News

June 20, 2025 - Georgia -  In recent weeks, the Georgian government has escalated its crackdown on dissent by summoning dozens of journalists, activists, and opposition figures to court. They face charges of “insulting” government officials—a crime newly criminalized under a legal amendment passed in February 2025. Those accused could face fines of up to 4,000 lari (around $1,450) or 45 days in detention. The law was swiftly used to target media voices and government critics for posting strong, sometimes satirical or harsh comments on social media. Among those summoned is TV Pirveli journalist Vika Bukia, who...

June 20, 2025 - USA -  Independent journalists Cameron Higby and Brandi Kruse were violently assaulted while covering an anti-immigration enforcement protest in Seattle on June 14, 2025. The attack, which occurred during demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has ignited outrage and renewed debate over media bias and protest coverage. According to their accounts, both journalists were targeted by far-left agitators while documenting events on the ground. Cameron Higby, who was filming a protest near downtown Seattle, was allegedly choked, punched in the face while on the ground, and kicked by masked...

June 20, 2025 - General -  According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the number of jailed journalists worldwide reached 361 by December 1, 2024, marking the second-highest total since CPJ began tracking in 1992. The surge reflects a sharp increase in global crackdowns on press freedom, driven by war, authoritarianism, and shrinking democratic space. Asia emerged as the region with the highest number of imprisoned journalists, accounting for 111 out of the 361 cases. In a Rappler interview, CPJ’s Asia Program Director, Beh Lih Yi, emphasized the alarming trend, saying, “Asia is now...

June 20, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Press freedom in Bangladesh has entered a perilous phase, with the interim government—led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus—facing mounting criticism for sustaining and even intensifying repression of journalists. Despite initial hopes for reform following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the government has continued to use harsh legal measures to silence dissent. The Digital Security Act (DSA) and the Broadcast Act remain powerful tools of suppression. Since the political transition, more than 640 journalists have been arrested, and over 180 criminal cases—ranging from defamation to...

June 20, 2025 - Nigeria - The recent reflections by CrossRiverWatch on the 2019 arrest of its founder, Agba Jalingo, underscore a chilling reality: press freedom in Nigeria remains under serious threat. On August 22, 2019, heavily armed security operatives stormed Jalingo’s Lagos home at dawn, arresting him in front of his wife and young daughter. He was charged with treason and terrorism, following a report he published alleging the misappropriation of ₦500 million meant for the Cross River State microfinance bank. Jalingo’s arrest sparked national and international outrage, with civil society organizations and media...

June 19, 2025 - South Africa -  A solemn memorial service was held in Pretoria this week to remember Sibusiso “Aserie” Ndlovu and his partner, Zodwa Precious Mdhluli, both brutally murdered earlier this year. The couple had gone missing in February, and their bodies were discovered in May near the Limpopo–Mpumalanga border. DNA testing later confirmed their identities. The occasion, hosted by the National Press Club at GCIS offices, gathered family, friends, media colleagues, and public figures to pay tribute. Legendary musician Vusi Mahlasela, a close friend, spoke movingly of Ndlovu’s vibrant personality and deep...

June 19, 2025 - Iran/UK -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has strongly condemned a growing campaign of intimidation and harassment targeting Iranian journalists living in the United Kingdom. The press freedom group warns that Tehran’s security apparatus is increasingly extending its repression across borders, threatening journalists in exile and their families back in Iran. The most alarming aspect of this campaign involves transnational harassment, surveillance, threats, and psychological pressure. According to RSF, several UK-based Iranian journalists have reported that their family members in Iran have been interrogated, threatened, or pressured to convince them to stop...

June 19, 2025 - Brazil -  On May 27, 2025, Brazilian journalist Luis Augusto Carneiro da Costa was shot dead while broadcasting live on Guarany FM, a community radio station in Abaetetuba, in the northern state of Pará. Two masked gunmen stormed the studio during his program and fatally shot him in front of listeners and colleagues. The killing has shocked the region and sparked national and international outrage. Da Costa, 46, had more than two decades of experience in local journalism. He was known for engaging with grassroots issues and was deeply connected to...

June 19, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Thirteen years after the brutal double murder of Bangladeshi journalists Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, justice remains out of reach. The couple—both prominent reporters—were stabbed to death in their Dhaka apartment on February 11, 2012, while their five-year-old son slept in the next room. Despite multiple arrests and ongoing investigations, no one has been convicted, and the motive behind their killings remains unknown. Initially handled by local police, the investigation was later transferred to the Detective Branch, then to the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and most recently, to...

June 18, 2025 - France -  The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has strongly condemned the detention of two French journalists by Israeli authorities after they were seized aboard the Madleen, a vessel from the Gaza-bound “Freedom Flotilla.” The incident occurred during the night of June 8–9, 2025, when Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters. Journalists Yanis Mhamdi (Blast) and Omar Faiad (Al Jazeera) were among those detained while covering the humanitarian mission intended to deliver aid to Gaza. ECPMF expressed deep concern over the violation of press freedom, calling...

June 18, 2025 - General -  Veteran journalist Peter Oborne has publicly accused the BBC of showing “double standards” in its coverage of the Gaza conflict, following the release of a major report by the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM). Speaking at the report’s launch event, Oborne said the BBC had consistently prioritized Israeli narratives while silencing or minimizing Palestinian perspectives. He went so far as to describe the coverage as “complicity in Israeli genocide,” arguing the broadcaster misled the British public during one of the deadliest assaults on Gaza in modern history. The CfMM’s...

June 18, 2025 - Palestine/Egypt -  Youmna El Sayed, once a frontline journalist for Al Jazeera in Gaza, now finds herself silenced and stateless in Cairo. Fleeing Gaza’s war in 2024, she joins more than 250 Palestinian journalists who have taken refuge in Egypt—alongside others scattered across Oman, Qatar, Turkey, and Canada—according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate’s Cairo office. El Sayed recalls the abrupt transformation of her life: “I was a journalist until the day I crossed the border. Now, I am just a refugee with a press card that no longer holds any weight.”...

June 17, 2025 - Myanmar -  A comprehensive report released by the International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) details the extensive repression faced by journalists in Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021. Over the four years from February 2021 to February 2025, Myanmar’s military regime has employed systematic legal and physical repression to silence the independent media and suppress critical reporting. According to the ICNL’s findings, at least 221 journalists have been detained since the coup. Out of these, 88 have been convicted, collectively receiving 497 years of prison sentences. Some journalists have...

June 17, 2025 - India/Egypt/Palestine -  Maktoob Media journalist Nikita Jain, an alumna of Chennai’s Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), was covering the Global March to Gaza—a solidarity movement seeking to press authorities to open the Rafah border crossing. While the march progressed through Tunisia and Libya, upon reaching Ismaïlia, Egypt, Egyptian authorities intervened, detaining dozens of international activists and journalists, including Jain. At least three dozen individuals—citizens from India, the USA, Australia, France, Spain, Algeria, the Netherlands, and beyond—had their passports confiscated at meetings in Cairo Airport or hotel locations and were detained during...

June 17, 2025 - Iran -  The ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran intensified as Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran's state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran, resulting in the deaths of journalist Nima Rajabpour and staffer Masoumeh Azimi. The strike, which hit during a live broadcast, forced anchor Sahar Emami off-camera when debris filled the studio. The channel briefly switched to pre-recorded programming before relocating its live coverage to a secondary facility. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation warnings before the strike, covering a wide area of central Tehran, displacing up to 330,000 residents. According to...

June 17, 2025 - Iran  -  As the Israel–Iran conflict intensifies, Iranian authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on journalists and media outlets inside the country, severely restricting press freedom. According to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the government has issued warnings, enforced censorship, and made arrests in an effort to control public discourse during the crisis. On June 13, shortly after Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, editors and reporters from several Tehran-based private newspapers were summoned and ordered not to publish any content beyond official government...

June 17, 2025 - Australia/Iran -  Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, Australian journalist Erin Molan has made headlines for refusing to evacuate Israel, choosing instead to remain and report from the ground. Molan, a well-known broadcaster, was scheduled to leave the country on June 14, just as Israel launched a significant wave of airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. With Israeli airspace shut down in response to threats of Iranian retaliation, Molan found herself stranded—but rather than seek alternate evacuation routes, she chose to stay and continue reporting. In a widely viewed...

June 17, 2025 - Krygyzstan/Mongolia-  Between June 8 and 13, 2025, students and young journalists from Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and several other Central Asian nations gathered at Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, for the OSCE-DCAF Summer School, a regional initiative focused on the safety of journalists and media freedom. The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. The program brought together 22 participants from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The primary...

June 17, 2025 - Mexico -  Four years ago, in June 2021, the investigative reporter and civic activist Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera was gunned down in Fresnillo, Zacatecas. At the time, he was gathering evidence related to corruption and armed groups. Despite the federal government’s promises of a thorough investigation, no one has been held accountable, and the inquiry has stalled. In a joint communiqué issued yesterday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and civic association Propuesta Cívica underscored this alarming paralysis in Mexico’s justice system. They noted that key leads—including suspects and links to corrupt local officials—remain unexamined,...

June 16, 2025 - Iran -  Israeli forces launched a targeted airstrike on the headquarters of Iran’s state television, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), in Tehran. The attack occurred while a live broadcast was underway, dramatically cutting off the transmission. Viewers witnessed the moment of impact as the studio was filled with dust and the anchor abruptly fled, after which the broadcast was switched to pre-recorded programming. While Iranian state media confirmed damage to the studio, there are unconfirmed reports of casualties among the technical staff. The strike on the IRIB building marked a...

June 16, 2025 - USA -  The Washington Post has disclosed that several of its journalists who cover national security, economic policy, and China were targeted in a sophisticated cyberattack suspected to be carried out by Chinese state-linked hackers. The attack, which came to light on June 12, 2025, involved unauthorized access to the Microsoft email accounts of a small group of reporters. Executive Editor Matt Murray informed staff in an internal memo, noting that while only a limited number of accounts were affected, there was concern that attackers may have accessed confidential email communications....

June 16, 2025 - USA -  A group of journalists and media organizations has filed a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), accusing officers of intentionally targeting reporters with excessive force while they covered immigration protests earlier this year. The lawsuit, filed on June 16, 2025, by the Los Angeles Press Club and investigative outlet Status Coup, alleges that the LAPD violated the constitutional rights of journalists who were reporting on anti-immigration raids and demonstrations in Los Angeles. According to the complaint, multiple journalists were injured by police using so-called "less-lethal" weapons...

June 16, 2025 - Iran -  Amid Iran's missile barrage on Israel, Israeli police, under directives from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have targeted foreign and Arab media crews in Haifa, seizing camera equipment and limiting live broadcasts of missile impact zones. On June 16–17, Israeli officers raided hotel rooms housing foreign TV teams, including Turkey’s TRT Arabi and Egypt’s Al-Ghad TV, following orders to curtail “live broadcasts that endanger state security”. Police reportedly entered locations after tips that crews were filming sensitive areas like Haifa’s port. The journalists were later summoned for questioning and had...

June 16, 2025 - USA/Mexico -  Atlanta-based journalist Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran national who has lived in the U.S. for over two decades, was arrested while covering an anti-ICE protest in DeKalb County, Georgia, on June 14, 2025. Guevara, known for his reporting on immigration issues for outlets such as Diario CoLatino and Atlanta Latino, was livestreaming the "No Kings" protest when police declared the gathering unlawful. Despite identifying himself as the press and retreating from the scene, Guevara was detained by DeKalb police alongside several protesters. Charged with misdemeanor offenses including unlawful assembly, obstruction,...

June 16, 2025 - USA -  The Washington Post has launched a formal investigation into a recent cyberattack that targeted the email accounts of some of its journalists, raising serious concerns over press freedom, data security, and the protection of journalistic sources. The breach, first reported in mid-June 2025, appears to have compromised sensitive communications, though the full extent of the intrusion remains under investigation. According to initial reports, the cyberattack involved unauthorized access to email accounts belonging to a select number of Washington Post journalists. The attackers allegedly gained access to both internal communications...