News

March 12, 2025 - Azerbaijan -  Azerbaijan's ongoing crackdown on independent media has taken a troubling turn with the recent arrest and reported mistreatment of journalists linked to Meydan TV, one of the few critical Azerbaijani media outlets operating in exile. The case underscores the government's growing intolerance for dissent and its determination to crush any remaining spaces for investigative journalism. Journalist Aghjabadi Mehtiyev, arrested as part of a wider investigation into Meydan TV, has broken his silence from detention, responding to state-aligned media reports that sought to discredit his reputation. Mehtiyev denied allegations that...

March 12, 2025 - Source: Nile Post - "Witnesses say the operatives not only prevented him from filming but also confiscated his equipment before inflicting serious injuries." The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) has strongly condemned the brutal attack on Steven Kibwiika, a Spark TV cameraman, who was assaulted by security operatives while covering alleged electoral malpractice in Kawempe North. Kibwiika was reportedly filming an incident in Namere, Kawempe North, where a group of individuals was suspected of pre-ticking ballot papers ahead of the March 13 by-election, when armed men confronted and attacked him. Witnesses say...

March 12, 2025 - Philippines -  The recent arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, following an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, has rekindled urgent calls for justice over the numerous journalist killings during his presidency. International human rights organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, have emphasized the deep scars left on press freedom during Duterte's administration. Duterte’s presidency, which spanned from 2016 to 2022, was marked by an aggressive and often violent “war on drugs” that drew widespread international condemnation. However, beyond extrajudicial killings of alleged drug offenders,...

March 12, 2025 - India/Belgium -  Belgian photojournalist Simon Clement has been arrested in India, triggering alarm among international media rights organizations and raising pressing questions about press freedom in the country. Clement, who was reportedly on assignment to document socio-political issues in India's northeast, was detained at Lengpui Airport in Mizoram state on March 10, 2025. Indian authorities claim that Clement violated visa regulations, entering the country on a tourist visa while engaging in journalistic work. He was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and subsequently transferred to Guwahati, Assam, where...

March 12, 2025 - India -  The recent arrest of a journalist in Hyderabad, Telangana, has ignited a storm of controversy over press freedom in India. The journalist, M. Suresh, was taken into custody on March 17, 2025, after he posted a video of a farmer praising former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), leader of the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), while criticizing the current Congress-led state government. The video quickly went viral on social media, prompting swift action from the authorities. Suresh, affiliated with a local Telugu news outlet, was arrested on charges...

March 12, 2025 - General -  The United Nations has renewed its call for stronger international efforts to protect journalists and end the culture of impunity surrounding crimes against media professionals. As outlined in recent reports and calls for input from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNESCO, the global body is urging states to implement concrete measures to safeguard journalists and ensure accountability for violence against them. The Secretary-General’s 2025 report on the safety of journalists highlights alarming trends. At least 70 journalists were killed in 2024 alone, many...

March 12, 2025 - Kurdish/Iraq- Media freedom advocates and international watchdogs are urging the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan to immediately release Voice of America (VOA) journalist Sirwan Abbas, who has been detained under unclear circumstances since January 30, 2025. Abbas, a Kurdish reporter known for his work on political and social issues in the region, was arrested in Duhok province while covering civil unrest and has remained in custody without formal charges. According to VOA and media rights groups, Abbas was taken into custody by security forces affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). His...

March 12, 2025 - Belarus -  A powerful new feature film telling the story of imprisoned Belarusian journalist Katsyaryna Andreeva is set to premiere in Polish cinemas, drawing international attention to her case and the wider suppression of press freedom in Belarus. The film, titled “I Am Katya”, dramatizes the life and imprisonment of Andreeva, a reporter for Belsat TV, who was arrested in 2020 while covering protests in Minsk and has since become a symbol of resistance against the Lukashenko regime’s crackdown on independent media. Andreeva, whose real name is Katsyaryna Bakhvalava, was sentenced...

March 11, 2025 - USA -  R.E. Burke, a British comic book journalist and creator, has found himself at the center of a storm after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while attempting to leave the United States. Burke, who was in the country on a tourist visa and had attended multiple comic conventions, was reportedly stopped at the border in March and subsequently held in an immigration detention center for over a week. His case has drawn international criticism and ignited broader discussions on the treatment of foreign nationals by U.S....

March 11, 2025 - Syria -  Lebanese journalist Hanin Gebran has been released from one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s notorious prisons, ending a harrowing chapter of arbitrary detention and abuse. Her freedom marks a rare moment of relief in a country where the regime continues to silence critical voices, particularly those of journalists and women. Gebran, who was arrested in Damascus in 2022, spent over two years in custody under brutal conditions. Her imprisonment was never officially confirmed, and her whereabouts remained unknown for months. Rights groups believe she was targeted for her work...

March 11, 2025 - Lebanon -  Lebanese women journalists are increasingly finding themselves at the center of an online battleground, targeted by escalating cyber violence that aims to intimidate, discredit, and silence their work. From coordinated smear campaigns to threats of sexual violence, digital abuse has become a pervasive weapon used against women in media, highlighting the growing vulnerability of female journalists in Lebanon's volatile socio-political climate. According to recent reports by IFEX, the cyberattacks often intensify when women reporters cover politically sensitive topics or challenge powerful interests. These attacks range from hacking attempts and...

March 11, 2025 - Iran/USA -  Two men have been convicted in a New York court for their involvement in a chilling plot to assassinate prominent Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad. The verdict, delivered in March 2025, marks the latest chapter in a disturbing campaign of transnational repression aimed at silencing Alinejad, who has long been a vocal critic of the Iranian regime. Masih Alinejad, known for her outspoken activism on women’s rights and compulsory hijab laws in Iran, has been living under U.S. protection since authorities uncovered multiple attempts on her life. In...

March 11, 2025 - General -  The book Murder the Truth sheds light on a disturbing and growing global effort to silence journalists and restrict freedom of expression. Through investigative research and firsthand accounts, the author reveals how state and non-state actors around the world employ intimidation, violence, and legal harassment to stifle critical reporting and control narratives. At the heart of Murder the Truth is the alarming increase in attacks on journalists, ranging from imprisonment and censorship to physical violence and assassination. The book documents numerous cases where reporters who dared to expose corruption,...

March 11, 2025 - Guatemala -  Guatemalan authorities have reimprisoned José Rubén Zamora, the founder of the independent newspaper El Periódico, sparking widespread condemnation from press freedom advocates both domestically and internationally. Zamora, a prominent investigative journalist known for exposing corruption, was taken back into custody in a move his lawyers described as "inhumane" and politically motivated. Zamora had been released on bail earlier this year after facing multiple legal charges widely seen as attempts to silence his critical reporting on government corruption and abuses. His latest re-arrest has intensified fears about the deteriorating state...

March 11, 2025 - Bulgaria -  Christo Grozev, a prominent Bulgarian investigative journalist and former lead Russia investigator at Bellingcat, has been the target of a coordinated Russian espionage operation. In 2023, U.S. officials alerted Grozev to a potential threat against him. Subsequent investigations revealed that a Bulgarian spy ring had been tracking him, allegedly planning his abduction. The operation was linked to Jan Marsalek, a fugitive businessman with ties to Russian intelligence. The spy ring, operating out of a UK guesthouse, surveilled Grozev across multiple countries, including Austria, Spain, and Montenegro. They devised various...

March 11, 2025 - France -  France has long positioned itself as a staunch defender of press freedom both domestically and internationally. The French government regards freedom of expression and media independence as fundamental pillars of democracy and human rights. Through various diplomatic and legal measures, France actively promotes and protects these freedoms worldwide. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs highlights press freedom as a core priority in its human rights agenda. France supports international efforts to safeguard journalists, combat censorship, and foster transparent information flows. This includes advocating at multilateral institutions such as...

March 10, 2025 - Turkey -  In Turkey, journalists face increasing repression, with house arrest serving as a significant tool for curbing press freedom. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) highlights the experiences of three reporters under house arrest: Tolga Güney, Delal Akyüz, and Melike Aydın. Charged with membership in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, these journalists have been confined to their homes for extended periods, awaiting trial. Tolga Güney, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency, has been under house arrest since February 2024....

March 10, 2025 - Belize -  On February 27, 2025, Louis “Ljay” Wade, a reporter for Belize’s independent PlusTV, was physically assaulted by police officers in Belmopan while covering the recovery of two drowning victims. According to Wade, officers pinned him against a gate, seized his phone multiple times, and demanded he delete his footage or face charges. He refused and subsequently filed a formal complaint against the officers on March 4. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the incident, urging Belizean authorities to conduct an independent and transparent investigation. RSF emphasized the importance of press...

March 10, 2025 - Source: IPI -  Independent journalism in Georgia faces a severe crisis as government actions increasingly threaten press freedom and media pluralism. In early 2025, the ruling Georgian Dream party passed laws restricting foreign funding for media outlets and introduced a “foreign agent” bill. These laws prohibit broadcasters from receiving foreign financial support and require organizations receiving over 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.” Critics argue these measures aim to silence dissent and cripple independent media, which often relies on foreign support to operate due to limited...

March 10, 2025 - Montenegro -  The Montenegrin Parliament initiated a significant inquiry into decades of attacks and murders targeting journalists, marking a pivotal moment in the nation's commitment to press freedom. This move addresses longstanding concerns over impunity in cases such as the 2004 assassination of Duško Jovanović, the founder and editor of the daily newspaper Dan, and the 2008 assault on journalist Mladen Stojović. Despite the passage of time, these cases remain unresolved, with only one accomplice convicted in Jovanović's murder. The International Press Institute (IPI) has welcomed this parliamentary initiative, emphasizing the...

March 10, 2025 - Chad - Chad witnessed a sharp escalation in its crackdown on independent journalism with the detention of three prominent journalists in the capital, N’Djamena. Olivier Monodji, director of the newspaper Le Pays and Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent; Mahamat Saleh Alhissein, a reporter at Télé Tchad; and Ndilyam Guekidata, editor-in-chief of Le Pays, were arrested under serious accusations of espionage, conspiracy, and undermining state institutions. The authorities allege that these journalists had ties to the Russian paramilitary group Wagner and that they leaked sensitive information concerning national security and economic affairs...

March 09, 2025 - Palestine -  During the recent conflict in Gaza, Israeli forces killed 24 Palestinian female journalists, marking a devastating blow to media workers in the region. According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, these deaths occurred amid intense military operations, highlighting the extreme risks journalists face in war zones. One of the notable victims was Ola Al Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted her husband’s family home in Gaza City. This incident, among others, has drawn international condemnation, with the United Nations describing the Gaza conflict...

March 09, 2025 - General -  The BBC's decision to remove the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone from its iPlayer service has ignited a significant debate over journalistic integrity and editorial responsibility. The film, which depicted the lives of children in Gaza, was narrated by 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, whose father, Ayman Alyazouri, serves as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. The BBC stated that it was not informed of this familial connection before the film's release. In response to the backlash, BBC Director General Tim Davie admitted to losing trust in the documentary, stating...

March 09, 2025 - India -  On March 8, 2025, journalist Raghvendra Bajpai was fatally shot in broad daylight on the Sitapur-Delhi National Highway near the Hempur railway crossing in Uttar Pradesh. The 35-year-old, a correspondent for the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, was attacked by assailants on a motorcycle who fired multiple rounds at him. Despite efforts by locals to rush him to the hospital, he was declared dead on arrival. According to Bajpai's family, he had received threatening phone calls in the days leading up to the incident, which they believe were related to...

March 09, 2025 - Palestine -  Meta suspended two Instagram accounts belonging to Palestinian journalist and influencer Saleh Aljafarawi, known online as "Mr. FAFO," citing violations of its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy. The accounts had a combined following of approximately 9.5 million users. Aljafarawi utilized his platforms to document the impact of the Israel-Gaza conflict, sharing firsthand accounts and images from the ground. He expressed frustration over the suspensions, noting that the accounts were removed without prior warning. In a video posted on a backup account, he stated, "Unfortunately, they were both deleted at...