News

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...

July 13, 2025 - Media -  Far-left Israeli journalist and activist Israel Frey was released to house arrest on July 13, 2025, after being arrested for a social media post in which he welcomed the deaths of five Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed in Gaza. Frey, known for his controversial views and outspoken criticism of the Israeli military, posted on July 8 that “the world is a better place this morning” without the soldiers, whom he referred to as participants in “one of the most brutal crimes against humanity.” He ended the post by...

July 11, 2025 - Nicaragua -  Exiled Nicaraguan journalists living in Costa Rica are facing escalating harassment, while their families back in Nicaragua endure surveillance, intimidation, and reprisals. This dual-front repression reflects the Ortega-Murillo regime’s expanding efforts to silence dissent beyond its borders, as documented by recent investigations from the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED) and testimonies published by The Tico Times and Havana Times. Between April and June 2025, FLED recorded at least 40 press freedom violations targeting Nicaraguan journalists in exile, mostly through online harassment, smear campaigns, and digital surveillance....

July 11, 2025 - Turkey -  Freelance court reporter Furkan Karabay has been fined 10,500 TRY (≈ $320) by an Istanbul court after being convicted of “insulting the president” for social media posts criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including one following the devastating February 6, 2023, earthquakes. Karabay faced charges under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, a frequently invoked law that criminalizes insults against the president and carries penalties ranging from one to four years imprisonment, potentially extended if the insult is public. The case, monitored closely by press freedom advocates, reached its fifth hearing on July 11, 2025, before...

July 11, 2025 - Greece -  Greek journalist Yannis Pretenteris narrowly escaped a potential assassination attempt after police discovered and defused an explosive device outside his residence in the Neo Psychiko neighborhood of northern Athens on July 10, 2025. The improvised explosive device (IED), reportedly containing around five kilograms of TNT, was found near the fence of his home early in the morning. Bomb disposal experts safely neutralized the device, and authorities have launched a terrorism investigation to identify those responsible. Pretenteris is a prominent political commentator and columnist with a long career in Greek...

July 11, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  On July 11, Israeli forces killed Palestinian journalist Ahmad Abu Aisha, a correspondent for Palestine Today TV, when a drone struck him outside his home in Sawarha, central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp. His death raises the wartime press casualty count to 229 journalists killed since October 7, 2023. The Gaza government media office condemned this strike as part of Israel’s “systematic assassination of Palestinian reporters,” asserting Abu Aisha was specifically targeted while performing his professional duties. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate likewise denounced the attack as a deliberate act to suppress truthful...

July 10, 2025 - Turkey/Iran -  Iran has intensified its campaign against Kurdish dissent, issuing death sentences to protesters and prosecuting journalists and politicians over peaceful expressions of solidarity. These developments mark a severe escalation in the state’s repression of political and media freedoms, particularly targeting Kurdish communities under the banner of suppressing the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom) movement. In the city of Sanandaj, five Kurdish civilians were sentenced to death, adding to a total of 11 death sentences handed down by the Revolutionary Court for participation in anti-government protests. These charges stem...

July 10, 2025 - Spain/Morocco -  Moroccan authorities expelled two Spanish journalists—Leonor Suárez and Óscar Allende—and human rights activist Raúl Conde from occupied Laayoune on July 8, 2025. They were detained at a checkpoint while reporting on human rights in Western Sahara, in coordination with the Sahrawi media group Equipe Media, then escorted under surveillance to Agadir and expelled without official explanation. The trio condemned the expulsions as “illegal,” accusing Moroccan authorities of deliberately silencing reporters and observers in the territory. Raúl Conde described how plainclothes agents stopped the car, refused to provide any formal justification, and drove them...

July 10, 2025 - Azerbaijan -  A fresh wave of repression is sweeping Azerbaijan, as academic and media dissenters face sweeping prosecutions amid the country’s consolidation of power under President Ilham Aliyev. The Daraj report, alongside corroborating sources, highlights that after the ethnic Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku's crackdown has deepened significantly. On June 20, 2025, a Baku court handed down hefty prison terms—between 7 and 9 years—to several Abzas Media journalists on dubious “money laundering” charges. That case saw the prosecution of at least seven reporters, including correspondents for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on allegations...

July 10, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli authorities have extended the detention of Dr. Nasser Laham, editor-in-chief of the Maʿan News Agency and West Bank bureau chief for Al Mayadeen, following his arrest on July 7, 2025. Laham was taken from his home in the town of Ad-Doha, near Bethlehem, during a pre-dawn military raid in which Israeli forces reportedly ransacked his home and confiscated personal belongings. Laham’s arrest is part of an escalating crackdown on Palestinian journalists amid the ongoing war in Gaza. On July 10, an Israeli military court at Ofer prison ordered...

July 09, 2025 - Jordan -  As violence in Gaza escalates and press freedom in Jordan faces renewed scrutiny, two developments this week shed light on the ongoing human toll and the risks facing journalists in the region. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli airstrikes over the past 24 hours killed at least 105 Palestinians and injured 530 more, pushing the overall death toll since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, to a staggering 57,680. The total number of wounded now stands at 137,409. Since March 18, 2025, alone, over 7,100 people...

July 09, 2025 - Tunisia -  In a chilling escalation of Tunisia’s crackdown on dissent, Ramla Dahmani, sister of imprisoned journalist and commentator Sonia Dahmani, was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison on July 1, 2025. Her crime: publicly calling for her sister’s release. The verdict, which she only discovered on July 8 through her legal team, came without any official notification and was based on allegations of spreading “false news” through social media posts. Ramla has been vocal in defending Sonia, who was convicted in three separate cases for similar “false news”...

July 09, 2025 - Iraq/Kurdistan -  Deadly clashes erupted in the Khabat district of Erbil on the night of July 7, 2025, exposing deepening rifts between the Herki tribe and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The violence, which reportedly claimed at least two lives—one from each side—and left several wounded, is the latest in a series of confrontations that reflect long-standing tensions over land, power, and political dominance in the Kurdish region. According to reports from NRT TV and The Insight International, the confrontation involved armed Herki tribesmen and security forces affiliated with the KDP,...