News

March 22, 2025 - Russia -  Kanyshai Mamyrkulova, an independent journalist and civic activist from Kyrgyzstan, was arrested in Bishkek on March 20, 2025, in a case that has drawn sharp criticism from international human rights groups. According to reports, her arrest was orchestrated by police officers posing as potential buyers of an apartment she had listed for sale, suggesting a premeditated effort to detain her discreetly. Authorities claim that her social media posts incited national unrest and ethnic tension. Mamyrkulova faces serious charges under Article 278 and Article 330 of Kyrgyzstan’s Criminal Code. These...

March 22, 2025 - Burundi -  Sandra Muhoza, a journalist for the online outlet La Nova Burundi, has been at the center of a contentious legal battle that underscores growing concerns over press freedom in Burundi. Arrested in April 2024, Muhoza was charged with "undermining the integrity of the national territory" and "racial aversion" after sharing information in a private WhatsApp group about alleged government-led arms distribution. In December 2024, the High Court of Mukaza in Bujumbura sentenced her to 21 months in prison—18 months for undermining national integrity and three months for racial aversion....

March 22, 2025 - Indonesia -  Recent threats against journalists in Indonesia and the Philippines have sparked renewed government commitments to safeguard press freedom and protect media workers. These incidents highlight ongoing challenges faced by journalists in Southeast Asia, where intimidation and violence threaten free expression. In Indonesia, investigative journalist Francisca “Cica” Christy Rosana of Tempo magazine became the target of a disturbing and symbolic death threat in March 2025. Rosana found a severed pig’s head and decapitated rats placed outside her office—an act loaded with cultural and religious implications in the Muslim-majority country. Alongside...

March 21, 2025 - France -  On March 21, 2025, a French court convicted Mehdi Nemmouche, a 39-year-old French jihadist, of holding four French journalists hostage in Syria between June 2013 and April 2014. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years before eligibility for parole. Nemmouche, who had previously been convicted for the 2014 Jewish Museum shooting in Brussels, denied the charges, asserting he had only fought against Syrian government forces and had never been a jailer. However, the surviving hostages identified him as their captor, citing his distinctive...

March 21, 2025 - Sudan -  Three journalists and their driver were killed in Sudan on March 21, 2025, when a drone strike targeted their vehicle amid fierce fighting in Khartoum. The attack was carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are locked in a violent conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The journalists were reporting on the SAF’s efforts to retake the Republican Palace, a key government site. This tragic incident underscores the extreme risks journalists face while covering conflict zones in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The victims were Farouk...

March 21, 2025 - Source: Barrons -  Zimbabwean journalist Blessed Mhlanga was denied bail after his arrest on February 24, 2025, in connection with interviews he conducted with war veteran and former Zanu-PF member Blessed Geza. The interviews, which aired on Heart and Soul Television (HStv) in late 2024 and early 2025, featured Geza openly calling for the resignation of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mhlanga was charged under Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act, accused of transmitting data messages that could incite violence or damage property. The law carries penalties of up to five years in...

March 21, 2025 - Turkey -  Exiled Turkish journalists have raised alarms over increasing digital censorship by major tech companies, urging international accountability for platforms enabling authoritarian governments to suppress independent media. Speaking at a United Nations panel in Geneva, they highlighted how platforms like X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Google comply with censorship requests from the Turkish government, citing the misuse of counterterrorism laws to stifle press freedom. The panel, organized by the International Journalists Association and the International Association for Human Rights Advocacy, called for reforms to ensure tech companies uphold free expression...

March 21, 2025 - Azerbaijan/Turkey - Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, detained in Georgia since August 2024, has been released on bail following a ruling by the Tbilisi City Court. The court replaced his extradition detention with a ₾5,000 ($1,800) bail, allowing him to leave prison on April 16, 2025. Sadigov, the head of the Azerbaijani news outlet Azel.TV, was arrested in Tbilisi at Azerbaijan's request, facing charges of extortion. He had been living in Georgia with his family since December 2023 and had planned to leave the country two weeks before his arrest but was...

March 21, 2025 - General -  The article highlights a critical challenge faced by journalism today: the tendency of audiences and media outlets to avoid or shy away from difficult or distressing news stories. This avoidance not only undermines the importance of hard-hitting journalism but also threatens the safety and sustainability of journalists themselves. The piece argues that turning away from “bad news” creates a dangerous gap in public awareness, allowing crucial issues to go unreported or ignored. Journalists play a vital role by bringing to light uncomfortable truths, exposing corruption, injustice, and human rights...

March 21, 2025 - Indonesia -  In a chilling act of intimidation, an Indonesian investigative journalist received a severed pig’s head at his news outlet’s office in Jakarta—an incident that has sparked national outrage and raised fresh concerns over the safety of journalists in the country. The grotesque package, accompanied by decapitated rats and a threatening message, was delivered to Project Multatuli, a nonprofit outlet known for reporting on corruption, environmental degradation, and marginalized communities. The targeted journalist, who remains unnamed for security reasons, had recently published a story critical of a high-ranking government official....

March 21, 2025 - Mozambique -  The disappearance of Mozambican journalist Arlindo Chissale has cast a dark shadow over press freedom in the country, particularly in the conflict-ridden province of Cabo Delgado. Chissale, an investigative reporter known for his work on illegal mining and security force abuses, vanished on December 29, 2023, in the district of Mocímboa da Praia. Since then, no verified sighting or communication has been made, raising fears of enforced disappearance, a serious human rights violation. Chissale had traveled to Cabo Delgado to report on developments in the region, which has been...

March 21, 2025 - Germany/Turkey -  Germany is under increasing scrutiny for its growing number of deportations to Turkey, particularly of individuals linked—often loosely—to the Gülen movement. The number of deportations from Germany to Turkey has more than doubled in recent months, with migration figures reaching record highs. This surge has sparked concern among human rights advocates, who warn that deportees are at serious risk of imprisonment, torture, and unfair trials once returned to Turkey. One such case is that of a Turkish asylum seeker who was forcibly returned from Germany and immediately arrested upon...

March 21, 2025 - Pakistan -  In a deeply troubling development for press freedom in Pakistan, journalist Farhan Mallick, founder and editor of the independent news outlet Raftar, was arrested by federal authorities in Karachi on March 20, 2025. The arrest occurred following a late-night raid on his home, during which electronic devices and documents were seized. His outlet, known for investigative journalism and critical reporting on state affairs, was also blocked by Pakistan’s media regulatory body, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Mallick's detention and the silencing of Raftar come amid increasing government efforts to...

March 21, 2025 - General -  When journalists are imprisoned for doing their jobs, society loses not just its storytellers but its truth-bearers. In her impassioned piece, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya paints a haunting portrait of her country’s silenced press, calling on the world to defend the fundamental right to free speech. Her words echo like a warning bell: Belarus is now Europe’s leading jailer of journalists, and each arrest is another step toward a voiceless, blindfolded society. Journalists in Belarus today face persecution not for distorting the truth, but for daring to tell...

March 21, 2025 - France -  In a powerful moment of justice, a Paris court on March 21, 2025, sentenced five jihadists for their roles in the kidnapping and torture of four French journalists in Syria from 2013 to 2014. Among them was Mehdi Nemmouche, a notorious figure already serving life for the deadly 2014 Brussels Jewish Museum attack. Nemmouche received another life sentence with a mandatory 22-year term before parole, sealing his fate as one of the central figures in a harrowing ordeal that left deep psychological scars on his victims. The journalists—Didier François,...

March 21, 2025 - Palestine -  Husam al-Titi was more than a journalist. He was a father, a husband, and a mentor who spent over two decades capturing voices and stories from Palestine for ABC News. After years in journalism, he chose a quieter life as a media teacher, hoping to inspire the next generation. But even in that quieter life, he wasn’t safe. On March 21, 2025, an Israeli airstrike ended everything. The missile struck his home in Gaza City while he, his wife, and their daughter slept. All three were killed. His three...

March 20, 2025 - India -  Nagpur-based journalist Prashant Koratkar was arrested in Telangana on March 24, 2025, following the rejection of his anticipatory bail by a Kolhapur sessions court. Koratkar faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, during a phone conversation with Kolhapur-based historian Indrajeet Sawant. The conversation, which reportedly included threats and offensive comments, was recorded and shared on social media, leading to public outrage and legal action. The court denied Koratkar's bail after it was revealed that...

March 20, 2025 - Uganda - Journalists from Nation Media Group (NMG) and Next Media were recently barred from covering President Yoweri Museveni’s Parish Development Model (PDM) tour in Uganda’s Bunyoro Sub-region, sparking renewed concerns about press freedom in the country. Although their names had been submitted for accreditation, they were not included in the official State House list, effectively blocking them from participating in the event’s coverage. While they initially negotiated access on the first day and managed to report, they were subsequently turned away from key activities, including the commissioning of Bunyoro University...

March 20, 2025 - Cyprus -  Allegations of migrant pushbacks by Cypriot authorities have sparked significant controversy, with international organizations, journalists, and opposition parties raising concerns, while the Cypriot government firmly denies any wrongdoing. In March 2025, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that Cypriot authorities intercepted three boats carrying approximately 80 Syrian migrants, including women and children, near Larnaca port and forced them to return to Syria without allowing them to seek asylum. Cypriot Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis disputed these claims, stating that only two boats were involved and that they were...

March 20, 2025 - USA/Iran -  Two men were convicted in March 2025 for their roles in a failed assassination plot targeting Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad. The U.S. federal jury in New York found Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, supporting an operation allegedly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Prosecutors described the plan as part of Tehran’s broader strategy to silence dissidents abroad. Alinejad, known for her outspoken criticism of Iran’s human rights abuses and particularly its treatment of women, has long been a target...

March 20, 2025 - Pakistan -  In March 2025, U.S.-based Pakistani investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani reported that his two brothers were abducted from their home in Islamabad, allegedly by operatives of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and local police. This incident occurred shortly after Noorani published an exposé detailing alleged nepotism by Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, accusing him of placing relatives in key federal positions. According to Noorani, approximately two dozen armed individuals identifying themselves as police forcibly entered his family’s residence around midnight on March 18. They reportedly assaulted his brothers, Mohammad Saif...

March 20, 2025 - Iran -  Former President Donald Trump issued an executive order defunding the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), effectively shutting down Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA). These state-funded outlets have long operated in authoritarian regions, offering independent news and amplifying voices that challenge repressive regimes. The closure has had swift and devastating consequences. At least 10 journalists affiliated with these outlets are now imprisoned in countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and the occupied areas of Ukraine. Many were arrested...

March 19, 2025 - Philippines -  In a landmark event for media representation in Northeast India, the first Manipur Naga Journalists’ Conclave was held from March 17 to 19, 2025, at Magen Hills, Viewland, in Ukhrul district. Organized by the Ukhrul District Working Journalists’ Association (UDWJA), the three-day gathering brought together journalists from five Naga-majority districts—Chandel, Noney, Tamenglong, Senapati, and Ukhrul—under the unifying theme “Connecting Voices”. A central outcome of the conclave was the revival of the long-dormant “Syndication of Naga Journalists,” originally established in 2003 by veteran journalists including Newmai Witoubou and Ngachonmi Chamroy....

March 19, 2025 - Yemen -  Yemeni journalist Ahmed Awadhah has been missing since March 10, 2025, following a series of threats reportedly made by a Houthi-affiliated intelligence officer. Awadhah vanished from Sana’a, the Houthi-controlled capital, after previously alerting his colleagues that he feared for his safety due to increasing pressure over his reporting. His disappearance has sparked international concern among press freedom advocates, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and IFEX, who have called for his immediate release and for the Houthis to end their ongoing campaign of intimidation against journalists. According to...

March 19, 2025 - General -  The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, issued a powerful call for stronger safeguards for journalists, particularly those operating in conflict zones. Speaking at the first Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of the year, Braathu highlighted the escalating dangers journalists face and stressed the critical role they play in defending human rights, countering disinformation, and upholding democratic accountability. Braathu emphasized that journalists often serve as society’s eyes and ears in crises, risking their lives to uncover the truth. “We rely on journalists as frontline observers,” he noted,...