being “anti-Semitic” following his social media posts about Palestine. ElSharkawy, who had cleared tests and interviews for a senior producer position on the BBC programme Dars, says he had even received a firm start date before the BBC reversed course and withdrew the offer. He claims...

September 29, 2025 - USA -  Two journalists from Cincinnati CityBeat, Madeline Fening (investigative reporter) and Lucas Griffith (photo intern), are soon going to trial in Kenton County, Kentucky, after being arrested in July while covering a protest. The incident occurred on July 17, 2025, when activists marched across the Roebling Suspension Bridge to voice opposition to the detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian cleric and former journalist currently fighting deportation. Fening was filming police dispersal efforts when an officer moved in, handcuffing her despite clearly visible recordings...

September 29, 2025 - Ukraine - Ukrainian journalist and human rights advocate Maksym Butkevych has been honored with the 2025 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, in recognition of his enduring courage in the face of repression. Butkevych, a co-founder of both Hromadske Radio and the ZMINA Human Rights Center, has long championed civil liberties and inclusive civic action in Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he joined the armed forces as a platoon commander—despite his prior commitment to nonviolent principles. In 2022, Russian forces captured Butkevych and, in a highly controversial trial, sentenced him to...

September 29, 2025 - Peru -  Peru’s National Association of Journalists (ANP) has sharply denounced the Peruvian National Police (PNP) for initiating criminal proceedings against Karla Ramírez, head of investigations for the TV program Panorama, and her reporting team. Ramírez and her group had conducted calls to police officers and senior PNP officials as part of an investigative piece—a standard journalistic method to obtain comment and accountability. The police, however, have characterized these efforts as “harassment,” accusing her of slander and defamation. The ANP contends that these charges represent a deliberate attempt to criminalize legitimate...

September 29, 2025 - Palestine -  Journalists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian maritime mission bound for Gaza, face escalating dangers amid ongoing conflict and a tightening blockade. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has sounded a strong warning about the precarious security conditions confronting media workers on this mission. The flotilla, organized by humanitarian, religious, cultural, and civil society groups, departed from multiple Mediterranean ports to break the maritime siege on Gaza, establishing a sea corridor for aid, and drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis. Several journalists, including at least seven from North...

September 29, 2025 - Yemen -  The fate of Yemeni journalist Majed Zayed remains unknown after he was taken by Houthi forces in Sana’a on September 23, 2025. Witnesses report he was seized while returning home from a medical visit, marking yet another alarming case of enforced disappearance in a country where press freedoms are under constant threat. Zayed, a freelancer who wrote for outlets such as Nafzet Al-Yemen, Almawqea Post, and Mda Press, had long been recognized for his commitment to independent reporting. His abduction came just days after he publicly shared a patriotic...

September 28, 2025 - USA -  Illinois authorities have launched a criminal investigation after a federal immigration agent is accused of firing a chemical munition at CBS reporter Asal Rezaei’s pickup truck near an ICE facility in Broadview. Rezaei says she approached the facility to observe possible activity when she was struck by a pepper ball fired from about 50 feet inside the fenced perimeter. She describes feeling intense burning on her face and inside her truck, with white powder lingering on her windshield and interior surfaces. She also says she vomited shortly afterward, though...

September 28, 2025 - Haiti/France -  France 24’s documentary “Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs”, directed by Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois, has been honored with the 2025 DIG Award for Long Reportage. The 52-minute film presents a stark portrait of how criminal organizations have consolidated control over Haiti’s economy, infrastructure, and the movement of essential goods. It argues that many Haitians have been stripped of agency as gangs dominate ports, borders, and commerce—using violence and coercion to entrench their power. The DIG Award, presented by the investigative journalism festival in Modena, Italy, celebrates...

September 27, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Dayah was killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza, becoming the latest member of the press to lose his life in the ongoing war. According to reports from Wafa news agency and regional outlets, al-Dayah was working inside a media tent when the area came under heavy shelling. His death adds to the growing toll of journalists who have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza, a number that now exceeds 250. Witnesses stated that al-Dayah was clearly identifiable as a journalist,...

September 28, 2025 - Palestine -  A recent investigative effort by Reuters, echoed by Al Jazeera’s coverage, dismantles Israel’s official narrative concerning the August 25 strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza, which claimed 22 lives, including five journalists. Israel asserted that its forces targeted a Hamas-operated surveillance camera mounted at the hospital, presenting drone footage as justification. But Reuters’ in-depth review of visual evidence and eyewitness testimonies uncovered a starkly different picture: the camera actually belonged to Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri. For months, al-Masri had placed his camera on the hospital stairwell and routinely shielded...

September 28, 2025 - Philippines -  The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) strongly denounced what it described as disturbing police hostility against members of the press who covered the Sept. 21 anti-corruption rallies. Marking the anniversary of martial law’s declaration, the protests were meant to spotlight government accountability and alleged misuse of funds, but for photojournalists on the ground, the day became a reminder of the fragile state of press freedom. PCP reported that numerous journalists were obstructed while attempting to document the demonstrations. Officers reportedly blocked their access to public spaces, mishandled their...

September 26, 2025 - Turkey -  Journalist Celalettin Yalçın, who has been held in pretrial detention for nearly two years on charges of “being a member of an illegal organization,” was released during his retrial hearing under judicial supervision and subject to reporting conditions. The decision came from the 37th Heavy Penal Court in Istanbul at the first hearing of Yalçın’s retrial. The court ordered that he must regularly report to authorities as a condition of release. Although the original sentence—six years and three months—was affirmed, the court took into account the time Yalçın already...

September 26, 2025 - Palestine -  Since the outbreak of the Israel–Gaza war on 7 October 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented at least 152 cases of journalists being injured, and two cases of journalists going missing during the conflict. CPJ warns that the actual numbers—especially of injuries—are likely significantly higher, given limited access, security barriers, and unreported incidents. Many of these reported injuries have occurred in scenarios where journalists are working under bombardment or during attacks on civilian infrastructure. For example, CPJ records that during a targeted Israeli strike in Gaza City,...

September 26, 2025 - Palestine -  The Palestinian Journalists Protection Center (PJPC) condemned the arrest of 27-year-old journalist Yasser Jaradat, who works as a reporter and photographer for Palestine Post and other local media outlets. Jaradat was seized in a dawn raid on his home in Sa’ir, north of al-Khalil (Hebron), and taken by Israeli occupation forces to an undisclosed location. The PJPC characterized the arrest as part of “a systematic Israeli policy aimed at intimidating journalists and silencing the truth” in the occupied territories. It said that violations against Palestinian media professionals have surged this...

September 26, 2025 - Germany -  The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), together with the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) network, has publicly condemned recent actions by German police that hindered journalists covering pro-Palestinian protests—and urged stronger protections for press freedom. According to the joint statement, since early September 2025, MapMF (Mapping Media Freedom) has registered at least two incidents in Berlin in which journalists were obstructed while reporting on the demonstrations slated under the “All Together for Gaza” banner. In one case, on September 3, Italian photojournalist Zaira Biagini was stopped...

September 26, 2025 - Egypt -  On 24 September 2025, Egyptian authorities detained Ismail Alexandrani, a prominent investigative journalist, writer, and researcher, at a security checkpoint in Matrouh Governorate. He was later charged with “joining a terrorist group,” “spreading false news,” and “using a website to promote terrorist ideas,” and remanded for 15 days pending investigation. This detention marks a renewed crackdown on Alexandrani, who has already spent seven years imprisoned from 2015 to 2022 following a conviction by a military court on politically charged charges, including publishing military secrets. His re-arrest is widely seen by...

September 25, 2025 - Belgium -  The Kurdish Women Journalists Association (ROJIN) has condemned the detention of Heval Arslan, a founding member of ROJIN and presenter at Medya Haber TV, and urged Belgian authorities to release her immediately. Arslan was summoned to the Ninove police station on the evening of September 22, where she was detained without a court order. During her arrest, her personal belongings were confiscated, she underwent a strip search, and was placed in a cell. Officials allegedly threatened that she might be extradited, first to France and then onward to Turkey....

September 25, 2025 - Russia -  Journalist and Circassian activist Larisa Tuptsokova, who has resided in Georgia for over 14 years, has learned that Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against her on charges of involvement with an extremist organization. The notice was reportedly sent to her parents’ home in Maykop, Adygea, even though she has not been officially informed of the charges or permitted access to the case documents. Tuptsokova is also a philologist and teacher of the Circassian (Adyghe) language, in addition to her work as a journalist. She publicly stated that...

September 25, 2025 - Moroccan -  Moroccan journalist Younes Ftaite, editor-in-chief of the Bladna24 news outlet, was detained by authorities early on September 25, 2025, and then released later that same day. He confirmed the events via his Instagram account, stating that he had been taken in for questioning regarding his recent reporting and social media publications. The detention, though short-lived, raised alarms among press freedom defenders and fellow journalists, who viewed it as a possible act of intimidation against independent media voices in Morocco. Local news outlets reported that authorities have not publicly disclosed...

September 25, 2025 - Serbia -  Since June 1, 2025, at least 28 journalists in Serbia have reported being specifically targeted by police during coverage of anti-government protests, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Local press freedom groups describe such incidents as occurring almost daily in August. Many of these attacks involve journalists covering police violence. Rather than protecting these reporters, authorities are accused of harassment, beatings, phone seizures, and arbitrary detention. The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia reports 19 physical assaults in 2025 so far, already exceeding the full count of 17 in...

September 25, 2025 - General -  Over a month after an Israeli strike hit Gaza’s Nasser Hospital and killed five journalists, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters are renewing their call for a transparent account from the Israeli authorities. The two media agencies issued a joint statement demanding clarity and accountability, emphasizing that the journalists were present in a location protected under international law and were performing essential reporting duties. The strike, which occurred on August 25, 2025, in Khan Younis, came in two waves. The initial attack hit a newsroom position, interrupting a live...

September 25, 2025 - Palestine -  A new campaign has been launched urging Israel to allow international journalists into Gaza, highlighting the urgent need for independent coverage of the war’s impact. The appeal, produced by BBC alongside other major news outlets, comes amid growing concern that the absence of foreign reporters has left Palestinian journalists to shoulder the reporting burden alone under conditions of extreme danger. Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby narrates the film at the heart of the campaign, calling attention to the critical role of open access in ensuring accountability and transparency during conflict....

September 24, 2025 - Iraq/Kurdistan -  Journalist Sherwan Sherwani, known for his investigative reporting in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, was arrested on charges of undermining public order, local media reports say. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must immediately free him, human rights organizations and press‐freedom advocates assert. According to Menarights, Sherwani was detained following his coverage of political and security affairs. His arrest comes amid a climate of increasing pressure on critical voices in the region. Sherwani’s work has often examined official conduct, and his detention is viewed by many observers as retaliation for...