News

January 26, 2025 - USA - In a disturbing incident reported on June 2, 2024, Brattleboro Reformer reporter Anessa Kim, a 22-year-old journalist and Edgewood Media Group employee, was physically assaulted while covering a town selectboard meeting at the Municipal Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. What HappenedKim had interviewed former selectboard member Michael “Mike” Fitzgerald as he exited the building. While filming with her phone, she followed him briefly to capture a statement. Suddenly, Fitzgerald reached out, grabbed Kim’s phone, and smashed it against a tree before walking away. Aftermath and Authorities’ ResponseKim reported the assault...

January 26, 2025 - Mexico -  Mexico’s alarming crisis of violence against journalists has once again come into the spotlight following the tragic murder of Alejandro Gallegos León, Editor-in-Chief of La Voz del Pueblo. His body was recently discovered in the southern state of Tabasco, prompting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to urge Mexican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. The OHCHR emphasized that the probe should not only identify the perpetrators but also examine whether Mr. León’s journalistic work played a role in his killing. Gallegos León was a widely...

January 26, 2025 - Syria -  The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has exposed horrifying new evidence of systematic repression, mass atrocities, and an aggressive war on journalists. Newly uncovered documents, obtained by OCCRP and its Syrian partner SIRAJ, show how Syrian intelligence agencies extensively monitored, harassed, and targeted journalists, both domestic and foreign, branding them as foreign agents and enemies of the state. Ordinary journalistic activities — interviewing civilians, gathering information, or collaborating with international media organizations — were treated as acts of espionage. Even prominent networks like the Global Investigative Journalism...

January 26, 2025 - Lebanon - In yet another alarming incident highlighting the growing dangers journalists face in conflict zones, a news crew from Russia Today (RT) narrowly survived an Israeli military attack while reporting from Maroun El Ras, a southern Lebanese village near the Israeli border. The team was clearly marked as press when Israeli gunfire targeted their position. Despite their professional identification, transmission engineer Hussein Khalil sustained injuries, while reporter Hussein Ayad managed to escape unharmed. The crew’s vehicle and equipment were also damaged in the attack. Footage released by MTV Lebanon shows...

June 26, 2025 - Pakistan - Pakistani crime reporter Hasnain Shah was gunned down in broad daylight outside the Lahore Press Club, a location considered a symbolic sanctuary for journalists. Shah, a senior journalist for Capital TV and a well-known figure in media circles, was waiting in his car when two unidentified men on a motorcycle shot him at least seven times before fleeing the scene. The murder occurred in front of multiple witnesses and nearby security personnel, yet the assailants escaped unhindered. Shah's killing sparked outrage among journalists, press freedom organizations, and civil society...

January 26, 2025 - Palestine -  In the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, journalists have increasingly become deliberate targets of violence, according to multiple recent reports. The Al Jazeera program The Listening Post, as featured by Asia Pacific Report, highlights the extreme dangers journalists now face, with many reporting that their press vests no longer offer protection. Instead, media workers describe being deliberately shot at with live ammunition and rubber bullets, arrested, or threatened while covering protests, evacuations, and military operations. The program emphasizes that these attacks aim to silence journalists...

January 26, 2025 - Switzerland/ Palestine/ Israel -  Prominent Palestinian-American journalist and co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, was unexpectedly detained by Swiss authorities in Zurich. Abunimah had traveled to Switzerland to speak at a Palestine rights event but was arrested by plainclothes officers shortly after his arrival. According to reports, he was held for three days in administrative detention without clear charges, access to legal counsel, or contact with his family. During his detention, Abunimah was interrogated by Swiss intelligence agents. He was never formally charged with a crime but was informed that...

January 26, 2025 - Croatia - Press freedom advocates in Croatia have raised serious concerns following an incident involving the harassment of journalist Damir Šarac by Split Mayor Ivica Puljak. On January 24, 2025, during a public town hall in Split, Šarac, a journalist for Slobodna Dalmacija, asked the mayor a question regarding the role of the city’s port company in recent toxic air pollution issues. Instead of addressing the journalist’s inquiry, Mayor Puljak responded aggressively, accusing Šarac of spreading political propaganda and being affiliated with the opposition HDZ party. The mayor's remarks escalated tensions...

January 26, 2025 - Turkey/ Nigeria -  Nigerian football star Victor Osimhen has filed a defamation lawsuit against Turkish journalist Tolga Bozduman, following allegations that the striker assaulted him in Istanbul. The controversy erupted after Galatasaray’s 3-3 draw with Dynamo Kyiv, when Bozduman claimed that Osimhen physically attacked him outside a restaurant. According to Bozduman, the altercation occurred as he attempted to photograph Osimhen. The journalist alleged that Osimhen tried to grab his camera, punched him in the head, and later offered him money to delete the footage. Bozduman said, “He tried to grab my...

January 26, 2025 - Source: Palestine/ Israel -  The war in Gaza has proven especially deadly for journalists, with at least 184 media workers killed since Israel's offensive began in October 2023. The vast majority— 166 Palestinians —died in Gaza under conditions press freedom groups call unprecedented. This makes it one of the deadliest conflicts for journalists in modern history. Among the casualties were Hossam Shabat , an Al Jazeera reporter targeted by an Israeli airstrike in March, and Fatima Hassouna , a 25-year-old photographer featured in a Cannes documentary, killed in April with her...

January 26, 2025 - Italy -  In early 2025, the Vatican made a strong moral and spiritual stand in defense of press freedom. On January 25, during the Jubilee of the World of Communications, Pope Francis addressed thousands of journalists and media workers. Abandoning his prepared speech, he spoke from the heart about the sacred role of communication. He described it as a divine gift meant to “build bridges and communities,” and stressed that authentic storytelling must be rooted in truth and integrity. Francis called for the release of unjustly imprisoned journalists, pointing out that...

January 26, 2025 - General -  Diaa Al-Ustaz says his work made him and his colleagues a target, with the International Federation of Journalists reporting this month that at least 152 journalists have died covering the war.     Reference -  https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6623001

January 26, 2025 - China -  International human rights advocates and media analysts are sounding the alarm over China’s ongoing crackdown on independent journalism, focusing particularly on the case of a detained writer and citizen journalist reportedly subjected to torture while in custody. The journalist, whose identity remains protected due to safety concerns, is said to have been severely mistreated, with reports indicating prolonged solitary confinement, denial of medical care, and psychological abuse—conditions that rights groups argue constitute torture under international law. According to sources cited in reports by VOA News and ANI News, this...

January 25, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Recent reporting from The Wire asserts that the deliberate killing of over 200 journalists and media workers in Gaza marks one of the most egregious assaults on press freedom in modern wartime history. Never before have so many journalists lost their lives in such a short timeframe, signaling a systemic campaign by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to suppress the Palestinian narrative through lethal force. The Wire’s analysis concludes that journalists have been explicitly targeted, with press vehicles attacked, snipers firing at cameramen, and eyewitness evidence pointing to the IDF’s...

January 25, 2025 - Liberia -  BBC Liberia correspondent Moses Garzeawu was forcibly handled by a Liberia National Police (LNP) officer while covering Liberia’s National County Sports Meet at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Stadium in Paynesville. The incident, widely shared on social media, has reignited concerns over press freedom and the treatment of journalists in Liberia. Garzeawu, a well-known sports journalist, was in a restricted area of the stadium when Officer Michael Toe approached him. Despite possessing proper media credentials, Garzeawu was ordered to leave the area. When he questioned the demand, the...

January 25, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkey has ramped up a sweeping crackdown on political dissent, targeting pro-Kurdish and left-wing figures, including journalists, politicians, and public figures, under the banner of counter‑terrorism. In January, authorities arrested 34 individuals, comprising pro‑Kurdish and socialist politicians, journalists, and activists, on terrorism-related charges following coordinated raids across several cities. Bianet reported that at least 45 public figures, nine of whom were journalists, have been remanded in custody since mid-January, accused largely of membership in outlawed organizations or alleged terror propaganda. Among those detained were journalists from critical, independent outlets...

January 25, 2025 - General -  Pope Francis issued a heartfelt appeal for the release of journalists unjustly imprisoned around the world. Speaking after his weekly General Audience in Vatican City, the pontiff used the occasion to draw global attention to the growing number of media professionals facing persecution for their work. "I think of the many journalists who, at the cost of their lives or their freedom, courageously inform the world of the tragedies they witness," Pope Francis said. "May their sacrifices not be in vain. May all those who are unjustly imprisoned for...

January 25, 2025 - Iran -  Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, addressed the UN Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, firmly denying that Iran detains journalists or civil society figures for their professional work. He dismissed UN Special Rapporteur reports on Iran as biased, politically motivated, and based on unreliable sources. Gharibabadi did not offer names of reputable sources that Iran considers credible, but criticized the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as “an act based on continuous political mobilization against Iran,” allegedly orchestrated by select Human Rights Council member states....

January 25, 2025 - Palestine/USA/Switzerland -  Palestinian-American journalist and Executive Director of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, was detained by Swiss authorities in Zurich just before a scheduled speaking engagement. His arrest on January 25—described by witnesses as a violent intervention by plainclothes officers—led to a three-day administrative detention and ultimately deportation. Abunimah had entered Switzerland the previous day for a Palestine solidarity event hosted by the Palestine Committee Zurich. Although he cleared a routine customs screening after approximately one hour, Zurich police later intercepted him en route to the venue. Three unmarked officers allegedly...

January 24, 2025 - General -  The CADTM article lauds Al Jazeera for standing firm amid global media constraints, describing it as “the TV channel that saves the honor of modern journalism.” From its inception in 1996, Al Jazeera carved out a daring editorial space, offering uncensored Arabic-language debates in a region typically dominated by state-controlled media. This approach transformed it into a new kind of public sphere, embracing what it calls “the opinion and the other opinion”—providing a platform without taboos and championing dissent. With its editorial courage, Al Jazeera swiftly earned the moniker “Voice of the Voiceless,”...

January 24, 2025 - Malta -  Prominent Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech—charged with complicity in the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia—has been granted bail, sparking a mix of relief and outrage. Fenech, who was arrested in November 2019 aboard his yacht and has maintained his innocence, has been detained for over five years with no trial date set. His release marks a rare concession of the legal process amid an intense investigation into political corruption and press assassination. The decision follows Maltese law, which mandates bail for defendants held beyond 30 months without...

January 24, 2025 - Malta -  Yorgen Fenech, a wealthy Maltese businessman accused of orchestrating the 2017 assassination of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, has been granted conditional bail following nearly five years of pre-trial detention. Galizia was killed by a car bomb as she drove near her home on October 16, 2017, after exposing deep-seated corruption within Malta’s political and business elites. Fenech surrendered in November 2019, accused of facilitating the murder. Although three other individuals have already admitted involvement—for planting the bomb and supplying it—this marks the first major development concerning the alleged mastermind....

January 24, 2025 - Turkey -  The 2024 BİA Media Monitoring Report has revealed a deeply troubling landscape for press freedom in Turkey, describing the year as a period when the government “made journalists' lives a living hell.” The report details widespread intimidation, judicial harassment, censorship, and physical violence against media professionals, highlighting the increasing hostility of the state and affiliated groups toward independent journalism. At least 25 journalists and five media outlets were physically attacked, while 82 media professionals faced threats, largely from individuals connected to nationalist and ruling party circles. Despite the severity...

January 24, 2025 - Belarus -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his regime of committing crimes against humanity through the systematic persecution of journalists since 2020. The landmark move comes just weeks ahead of Belarus's controversial 2025 presidential election, widely considered a sham by international observers. The complaint, based on extensive documentation, outlines how Lukashenko’s government launched an aggressive campaign to silence independent media following the disputed 2020 election. According to RSF, at least 397 journalists have been arbitrarily...

January 24, 2025 - Tunisia -  Mohamed Boughalleb, a veteran Tunisian journalist, remains arbitrarily detained as part of an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression in Tunisia. His detention is rooted in a Facebook post criticizing the Ministry of Religious Affairs—criticism that led to his arrest on March 22, 2024, and an eight-month prison sentence for defamation. However, Boughalleb was not released after completing that sentence. Instead, authorities placed him in pre-trial detention under Tunisia’s controversial Decree-Law 2022-54 on Cybercrimes, accusing him of spreading “fake news” and insulting others online. The charges are reportedly linked...