News

Australian Protest Urges ABC and Media to Highlight Deaths of Journalists in Gaza
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...
Voices of the Freed: Belsat Journalists Speak After Release
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...
Nepal Protests: Media Outlets Attacked, Journalists Injured Amid ‘Gen Z’ Unrest
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...
Yemen’s Warring Factions Accused of Torturing, Silencing Journalists HRW Report
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....
Hong Kong Press Club Commemorates Nearly 200 Journalists Killed in Gaza Conflict
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...
Yemen: Escalating Assaults on Journalists by All Warring Parties
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...
Belarus Releases Eight Journalists as U.S. Eases Sanctions in Political Prisoner Deal
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,...
News-Site Owner Shot at in Chihuahua; Unharmed but Targeted at Home
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...
Delays and Divisions Exposed in Global Response to Al Jazeera Journalist Killings
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...
Backlash at TIFF as Lisa LaFlamme’s Gaza Question Sparks Audience Booing
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,...
Gaza Journalist Slams Global Indifference After Family Killed in Airstrikes
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....
JU “Expired” Student Leaders Accused of Seizing Journalist’s Phone, Deleting Video
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...
Yemen: Journalists Under Assault
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...
Sudanese Journalist Detained by Paramilitary Group Since July
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...
China Rejects U.S. Plan to Limit Journalist Visas to 90 Days
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...
Attack on Yemeni Newspapers Condemned as War Crime by Palestinian Journalists Forum
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...
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani Raises Alarm Over Journalists Endangering Her Minor Children
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...
BBC Failed to Correct False Claim Linking Journalist Anas Al-Sharif to Hamas
September 10, 2025 - Palestine - New revelations show that the BBC ignored an internal request to correct a false claim that Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif had worked with Hamas before he died in Gaza. The claim, which has been repeatedly denied by Al-Jazeera, appeared in BBC coverage and was circulated on its website, live blog, and even a TikTok verification video, raising serious questions about editorial standards and the handling of sensitive information involving journalists in conflict zones. According to Novara Media, an internal email sent on August 18 to the BBC’s “collective newsroom...
Nigerian Journalist Hassan Kangiwa, Detained After Exposing Hospital Neglect in Kebbi
September 10, 2025 - Nigeria - A journalist in Kebbi State, Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa, has been detained following the release of a video that exposed deplorable conditions at Kangiwa General Hospital. The footage showed an elderly patient lying on a bare metal bedframe without a mattress, sparking outrage among locals and civil society. The arrest was reportedly ordered by the state’s governor, Nasir Idris, after the video circulated widely on social media. Activists, opposition figures, and human rights groups have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom. Omoyele Sowore, a well-known opposition...
Nigerian Journalist Nasir Yelwa Arrested While Covering Shiite Maulid Procession in Abuja
September 10, 2025 - Nigeria - Nasir Hassan Yelwa, a journalist and member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), was arrested by police officers on Tuesday while covering a peaceful religious procession in Abuja. The event was organized by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, alongside other Muslim worshippers to mark the Maulid, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. According to eyewitnesses, Yelwa had been formally invited to document the Maulid procession. Around 2 p.m. in the Apo area of the capital, police intercepted him and took him into custody. He...
Italian Journalists Honour Colleagues Killed in Gaza Conflict
September 10, 2025 – Italy – Hundreds of Italian journalists gathered in Rome on Tuesday to honour media workers who have lost their lives during the Gaza conflict. The demonstration, organized by the Italian Journalists Association and Articolo 21, saw participants reading aloud the names of their colleagues killed, in a public show of mourning and protest. Organisers said that 289 media workers have died in connection with the conflict. According to Articolo 21 spokesman Beppe Giulietti, there has never been such a high number of journalists killed in a single conflict. He emphasised the...
Four Journalists Injured as Protests Over Social Media Ban Turn Deadly in Nepal
September 10, 2025 - Nepal -  Nepal has been rocked by violent protests following the government’s controversial decision to ban 26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Signal. While TikTok and Viber remained accessible, the move sparked outrage among the country’s youth, who took to the streets in massive demonstrations. The protests, led largely by students and young activists, quickly escalated into clashes with security forces outside Parliament and across Kathmandu. On September 8, 2025, the unrest turned deadly. Authorities deployed tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and even...
Turkish Journalist Receives Suspended Sentence for Reporting on Pro-Government University Official
September 10, 2025 ‒ Turkey ‒ A Turkish court has handed down a one-year, eight-month suspended sentence to journalist Mehmet Baran Kılıç on charges of “unlawful acquisition and dissemination of personal data,” following his reporting on a pro-government university official. The verdict relates to Kılıç’s investigative work exposing alleged misconduct by the official, including misuse of public resources. The court found that Kılıç had obtained documents through means deemed “unlawful” under Turkish law and then published details of them. Although the sentence is suspended, meaning Kılıç will not serve time if he avoids further infractions...
Nine Years Later: CBI Court Set to Sentence Convicted in Siwan Journalist Rajdev Ranjan Murder Case
September 10, 2025 - India -  In a major development in a long-drawn case, the special CBI court in Siwan is scheduled to pronounce sentences today, September 10, 2025, against three individuals convicted for the 2016 murder of veteran journalist Rajdev Ranjan. The verdict follows the court’s August 30 ruling that found Vijay Kumar Gupta, Sonu Kumar Gupta, and Rohit Kumar Soni guilty of the crime, while three others—Laddan Mian (Azharuddin Baig), Rajesh Kumar, and Rishu Kumar Jaiswal—were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Ranjan, the Siwan bureau chief of the Hindi daily Hindustan, was fatally...
Gabon’s Press Freedom on the Rise, but Key Reforms Still Needed, Says RSF
September 10, 2025 - Gabon -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recently travelled to Libreville to meet with President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema and government ministers to assess progress and propose reforms for press freedom in Gabon. Since President Nguema took office in August 2023, Gabon’s ranking in the RSF World Press Freedom Index has improved dramatically—jumping 80 places, from 121st in 2020 to 41st in 2025. During the meeting on 9 September, RSF’s delegation—led by Director General Thibaut Bruttin and Sub-Saharan Africa Director Sadibou Marong—commended Gabon’s recent advances. These include better conditions for journalists, the...
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