News

July 29, 2025 - Russia -  A Russian court sentenced journalist Olga Komleva to six years in prison for allegedly participating in an “extremist organization” linked to the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Komleva, 33, was found guilty of being involved in the activities of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was outlawed as extremist by Russian authorities in 2021. Her arrest and trial mark yet another escalation in the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent, particularly targeting individuals associated with Navalny’s movement. Komleva had previously contributed to media projects associated with Navalny’s team, and prosecutors accused her of...

July 29, 2025 – Palestine – Awdah Hathaleen, a 31-year-old Palestinian activist, English teacher, journalist, and contributor to the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was shot dead in the village of Umm al-Khair in Masafer Yatta, located in the occupied West Bank. Witnesses say the incident occurred when an Israeli settler, identified as Yinon Levi, who had previously been sanctioned by the EU, UK, and US, fired into a crowd during a confrontation, striking Hathaleen in the chest. He died from the fatal wound. Footage shared by filmmakers and rights groups shows Levi brandishing a...

July 29, 2025 - UK/Palestine -  A British journalist, Steve Sweeney, claims he was forced into exile after being detained and interrogated by UK Counter Terrorism police upon returning from Lebanon, due to his critical reporting on Israel’s actions in the region. Published on July 29, 2025, Sweeney shared that the interrogation followed his critical reporting on Israel while in Lebanon. Although he wasn’t formally arrested, he felt compelled to leave the UK because of the perceived pressure from authorities. Sweeney described the experience as a form of coercive suppression, adding that he no longer...

July 29, 2025 - Ukraine -  Two investigative journalists in Khmelnytskyi were subjected to a coordinated SMS bombing attack following their work covering protests against legislation perceived as threatening the independence of Ukraine’s anti‑corruption institutions, NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau) and SAPO (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) The journalists, among them Kateryna Vovk, received hundreds of authentication codes via SMS over five hours (approximately 07:30 to 12:30 local time). The messages were linked to repeated attempted logins across multiple platforms, indicating that attackers fed her phone number into various sites to generate code messages. Simultaneously, repeated calls...

July 28, 2025 – Palestine – Abdalhadi Farahat, a field correspondent for Yemen Today TV, was injured on July 27 while reporting near the northern edge of the Gaza Strip in the Al‑Sudaniya area. He was hit by live fire from the Israeli army during a volatile reporting assignment along the border. The full extent of his injuries has not been disclosed, though the incident underscores the extreme danger journalists face when covering border zones during active conflict. Farinat’s experience comes amid rising documentation of journalists being wounded and sometimes killed by Israeli fire in...

July 28, 2025 – Palestine – Veteran Palestinian journalist Nasser al-Laham, editor-in-chief of Ma’an News Agency, has come forward with harrowing details of abuse during a recent detention by Israeli forces. Arrested on July 7 in the West Bank on unsubstantiated accusations of “incitement” and alleged affiliation with a banned organisation, al-Laham was held for nine days at Ofer Prison before being released without charges on July 16. In a statement published following his release, al-Laham revealed that Israeli prison guards beat him, blindfolded him, and filmed him naked during interrogations. He described the abuse...

July 28, 2025 - Iraq -  Iraqi authorities have confirmed the death of photojournalist Wissam al-Ghanmi, who was found dead on July 28, 2025, several days after disappearing in Maysan Governorate, southeastern Iraq. Al-Ghanmi, who worked for multiple media outlets and was known for covering political unrest and social issues, had gone missing while reportedly on assignment. His disappearance triggered concern from local journalist unions and human rights groups, who feared for his safety amid a deteriorating environment for press freedom in Iraq. The Maysan Police Directorate stated that al-Ghanmi's body was discovered in a...

July 28, 2025 – Nigeria – The body of slain photojournalist Ayobami "Ayo" Aiyepeku was recovered on the evening of July 27 near the WAEC office in Zone 8, Lokoja, Nigeria. Kogi State Police confirmed that Ayobami was likely murdered on the night of July 22 in an office near Government House, allegedly by his colleague, Oluwapelumi Adebayo, who is employed by the Nigerian Correctional Service. The body was found decomposing in a bush after residents reported a foul odour. His remains were deposited at Kogi State Specialist Hospital as authorities launched an investigation into...

July 28, 2025 – Paraguay/Brazil – The widow of revered Brazilian journalist Léo Veras, who was murdered during a home invasion in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, has publicly accused a Paraguayan congressman of attempting to bribe her in exchange for halting calls for justice. Veras, a 52-year‑old investigative reporter for Porã News, was shot inside his home on February 12, 2020. He had documented corruption, organized crime, and cross-border drug trafficking in a lawless region straddling the Brazil–Paraguay border, a job that earned him repeated death threats before his assassination. According to the LatAm Journalism Review report,...

July 28, 2025 – Afghanistan – The Taliban’s escalating repression of the Afghan press has intensified with the detention of at least seven journalists in recent days, according to reports from the Afghanistan Journalists Center. These arrests form part of a broader campaign to silence dissent and eliminate independent reporting under the group’s authoritarian rule. Journalists were taken into custody in Kabul, Baghlan, and Balkh provinces, many without formal charges or explanation. Those detained include reporters affiliated with local outlets and freelancers who had covered protests or written critically about Taliban policies. Some were held...

July 28, 2025 – Congo -  In a disturbing incident highlighting press suppression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three journalists were assaulted and briefly detained while attempting to question a provincial minister about corruption allegations. The incident unfolded on July 28 in the province of Haut-Uélé, where the reporters tried to interview Minister Pascal Saveza regarding a series of complaints related to public contract mismanagement. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), when Saveza arrived at a public event in Watsa, the three journalists approached him to pose questions. Security personnel immediately...

July 28, 2025 – Mexico – Multiple journalists in both Mexico City and Sinaloa state have reported threats, intimidation, and physical assaults at the hands of police officers, according to press freedom organisations. The incidents occurred during recent coverage of protests and criminal investigations, exposing ongoing risks for media professionals working in high-risk areas. In Mexico City, a police officer reportedly pushed and grabbed a journalist attempting to photograph a protest in the city’s central plaza. The officer allegedly confiscated the reporter’s phone and deleted footage capturing police misconduct during an arrest. The journalist was...

July 28, 2025 – Kosovo – The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK) issued a strong condemnation following verbal assaults and disparaging remarks made by MP Fitore Pacolli against journalist Blerta Foniqi Kabashi. The incidents occurred after Foniqi Kabashi published investigative reporting that covered controversial local infrastructure projects, including allegations of financial irregularities involving public figures. According to AGK, Fitore Pacolli accused the journalist of defamation and dishonesty in a public posting on social media. Pacolli also questioned Foniqi Kabashi’s integrity and professionalism, implying she benefited personally from political opposition narratives. These actions, AGK leaders say,...

July 28, 2025 – India - Asianet News, a leading Malayalam-language news outlet based in Kerala, India, has filed a formal complaint with cybercrime authorities after several of its women journalists were subjected to a coordinated online harassment campaign. The complaint, submitted on July 28, alleges that the journalists were targeted with doctored images, explicit abuse, and defamatory content circulated widely on social media and anonymous messaging platforms. The attacks appear to have intensified following recent news coverage by Asianet News on politically sensitive issues. According to the complaint, the harassment included digitally altered photos,...

July 28, 2025 – Australia – Former SBS World News anchor and commentator Mary Kostakidis, a prominent Australian journalist, is defending a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA). The case centers on social media posts from January 2024 in which she shared a speech by the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, adding commentary that described Israeli actions as “genocide.” The ZFA alleges these posts violate Section 18C of Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act by targeting people of Israeli origin or Jewish identity. In federal court in Adelaide, Kostakidis’ legal team filed a...

July 28, 2025 - USA -  Former CBS Evening News co-anchor Connie Chung has voiced deep alarm over the $8 billion merger of Paramount Global with Skydance Media, recently approved by the FCC and set to finalize on August 7. Chung argued this shift could mark “the end of CBS as I knew it” and a serious blow to independent, fact‑based journalism once personified by icons like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. On CNN, Chung criticized CBS's transformation under the new ownership, stressing that the news division was formerly “autonomous… unencumbered by pressures from politicians…...

July 28, 2025 - Mozambique -  Mozambican journalist Selma Inocência Marivate has publicly denounced an alleged assassination attempt involving poisoning with heavy metals, following a visit to Maputo in March 2025. While residing in Germany, where she currently lives and works, she experienced intense symptoms. Medical tests revealed elevated levels of mercury, uranium, thallium, and cadmium—industrial toxins, she says are often used in covert operations to eliminate critics. In a video message on Facebook, Selma described the experience as near-fatal. “I was poisoned. I almost lost my life. Today I live with pain and physical limitations,”...

July 27, 2025 - Palestine -  Mohammed Abu Aoun, a Gaza-based photojournalist whose work has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, ABC News, and Sky News, has announced that he intends to sell his camera and press shield in order to feed his starving family. In a heartfelt LinkedIn post, he stated: “I want to offer my equipment and the press shield for sale so that I can buy food for me and my family,” as famine looms in Gaza and humanitarian aid remains severely restricted. His message has drawn global attention, spotlighting the...

July 27, 2025 - Palestine -  Journalists in Gaza are facing a devastating hunger crisis as ongoing Israeli restrictions block access to essential supplies. These journalists are among the last remaining witnesses to the war, but their ability to report is collapsing under the weight of extreme malnutrition and isolation. Leading news agencies, including the Associated Press, AFP, Reuters, and the BBC, released a joint statement warning that journalists in Gaza are now collapsing from hunger. They reported that local reporters are forced to trade protective gear for food, with some unable to continue their...

July 27, 2025 – Malta/Palestine Journalists and civil society organisations in Malta are intensifying pressure on the government to take a public and active stance against the ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza. A national protest is scheduled for July 29, beginning at Triton Fountain and ending at Castille Square in Valletta, calling on Prime Minister Robert Abela to support international efforts addressing the humanitarian catastrophe. Organisers are urging participants to bring empty pots as a symbol of the famine gripping the population of Gaza. The demonstration is being supported by the Embassy of Palestine in...

July 27, 2025 – Morocco/Palestine – Moroccan journalist Mohamed El Bakkali, working with Al Jazeera, was detained by Israeli forces after they intercepted the humanitarian aid vessel Handala in international waters. The ship was carrying aid intended for Gaza when it was boarded on July 27. El Bakkali and other crew members—including journalists, activists, and legal observers were taken into custody and transported to Ashdod port for deportation. His detention sparked immediate concern in Morocco. MP Fatima Tamni demanded urgent intervention by the Foreign Ministry, calling for the protection of El Bakkali and accountability for his arrest. The Moroccan National Press Syndicate...

July 27, 2025 – Palestine – Israeli forces intercepted the civilian aid vessel Handala in international waters, about 40 to 50 nautical miles off the Gaza coast, on July 27. The ship was carrying humanitarian supplies, including baby formula, food, medicine, and essential goods, intended for Gaza via the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. A total of 21 civilians were aboard, including two journalists, along with activists, medics, and legal professionals from over ten countries. Supporters of the flotilla denounced the operation as a violent act of maritime piracy and unlawful abduction. Communications and live video feeds from the vessel were...

July 27, 2025 – India – Three web-based journalists were detained in Talcher, Odisha, after a confrontation erupted while they were covering protests at a local coal mine. The incident involved clashes between journalists and protestors, during which the reporters were accused of interfering with law enforcement efforts. Police arrested the journalists on charges including obstruction of duty and unlawful assembly. Eyewitnesses report that the reporters were attempting to film the protest when they became entangled in the demonstration. Local authorities claim the journalists disregarded warnings to step back and subsequently hindered police from dispersing...

July 26, 2025 - India -  The Supreme Court of India granted interim anticipatory bail to Kerala-based journalist and YouTuber T.P. Nandakumar, known as "Crime Nandakumar," in a defamation and obscenity case stemming from a YouTube video he posted. The vacation bench comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and Prasanna B. Varale issued notice of his Special Leave Petition and ruled that if Nandakumar is arrested, he must be released on bail, provided he cooperates with the ongoing investigation. The court also listed the matter for a further hearing on August 5. Nandakumar had originally sought anticipatory...

July 26, 2025 - Palestine/USA -  Al Jazeera columnist Belén Fernández published a scathing critique declaring that The New York Times (NYT) is participating in what she terms "genocidal journalism", by normalizing the mass killing and enforced starvation of Palestinians in Gaza as acceptable and justified. Fernández harshly critiques NYT opinion columnist Bret Stephens, who argued that Israel's actions do not amount to genocide—despite international institutions like UN bodies and Amnesty International reaching the opposite conclusion. Fernández asserts that NYT’s framing sanitizes Israel’s destruction of Gaza—bombing homes, hospitals, schools, and displacement camps—by refusing to acknowledge...