News

July 09, 2025 - Paraguay -  In a groundbreaking collaborative investigation, Forbidden Stories and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have resumed the work of murdered Paraguayan journalists to reveal a sprawling web of organized crime, corruption, and impunity that has taken root in Paraguay. Under the banner of the "Alianza" project, more than 50 journalists from 30 media outlets across 20 countries have come together to finish what those killed could not. At the center of the investigation are three Paraguayan journalists — Pablo Medina, Edgar Pantaleón Fernández Fleitas, and Leo Veras...

July 08, 2024 - Iran/UK -  The London-based Persian-language broadcaster Iran International has become the target of a major cyberattack, claimed by a pro-Iranian hacktivist group known as Handala Hack. On July 8, 2025, the group announced that it had breached Iran International’s internal systems, gaining access to communications, servers, and databases containing personal information of staff, journalists, and tens of thousands of viewers and supporters. The hackers have threatened to leak sensitive data unless their unspecified demands are met. Handala Hack accused Iran International of operating as a front for Israeli intelligence, specifically alleging...

July 08, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli journalist and far-left activist Israel Frey is under criminal investigation after he publicly celebrated the deaths of five Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed in Gaza. In a controversial post on X (formerly Twitter) on July 8, Frey declared, “The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who partook in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity.” His remarks, referencing the previous day’s casualties in Gaza, sparked a wave of outrage across the political spectrum and led to swift action from authorities. Frey,...

July 08, 2025 - Palestine - In Gaza, where bombardments continue with relentless intensity, a group of Palestinian journalists is defying death to document a war that has already claimed more than 57,000 lives and wounded over 134,500. An editorial written by journalists Emad Drimly and Sanaa Kamal, published by Xinhua, offers a haunting and powerful reflection on the experiences of Gaza’s press corps—those who run toward danger while the world often looks away. Since the start of Israel’s military operations on October 7, 2023, at least 220 Palestinian journalists have been killed, many while...

July 08, 2025 - Egypt/Germany -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the United Nations, human rights organizations, and legal experts are urging the German federal government to provide robust protection to exiled Egyptian journalist Basma Mostafa. Residing in Berlin since June 2021, Mostafa fled Egypt after three arrests over her investigative work exposing state violence, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Despite having been granted asylum in early 2022, Mostafa remains under continuous threat. She has endured online gender-based harassment, physical assaults, and persistent surveillance by individuals allegedly connected to the Egyptian state. A notable incident occurred on...

July 08, 2025 - Turkey -  The Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association (MKG) reported a sharp escalation in the Turkish government’s suppression of press freedom. The month saw seven female journalists detained, two of whom were remanded to prison, signaling the intensified criminalization of journalistic activity. Additionally, authorities raided three journalists’ homes, subjected two individuals to mistreatment, and issued threats against three more. One prominent case involved Zeynep Durgut, a reporter for Mezopotamya Agency, who was threatened due to her investigative reporting, highlighting the growing dangers facing those who dare expose the truth. The MKG denounced...

July 07, 2025 - Colombia -  Gustavo Chicangana, the 62‑year‑old news director of Guaviare Estéreo and a reporter for Caracol Radio Guaviare, was seriously shot alongside his wife, Ana Milena Torres, as they left their residence in San José del Guaviare. Chicangana sustained injuries to the throat, chest, and shoulder, while Torres was wounded in the throat and chin. Both remain in stable condition, receiving medical care—Chicangana at a Bogotá hospital, and Torres at a local facility. Chicangana, also affiliated with Colombia’s Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), had long been a target of threats linked...

July 07, 2025 - Ireland - Brian “Tosser” Meehan—the only person convicted for the 1996 murder of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin has begun unescorted day releases from Shelton Abbey open prison, marking a significant step in his gradual reintegration process. Now 57, Meehan has been spotted on his fifth such release, casually dressed in cream chinos, an orange shirt, and sporting a new beard. He was seen visiting family and friends in Dublin neighborhoods like Crumlin and Finglas, accompanied by an associate. Convicted in 1999 for driving the motorcycle used in the fatal ambush executed by...

July 07, 2025 - Sudan -  Two Sudanese freelance journalists, Nasr Yaqoub and Mohamed Ahmed Nazar, were arrested on July 7, 2025, by armed members of the Sudan Liberation Movement–Transitional Council (SLM–TC), a rebel group aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The arrests occurred in Abu Shouk camp near El Fasher, North Darfur—a region gripped by escalating conflict between the SAF, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and various allied militias. The detentions followed a violent incident on July 5, when Yaqoub was shot in the leg by an SLM–TC fighter after he refused to...

July 07, 2025 - Palestine -  Mahmoud Abu Hassira walks the ruins of northern Gaza with a camera and a broken heart. The seasoned photojournalist, once focused on telling others’ stories, now carries his own—a story of unspeakable personal loss, survival, and a relentless commitment to document the suffering of a people under siege. On November 4, 2023, an Israeli airstrike obliterated his family home. Mahmoud survived alongside his father, but his wife, two young children—seven-year-old Ziyad and four-year-old Ghada—and 33 relatives were killed. Most were women and children. Earlier that day, he had taken...

July 07, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli forces arrested Dr. Nasser al‑Lahham, veteran editor-in-chief of the Ma'an News Agency and bureau chief for the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, during a pre-dawn raid at his home in the village of al‑Duheisha near Bethlehem. Military personnel reportedly ransacked his residence, confiscating electronic devices and phones, and transported him to the Ofer military court, where his detention was extended until at least Thursday. Israeli authorities classified al‑Lahham as a “wanted person,” though neither the Israel Defense Forces nor Shin Bet has publicly disclosed specific allegations. Al-Mayadeen is banned from operating...

July 07, 2025 - Kenya -  Kenyan journalist Larry Madowo has revealed a disturbing plot to silence him: a Nairobi-based politician allegedly offered a Ksh 100,000 (approx. USD 700) bonus to hired goons if they physically attacked him during protest coverage. The offer reportedly included instructions to beat him up, destroy his camera equipment, and prevent him from reporting. Madowo, currently a correspondent with CNN International, disclosed the threat publicly on his LinkedIn, X, and Instagram accounts, calling it an alarming escalation against journalists who document state and political misconduct. The alleged threat came as...

July 07, 2025 - India -  Journalists in Manipur staged a sit-in protest in Imphal on July 7, condemning the state government’s continued silence over the May 20 Gwaltabi incident, where security forces allegedly compelled journalists to hide the word “Manipur” from a state transport bus. The protest, organized by the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and the Editors’ Guild of Manipur (EGM), was a symbolic but urgent call for transparency, accountability, and press freedom. The incident occurred during a government-sponsored media tour to the Shirui Lily Festival in the Ukhrul district. As the...

July 06, 2025 - India -  Madhurjya Saikia, a journalist based in Dhemaji district of Assam, was seriously injured after being attacked while on assignment. The assault occurred under unclear circumstances, and Saikia was immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment. His injuries have sparked widespread concern among journalist unions and media watchdogs across India. The attack on Saikia comes amid a broader pattern of violence and intimidation against media workers in India. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), along with local affiliates, has condemned the incident and called on authorities to conduct a...

July 06, 2025 - Morocco -  A growing chorus of resistance against Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara has emerged through two powerful forms—film and diplomacy. The short documentary “3 Stolen Cameras”, produced by the Sahrawi activist group Equipe Media in collaboration with Swedish film collective RåFILM, offers a raw, underground glimpse into the violence, surveillance, and media blackout faced by Sahrawi journalists. Filmed covertly in Laayoune, the capital of occupied Western Sahara, the documentary chronicles how Moroccan authorities use repression and censorship to suppress dissent, arrest journalists, and crush peaceful protests. The “three stolen cameras”...

July 05, 2025 - India -  Journalist Madhurjya Saikia of Prag News was brutally attacked by a mob while covering a political clash in Silapathar, located in Assam’s Dhemaji district. Saikia had been dispatched to report on tensions between the BJP and Gana Shakti supporters over the selection of a local Panchayat president. According to his account, upon arrival, he was identified by a local leader and soon encircled by 30 to 35 individuals, who beat him severely and stole his mobile phone while he was filming. Saikia suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized in...

July 05, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish authorities executed early-morning raids targeting two prominent investigative journalists: Timur Soykan of BirGün and Murat Ağırel of Cumhuriyet and Halk TV. The arrests were part of a broader crackdown coinciding with nationwide unrest following the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19—a move that sparked mass protests challenging President Erdoğan’s government. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office charged the pair with "threats" and "blackmail" related to their investigative work on the sale of the Flash Haber TV channel by its jailed owner, Erkan Kork, who faces money-laundering...

July 05, 2025 - Somalia -  Somali intelligence agents from the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) forcefully seized a female journalist in Mogadishu, prompting widespread condemnation from the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS). According to the SJS, the operation involved agents breaking into the journalist’s residence, physically assaulting her, and arresting her under the directive of “ordering her to participate in voter registration.” She was reportedly taken to a NISA facility and compelled to register as a voter—an apparent misuse of state power for political ends . The SJS strongly denounced the incident as a blatant...

July 05, 2025 - Germany -  Two German journalists from Deutsche Welle (DW) were violently attacked by Israeli settlers on July 2, 2025, while reporting on settler violence in the Palestinian village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The journalists—a reporter and a cameraman—were covering a demonstration organized by local Palestinians to protest recent settler attacks when a group of settlers approached and began throwing stones at them. The journalists, clearly identifiable as press, were forced to flee on foot as the settlers continued hurling rocks and chasing them. Their vehicle,...

July 04, 2025 - Turkey -  International free speech and press freedom organizations have strongly condemned the Turkish government's decision to issue a new arrest warrant against Kurdish journalist and poet Nedim Türfent. Now living in exile in Germany, Türfent faces renewed persecution under Article 7 of Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law, accused of “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization” over several posts on X (formerly Twitter). The warrant, issued on May 7, 2025, by a prosecutor’s office in Hakkari, was only revealed to Türfent in late June. It cites four social media posts made while he...

July 04, 2025 - Palestine - A growing storm of media censorship and internal dissent has erupted across two major platforms—Meta and the BBC, raising global concerns over journalistic freedom and editorial integrity. Meta's recent decision to permanently ban The Cradle, a digital media outlet focused on West Asian affairs, has ignited condemnation from press freedom advocates. The Cradle, known for its critical analysis of U.S. and Israeli policies in the region, alleges that its removal from Facebook and Instagram reflects a politically driven effort to suppress alternative narratives. With no clear explanation beyond vague...

July 04, 2025 - Haiti -  In October 2022, Haitian journalist Gary Tesse was murdered in the southern city of Les Cayes after a series of investigations that exposed rampant corruption tied to powerful local figures. At the heart of his reporting was Ronald Richemond, a prominent prosecutor who Tesse alleged was shielding criminal networks and benefiting from systemic graft. Two years later, no one has been held accountable for the killing, and Richmond remains in office, untouched, unchallenged, and, critics say, above the law. Tesse’s death is now the focus of a transnational investigation...

July 03, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia/Crimea -  Seyran Saliyev, a Crimean Tatar activist and self-taught journalist, remains trapped within Russia’s punitive penal system, highlighting the broader repression of independent voices from occupied Crimea. Arrested on October 11, 2017, in the town of Bakhchisaray alongside fellow Crimean Solidarity members, Saliyev was accused of plotting sabotage for Ukraine’s intelligence services. In 2020, a Russian court sentenced him to 16 years in a penitentiary, citing his affiliation with Hizb ut-Tahrir—a banned group in Russia—despite the lack of credible evidence. Since July 2024, Saliyev has endured a relentless cycle of...

July 03, 2025 - Yemen -  Yemen has witnessed a dramatic escalation in crackdowns on journalists across multiple conflict zones. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and other human rights groups have condemned the wave of arrests and abductions, demanding the immediate release of detained media workers. RSF reports that journalist Mozahim Bajaber, editor of Hadramout’s Al-Ahqaf Media platform, has been held for over two weeks despite an Interior Ministry order to release him. His arrest on June 18 followed social media posts critical of corruption in Hadramout’s leadership. Separately, at...

July 03, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalists continue to face escalating repression as Israeli forces and occupation authorities intensify efforts to suppress independent reporting from Gaza and the West Bank. Recent cases highlight a deliberate pattern of physical attacks, prolonged detentions, and legal harassment aimed at silencing Palestinian voices. On July 3, journalist Islam Al-Za’noun, a correspondent for Palestine TV, was injured by Israeli drone fire in Gaza while covering events on the ground. According to the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation and WAFA, Al-Za’noun was shot in the shoulder in what they described as a...