News

March 25, 2025 - Azerbaijan -  Afgan Sadigov, an Azerbaijani journalist and editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Azel.TV has been detained in Tbilisi, Georgia, since August 2024. He faces extradition to Azerbaijan on charges of extortion and threats, which international human rights organizations deem politically motivated. Sadigov's detention has raised serious concerns about his well-being and the potential violation of his rights. In March 2025, Sadigov's wife, Sevinj Sadigova, reported that her husband had been subjected to inhumane treatment in pre-trial detention. She stated that since March 18, he has been unable to eat anything...

March 25, 2025 - Somalia -  Press freedom in Somalia faces escalating threats, as journalists endure abductions and harassment by state forces. Notably, journalist Ibrahim Mohamed Mayow was abducted by Somali police on March 24, 2025, in Afgooye while reporting on an Al-Shabaab attack. Despite inquiries, his whereabouts remain unknown. Simultaneously, Mohamed Ibrahim Bulbul, Secretary of Information and Human Rights for the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), experienced a police raid on his residence on March 26. Officers questioned his family about his location and lingered outside for hours. This follows Bulbul's investigative reporting on alleged...

March 25, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, acclaimed for his Oscar-winning work, was released from Israeli detention on March 25, 2025, after spending nearly two weeks in custody. Ballal was initially detained on March 12 at the Qalandia checkpoint near Jerusalem, where Israeli authorities accused him of security-related offenses. The filmmaker denies the charges, and his detention sparked widespread concern among international human rights groups and artistic communities. Ballal’s release came after he provided a personal guarantee and was ordered to remain under certain restrictions, including a ban on travel outside the...

March 25, 2025 - Turkey -  A Turkish court has issued an arrest order against a journalist working for the international news agency AFP, in connection with their coverage of recent protests in Istanbul. The journalist faces accusations of allegedly participating in and inciting public demonstrations that opposed the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and criticized his administration. The charges reportedly arise from the journalist’s reporting on politically sensitive protests, which have raised alarm among press freedom advocates. According to the journalist’s lawyer, the accusations are unfounded and are aimed at punishing the journalist for exercising...

March 25, 2025 - Germany -  Israeli occupation forces detained two German journalists while they were reporting in the West Bank, raising fresh concerns about press freedom and the safety of foreign correspondents covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The journalists were stopped at a checkpoint near the city of Hebron and held for several hours before being released without formal charges. According to eyewitnesses and reports from the journalists themselves, Israeli soldiers confiscated their equipment and questioned them aggressively during the detention. The journalists described feeling threatened and intimidated, with the soldiers demanding to see their...

March 25, 2025 - India -  A journalist in Assam was detained by police following his investigation and reporting on alleged financial irregularities in a regional bank, sparking protests and raising concerns about press freedom in the northeastern Indian state. The journalist had recently questioned senior bank officials regarding suspicious transactions and alleged mismanagement, which triggered local public outrage. The detention occurred amid growing protests by bank employees and customers demanding transparency and accountability. Demonstrators gathered outside police stations and bank offices, calling for a thorough probe into the financial irregularities and the immediate release...

March 25, 2025 - Palestine -  Two Palestinian journalists, Hassan Shabat and Mohammed Mansour, lost their lives on March 24, 2025, during Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Mansour, a prominent reporter for Al Jazeera, was killed alongside a cameraman while covering the escalating conflict. Shabat, a journalist for local media, also died amid the heavy bombardment. Their deaths mark some of the most recent and tragic losses among media professionals reporting from the frontlines. Mohammed Mansour was a respected figure known for his dedication to documenting the realities of life under conflict. His...

March 24, 2025 - Russie/Crimea -  Artem Lysak, an investigative journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Crimea. The Realities project was detained by Russian authorities while working undercover in Russian-occupied Crimea. Lysak, who previously reported under the pseudonym Nazar Sytnyk from 2016 to 2020, focused on exposing human rights abuses and documenting the daily realities faced by Crimean residents after Russia’s annexation in 2014. His arrest highlights the dangerous conditions journalists endure when reporting in authoritarian and conflict-affected regions where freedom of the press is severely restricted. Lysak’s work involved considerable risk, including constant...

March 25, 2025 - Palestine -  Recent years have seen a tragic increase in the killing and targeting of Palestinian journalists covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, many critics argue that Western media outlets have largely failed to adequately report on these incidents, enabling a climate of impunity and contributing to the ongoing violence against press workers. Several high-profile Palestinian journalists have lost their lives while reporting on hostilities, including during Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. These deaths often go underreported or are framed in ways that obscure the systemic risks Palestinian...

March 25, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish authorities detained more than 1,100 people across the country amid widespread protests sparked by political and economic grievances. The demonstrations intensified in Istanbul, where security forces cracked down heavily, including the arrest of journalists covering the events. These developments highlight escalating repression under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government. The protests initially arose in response to rising inflation, unemployment, and perceived government corruption, but quickly took on a broader political dimension. Erdoğan blamed the opposition parties for stirring unrest, labeling them as “evil” forces attempting to destabilize the country....

March 25, 2024 -Russia -  On March 25, 2025, Russian journalist Vladislav Vinogradov, a war correspondent for the Izvestia newspaper, was killed in a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine. The attack, which targeted a convoy near the Luhansk region, also claimed the lives of five others, including a Russian-appointed local governor. This tragic incident marks a significant loss for Russian media covering the ongoing war in Ukraine. Vinogradov was known for his frontline reporting and coverage of military operations in the contested Donbas area. His death underscores the heightened dangers journalists face amid the escalating...

March 23, 2025 - Burkina Faso -  In March 2025, several journalists in Burkina Faso were detained by authorities following their outspoken defense of press freedom and criticism of government restrictions on the media. The arrests highlight growing concerns about the shrinking space for independent journalism in the West African nation amid political instability and security challenges. The journalists were reportedly taken into custody after participating in a public campaign organized by local media bodies advocating for the protection of freedom of expression. They criticized recent government actions that curtailed press activities, including censorship, intimidation,...

March 24, 2025 - Palestine -  Hossam Shabat, a 23-year-old Palestinian journalist, was killed on March 24, 2025, in an Israeli drone strike in northern Gaza. The airstrike hit his vehicle near the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, ending the life of a young reporter committed to documenting the horrors of war in his homeland. He was working with Al Jazeera Mubasher and Drop Site News, reporting from some of the most dangerous areas of the conflict. In a message prepared before his death and later posted by his colleagues, Shabat wrote, “If you're reading...

March 24, 2025 - Pakistan -  The Islamabad High Court is investigating the disappearance of two brothers of exiled investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani, following their abduction on March 19, 2025. Around 20 armed men—some in uniform—stormed the Noorani family home in Islamabad during the early hours, forcibly taking Muhammad Saifur Rehman Haider and Muhammad Ali, both engineers, to an undisclosed location. Phones were seized, and surveillance footage was reportedly deleted by the assailants. Ahmad Noorani, now based in the United States, is known for high-profile investigations into Pakistan’s military elite through his platform FactFocus. He...

March 24, 2025 - Palestine -  The death of 23-year-old Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat in an Israeli airstrike on March 24, 2025, has triggered widespread condemnation from human rights groups, press freedom advocates, and international bodies. Shabat, who worked for Al Jazeera Mubasher, was reportedly targeted while reporting near the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. His colleague, Mohammed Mansour from Palestine Today, was also killed the same day in a separate strike in Khan Younis. Shabat’s death has become a symbol of the dangers faced by journalists working in war zones, especially in...

March 24, 2025 - Russia -  Maria Ponomarenko, a Russian journalist and anti-war activist, has had her prison sentence extended by an additional 22 months, bringing her total incarceration to nearly eight years. The extension stems from charges of allegedly assaulting prison staff, which she denies. Ponomarenko was initially sentenced in February 2023 to six years for disseminating "knowingly false information" about the Russian military, specifically regarding the bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater in Ukraine. During her recent court appearance, Ponomarenko delivered a poignant statement detailing the abuse she has endured in prison. She...

March 24, 2025 - USA -  A major security breach has rocked the Trump administration after it was confirmed that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to a Signal group chat containing classified military plans. The group, named “Houthi PC Small Group,” included Vice President JD Vance, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Goldberg received detailed operational information just hours before the U.S. launched airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, 2025. The White House admitted the mistake, stating that Goldberg’s...

March 24, 2025 - Serbia/Albania -  In March 2025, during the ongoing war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi at The Hague, new testimony shed light on the fate of Serbian journalists during the Kosovo conflict. Naim Maljoku, a former KLA commander and head of the KLA’s operational directorate in 1998, testified that two Serbian journalists were abducted and held at the KLA’s main headquarters near Lipljan, Kosovo, in the autumn of 1998. Maljoku identified the “White House,” the KLA’s central command facility in the village of Divljane, as the...

March 24, 2025 - Turkey -  In March 2025, the Turkish government formally requested that the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) block access to more than 700 user accounts, sparking renewed controversy over digital censorship and political repression. The accounts targeted reportedly include journalists, news organizations, activists, students, and political dissidents—many of whom were involved in or voiced support for recent protests against the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu’s detention on corruption charges has triggered widespread demonstrations across Turkey, with over 1,100 people reportedly arrested, including several members of the press....

March 24, 2025 - Palestine - On March 24, 2025, 23-year-old Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Hossam Shabat was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his vehicle in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. Shabat was en route to the Indonesian Hospital for a live broadcast when the strike occurred. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Shabat was a Hamas sniper operating under the guise of a journalist, alleging his affiliation with the Beit Hanoun Battalion. However, Al Jazeera and press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have vehemently denied these accusations. RSF condemned the strike...

March 24, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish police detained eight journalists in Istanbul as they covered protests sparked by the arrest of opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The journalists, who were reporting on demonstrations in support of the imprisoned mayor, were taken into custody under charges that authorities have not publicly clarified. The incident comes amid a sweeping crackdown by the Turkish government, which has arrested more than 1,100 people nationwide since protests erupted. The journalists worked for a range of media outlets, including Mezopotamya Agency and JINNEWS, both of which focus on Kurdish and human...

March 23, 2025 - Palestine -  In March 2025, Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, filed for restraining orders against Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav and protest activist Nava Rozolio, alleging that their actions constituted harassment and posed a threat to her family's safety. Netanyahu claimed that Misgav's publications were obsessively focused on her personal life and that Rozolio engaged in unlawful surveillance, including managing a WhatsApp group that allegedly incited harm against her family. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court initially granted a restraining order against Rozolio, barring her from approaching Netanyahu. However, in...

March 23, 2025 - Pakistan - Farhan Mallick, a Pakistani journalist and founder of the online news platform Raftar, was arrested on March 20, 2025, by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He was charged under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) with disseminating what authorities labeled as “anti-state content.” Additionally, he was accused of operating an illegal call center allegedly involved in defrauding foreigners, a claim that many in the journalism community dispute as an attempt to tarnish his credibility. Mallick’s detention drew widespread criticism from media organizations and rights groups. They argued that...

March 23, 2025 - Philippines - A wave of online harassment targeted prominent Filipino women journalists covering former President Rodrigo Duterte’s ongoing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The attacks, widely condemned by civil society groups, were primarily aimed at reporters Mariz Umali (GMA-7), Zen Hernandez (ABS-CBN), and Gretchen Ho (News5), all of whom have been reporting on the sensitive developments surrounding Duterte’s alleged human rights violations during his administration’s drug war. These journalists faced a barrage of misogynistic and defamatory comments on social media, many of which were amplified by Duterte supporters. In...

March 23, 2025 - Kurdish/Iraq -  Nûjiyan Erhan, born Tuğba Akyılmaz, was a courageous Kurdish journalist remembered for her relentless dedication to amplifying the voices of the Yazidi people in northern Iraq. Originally from Turkey, Erhan moved to the Shengal (Sinjar) region in 2014 after ISIS launched genocidal attacks on the Yazidi community. Her mission was clear: to document their suffering, tell their stories, and support the emergence of a local, women-led media presence in a war-ravaged region. In 2015, she helped establish the Shengal Women's Press, a pioneering initiative that empowered Yazidi women to...