News

April 08, 2025 - Palestine - Since the onset of Israel's military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, at least 211 journalists have lost their lives, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. This alarming figure underscores the escalating dangers faced by media professionals in the region. The recent death of journalist Ahmed Mansour, who succumbed to severe burns sustained during an Israeli airstrike on a media tent, marked the 211th casualty among journalists in the conflict. The Palestinian National Council (PNC), the highest decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, has condemned these attacks,...

April 08, 2025 - Palestine - On April 7, 2025, an Israeli airstrike targeted a tent near the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killing two journalists and injuring several others. The tent, clearly marked and known to host media personnel, was engulfed in flames following the strike. Journalist Ahmed Mansour, a reporter for Palestine Today, suffered severe burns and succumbed to his injuries the following day. His death brought the total number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to at least 211, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. The...

April 08, 2025 - Ukraine -  Viktoriia Roshchyna, a 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist, dedicated her career to exposing the harsh realities of Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territories. Her fearless reporting, particularly on the systemic torture and unlawful detention of civilians, led her to the occupied regions of Zaporizhzhia in August 2023. During this trip, she vanished, and her fate remained unknown until April 2024, when Russia confirmed her detention. In October 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defence informed her family of her death in captivity. Roshchyna's body was returned to Ukraine in February 2025 as part...

April 08, 2025 - Sudan -  Since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan in April 2023, at least seven journalists have been killed, with one reported missing and several others detained, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has severely compromised press freedom, with both factions accused of deliberately targeting media professionals. Among the notable casualties is Halima Idris Salim, a journalist for Sudan Bokra, who was fatally struck by an RSF vehicle while reporting in Omdurman on October 10,...

April 08, 2025 - Guatemala -  Nelton Rivera, a prominent Guatemalan journalist and co-founder of Prensa Comunitaria, is facing a concerted online smear and threat campaign aimed at discrediting his investigative reporting on corruption. Since February 2025, social media accounts known as “net centers” have been disseminating manipulated images and false narratives about Rivera, including doctored photos depicting him behind bars alongside imprisoned journalist José Rubén Zamora. These posts falsely accuse Rivera of collaborating with organized crime and call for his arrest, escalating in frequency and intensity through March and April. The smear campaign coincides...

April 08, 2025 - Palestine -  On April 7, 2025, an Israeli airstrike deliberately targeted a tent sheltering journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, resulting in the death of Palestinian journalist Helmi Al-Faqaawi and another individual. Several other journalists were injured, with some sustaining serious wounds. This attack sparked immediate condemnation from human rights groups and press freedom organizations worldwide. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor denounced the strike as a calculated assault on the press, carried out with full awareness of its consequences. The organization emphasized that such attacks aim to silence...

April 08, 2025 - Azerbaijan -  In a further blow to media freedom in Azerbaijan, authorities have recently initiated legal actions against independent journalists, underscoring a widening campaign to suppress critical voices. Three separate cases spotlight the tactics used to intimidate and penalize reporters who challenge official narratives. The first case involves an investigative journalist who was summoned for questioning under charges of “illicit funding of non-governmental organizations.” Prosecutors allege that his reporting on alleged financial irregularities within civil society groups amounted to collusion with foreign entities—a charge that carries severe penalties. Colleagues say the...

April 08, 2025 - Source: CPJ -  Zimbabwean authorities should stop their victimization of broadcast journalist Blessed Mhlanga, who, after 43 days in jail, was denied bail for the third time on Monday, and must ensure that charges against him are dropped immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. Mhlanga, a journalist for privately owned Heart and Soul Television, has been detained since February 24 on incitement charges for interviewing a war veteran who called for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s resignation. “The repeated denial of bail is yet another example of the injustice that Blessed Mhlanga has been forced to endure for simply...

April 08, 2025 - Source: CPJ -  The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about deteriorating media safety amid surging violence in Haiti, in which at least one journalist was kidnapped and two were almost lynched. Roger Claudy Israël, owner of local radio station RC FM, and his brother were kidnapped in the central city of Mirebalais by Viv Ansanm gang members who threatened to execute their captives in an April 4 video. Viv Ansanm, or Living Together in Creole, is an alliance of former rival gangs who joined forces in 2023 and took control of most of the capital Port-au-Prince. Gangs attacked Mirebalais on March 31,...

April 08, 2025 - Source: OC Media -  Saba Sordia, a journalist for the online magazine Indigo, who was arrested on charges of disobeying police orders, has been released from administrative detention.  The prosecution, however, is still seeking to issue an administrative fine against him. Tbilisi City Court judge Zviad Tsekvava announced at Tuesday’s hearing that the final decision in the case will be delivered on 17 April. Sordia was detained on Sunday in the street in Tbilisi by law enforcement officers after they checked his identity and searched his bag. On Monday, his detention was...

April 08, 2025 - Source: RFERL -  Detained Azerbaijani journalist and economist Farid Mehralizada testified in court on April 8 that his imprisonment was politically motivated, tied directly to his critical reporting for RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Azadliq Radiosu. During his appearance at the Baku Court of Serious Crimes, Mehralizada, 30, detailed the events surrounding his arrest on smuggling charges in late May 2024. He described being blindfolded and taken to an unknown location before ending up at the Baku City Police Department, where he said he faced physical and psychological pressure to unlock his...

April 8, 2025 - Georgia - In April 2025, Georgian journalist Saba Sordia, affiliated with the online magazine Indigo, was detained by police near the Marjanishvili metro station in Tbilisi. The incident began when officers stopped Sordia for an identity check and proceeded to search his bag. Sordia complied with the request but objected when officers attempted to open a specific pocket, insisting he would do it himself. This disagreement led to his arrest on charges of disobeying a lawful police order under Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code. Following his arrest on April...

April 08, 2025 - Nepal -  On March 28, 2025, photojournalist Suresh Rajak tragically lost his life while covering a pro-monarchy protest in the Tinkune area of Kathmandu, Nepal. Rajak, who served as the head of the camera and video division at Avenues Television, was reporting from a building that was set ablaze by demonstrators. Trapped inside, he was unable to escape the flames, leading to his untimely death. The violent protest, organized by supporters of Nepal's former royal family, escalated into chaos, resulting in multiple casualties and significant property damage, including targeted attacks on...

April 08, 2025 - Palestine -  In the wake of a devastating Israeli airstrike on April 7, 2025, Palestinians across Gaza and beyond are mourning the loss of Ahmed Mansour, a journalist who was burned alive while reporting from a makeshift press tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The tent, a known site for journalists covering the war, became the scene of tragedy as flames engulfed Mansour, who later succumbed to his injuries despite efforts by colleagues to save him. The news of Mansour’s death sparked a wave of grief and outrage. Vigils and...

April 08, 2025 - Haiti -  Roger Claudy Israël, a prominent Haitian journalist and the owner of RC FM radio station in Mirebalais, was abducted along with his brother Marco during a wave of gang violence that struck the town in late March 2025. The incident occurred amid a series of coordinated attacks by the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, which has intensified its campaign of terror in central Haiti, taking advantage of the country's deteriorating security situation. In a disturbing video shared by the kidnappers, Israël and his brother were shown handcuffed and threatened with...

April 7, 2025 - Palestine - The tweet from Quds News Network (QNN) reports that Israeli forces targeted the family of Mohammad Abu Nasser, the English editor-in-chief of QNN, in northern Gaza. The attack resulted in casualties among his family members. This incident highlights the ongoing risks faced by journalists and their families in conflict zones. Quds News Network is a Palestinian youth news agency founded in 2011, staffed with volunteer correspondents across Palestine. The network gained widespread following on social media around 2015 through its rapid video coverage of escalations in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,...

April 7, 2025 - Palestine - On May 13, 2025, Palestinian journalist Hassan Eslaiah was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, where he was receiving treatment for injuries sustained in a previous attack. Eslaiah, a prominent photojournalist and director of the Gaza-based Alam24 news agency, had collaborated with international outlets, including the Associated Press and CNN. Before his death, Eslaiah was the subject of a months-long incitement campaign. Israeli media and online platforms accused him of ties to Hamas, citing a photo with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and alleging...

April 7, 2025 - Palestine - The death toll of journalists in Gaza continues to rise, sparking renewed demands for justice and accountability. According to press advocacy groups, more than 220 journalists have been killed since the start of the war in October 2023. The latest incident involved the death of journalist Hilmi al-Faqawi, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent used by journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The strike also injured at least nine other media workers. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the attack, calling it a deliberate and...

April 7, 2025 - Palestine - On April 7, 2025, an Israeli airstrike targeted a media tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least two individuals, including journalist Helmi al-Faqawi, and injuring several others. The tent, used by journalists covering the ongoing conflict, was set ablaze during the early morning attack. Footage shared by Quds News Network depicted the tent engulfed in flames, with bystanders attempting to extinguish the fire. Among the injured were journalists Hassan Eslaih and Ihab al-Bardini, with al-Bardini sustaining a shrapnel injury to...

March 07, 2025 - Palestine -  On April 7, 2025, an Israeli airstrike targeted a media tent situated within the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least two individuals, including journalist Helmi al-Faqawi, and injuring several others. The tent, utilized by journalists covering the ongoing conflict, was set ablaze during the early morning attack. Footage shared by Quds News Network depicted the tent engulfed in flames, with bystanders attempting to extinguish the fire. Among the injured were journalists Hassan Eslaih and Ihab al-Bardini, with al-Bardini sustaining a...

April 07, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalist Hilmi al-Faqawi was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent used by media workers outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Al-Faqawi, who reported for the Palestine Today news agency, was among at least two people killed in the early morning strike, which also injured several other journalists, deepening the crisis for press workers in the region. The tent, a designated space for journalists covering the humanitarian situation near the hospital, caught fire during the attack, engulfing equipment and trapping individuals inside. Footage from the...

April 07, 2025 - Palestine -  The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has issued a sharp condemnation of what it calls Israel’s "deliberate targeting" of journalists in Gaza. In recent statements, the ministry accused Israel of systematically attacking members of the press in an attempt to obscure what it describes as a "war of annihilation" against Palestinians. The Ministry highlighted that the unprecedented death toll among journalists in Gaza, now exceeding 200, cannot be seen as collateral damage. Instead, it argued that these killings form part of a broader strategy to suppress media...

April 07, 2025 - Indonesia -  On April 4, 2025, Indonesian journalist Situr Wijaya, 33, was found dead in his hotel room at D’Paragon Hotel in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. Known as the founder and editor-in-chief of the online news outlet iN Sulteng, Situr’s sudden death has raised serious concerns among press freedom advocates and his family, who suspect foul play. According to initial reports, Situr’s body showed signs of bruising on his face and chest, along with injuries to his lips. These visible marks of trauma led his family to file a police report...

April 07, 2025 - Crimea/Russia -  Denys Matsola, a Ukrainian journalist, human rights activist, and former soldier, has been imprisoned in Russia for over three years. Captured on April 4, 2022, while defending Mariupol as part of the 501st Separate Marine Battalion of the Ukrainian Navy, Matsola's situation has drawn international concern. His captivity is attributed to his pro-Ukrainian stance and activism, including his support for the Crimean Tatar national movement and opposition to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Matsola's supporters, including human rights organizations and media workers, have launched campaigns to raise awareness...

April 7, 2025 - Turkey - Elif Akgül, a freelance journalist and former editor at bianet, has been in pretrial detention in Turkey since February 21, 2025. Her arrest came amid a wide-ranging investigation into the People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), a legal coalition of leftist and pro-Kurdish groups. Authorities accuse Akgül of “membership in a terrorist organization,” citing her attendance at HDK meetings from years ago and wiretapped interviews conducted as part of her journalistic work. Akgül insists the charges criminalize both her reporting and civic participation. In letters from prison, Akgül has described her...