News

November 17, 2024 - Palestine - Palestinian journalists are increasingly under siege, facing arrest, intimidation, and lethal attacks amid the intensifying conflict across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In a troubling trend, Israel continues to detain journalists while simultaneously targeting media workers in Gaza with airstrikes, undermining press freedom and endangering those reporting from the frontlines. On June 2, 2024, journalist Rasha Harzallah, a correspondent for the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, was sentenced to six months in Israeli prison by a military court at Salem and fined 13,000 shekels. She had been arrested...

November 16, 2024 - Palestine - Palestinian journalist Mohammed Saleh Al-Sharif was killed in a targeted drone strike while inspecting the impact of the conflict near his home in the Jabalia refugee camp. Israeli forces deployed a quadcopter drone to open fire on Al‑Sharif and his cousin as they approached their residence in Beit Lahia. His cousin died instantly, and Al‑Sharif bled for more than two hours before succumbing to his injuries. The incident took place amid an intense Israeli military offensive in northern Gaza, with authorities simultaneously blocking civil defense and emergency medical teams...

16 November 2024 - Lebanon -  Dr. Eman Shweikh, a well-known Lebanese journalist, TV host, and university professor, announced her resignation from MTV Lebanon on November 16, 2024, due to escalating death threats allegedly from Hezbollah supporters. She revealed on X that the threats included being followed home, chased on the road, and her family being harassed. The Samir Kassir Eyes Center reported that the intimidation began on November 12, accompanied by accusations of treason following her political commentary. Shweikh emphasized the absence of state protection in Lebanon, stating: “laws are inexistent…I do not want to expose my life...

November 15, 2024 - India/Myanmar - Myanmar’s military-run Insein Prison, notorious for torture and inhuman conditions, saw the release of photojournalist Kyaw Swar Tun on November 14, 2024, after serving nearly two years of hard labor under Section 505(a) for allegedly insulting the state and inciting unrest—charges often wielded to silence dissenting journalists. Arrested in September 2022, Tun was detained following a phone message exchange with an ethnic armed group while working for Mizzima’s fact-checking unit. His unlicensed use of a drone drew official attention, triggering his conviction in January 2023 and sentencing to three years of forced labor. Upon...

November 15, 2024 - Azerbaijan - As Azerbaijan hosted the COP29 climate summit in Baku in November 2024, international attention shifted briefly to the country’s environmental commitments. Yet behind the scenes, a harsh crackdown on independent journalists exposed the government’s continued assault on press freedom. In the months leading up to the summit, the Azerbaijani government ramped up arrests of critics. According to the International Press Institute (IPI), at least 18 journalists were detained in 2024 alone, many under charges such as “currency smuggling” and “abuse of office.” Eleven remain in pretrial detention, with some...

November 15, 2024 - Mozambique/Nigeria - During Mozambique’s disputed October 9, 2024, general election, independent journalists found themselves under unprecedented pressure as protests swept the country. The violence—spurred by alleged electoral fraud—continued well into early 2025. In this turbulent environment, the press became a direct target, with journalists facing arrests, beatings, and equipment seizures. On November 14, 2024, News Central TV, a Nigerian outlet, confirmed that its correspondent Bongani Siziba and cameraman Sbonelo Mkhasibe—both based in South Africa—were detained in Maputo alongside translator Charles Mangwiro from Radio Moçambique. Blindfolded and held in a military‑style compound, they endured questioning...

November 15, 2024 - Guatemala - José Rubén Zamora, the 68‑year‑old founder of El Periódico, remains at the epicenter of a highly politicized legal battle that offers a stark example of the shrinking space for investigative journalism in Guatemala. Arrested on 29 July 2022 on money‑laundering charges—amounting to about $38,000—Zamora and his publication had gained recognition for exposing government corruption. He has denied all accusations, maintaining the funds were donated to support his newsroom’s work. In June 2023, Zamora was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison, sparking international condemnation. Human rights groups like Amnesty International decried...

November 15, 2024 - Italy - The editorial staff of Report, a prominent investigative program on Italy’s public broadcaster RAI3, received a chilling social media death threat explicitly referencing the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre. The message warned that the Report team “deserved it, Charlie Hebdo editorial team style,” in response to their reportage on the Israel–Gaza conflict. Sigfrido Ranucci, head of Report, revealed the threat was issued on November 12 and was immediately reported to police. Ranucci has been under police protection since 2021, following learned threats linked to an alleged assassination plot by organized...

November 15, 2024 - Montenegro-  Montenegro has been rocked by the recent assault on freelance journalist Ana Raičković, triggering a wave of outrage from press freedom advocates. On November 2, 2024, Raičković and her cameraman were attacked outside the Podgorica court by a real estate developer and his security guards while investigating a controversial construction permit linked to local political and business interests. The assailants physically assaulted her cameraman and attempted to seize their equipment, while Raičković sustained minor injuries and psychological distress. The attack exposed glaring failures in preserving journalists’ safety when shining light...

November 15, 2024 - Mozambique/Nigeria - Amid volatile protests following Mozambique’s contested October 2024 election, two Nigerian correspondents from News Central TV faced sudden detention while reporting in Maputo, drawing significant international attention and prompting calls for press freedom protections. On November 14, 2024, News Central TV journalist Bongani Siziba and cameraman Sbonelo Mkhasibe, both based in South Africa, were detained by Mozambican authorities alongside translator Charles Mangwiro. The trio was covering anti‑government demonstrations when police seized them at gunpoint, blindfolded them, and took them to an undisclosed location. Held overnight, they were denied medication...

November 14, 2024 - India - Two journalists from Bihar—Mithun Mishra and Manish Kashyap—faced arrest and legal retaliation for reporting on flood mismanagement and alleged religious conversions, reflecting growing concerns over press freedom in India’s hinterlands. In October 2024, Mithun Mishra, a local journalist and YouTuber known for grassroots reporting, was arrested after covering flood-hit regions in the Muzaffarpur district. Mishra had filmed local protests against the government's inaction in relief distribution and exposed alleged evangelical activities in nearby villages. His live reporting gained traction online, sparking public outrage but also inviting state backlash. Authorities...

November 14, 2024 - Iran - The Persian Service of Voice of America (VOA) is mourning the loss of their former colleague, journalist Kianoosh Sanjari, who tragically died by suicide in Tehran on November 12, 2024. His death is stirring concerns about his isolation and the pressures faced by journalists working under repressive conditions. Sanjari had previously worked for VOA Farsi in the United States; his career ended amid unconfirmed allegations of espionage. Unable to find work within Iran, he returned to Tehran in 2016. Colleagues described him as deeply distressed over his inability to...

November 14, 2024 - UN/Mexico/Switzerland - At a UN press conference in Geneva on 14 November 2024, the atmosphere was grim: 80% of journalist murders worldwide go uninvestigated, human rights officer Renaud de Villaine warned, calling it a “persistence” of impunity both in war zones and peaceful nations. He emphasised that journalism remains perilous everywhere—from conflict zones like the Middle East and Ukraine to peaceful nations such as Mexico, where reporters exposing corruption, drug cartels, and environmental crimes continue to be targeted. De Villaine cited UNESCO data showing that a journalist is killed every four...

November 13, 2024 - Turkey - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), alongside six press freedom and free speech organizations, urged Turkish authorities to immediately release court reporter Furkan Karabay, who was detained during a November 8 police raid in Istanbul and jailed pending trial the following day. Karabay, a journalist with independent outlet 10Haber, was accused of “making targets of those who were tasked to combat terrorism,” “insulting a public servant,” and “knowingly distributing misleading information to the public,” after he named prosecutors involved in the investigation of an opposition mayor via social media....

November 13, 2024 - Lebanon - Lebanese radio journalist Sakina Mansour Kawtharani, a correspondent for Radio al-Nour, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit her family home in the town of Joun, southern Lebanon. The attack, which also claimed the lives of her two young sons and multiple other family members, has sparked outrage across Lebanon and international media freedom circles. According to reports from Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera, the strike targeted a residential building sheltering displaced civilians. In total, 15 people were killed, including eight women and four children. Mansour had...

November 12, 2024 - Egypt - In a striking escalation of Egypt’s repression of press freedom, a Cairo criminal court has sentenced a journalist to life imprisonment in absentia, despite the journalist reportedly being in government custody at the time of the ruling. The sentence was issued without the journalist being allowed to appear in court or defend himself—an act widely denounced by human rights groups and legal experts as illegal under both Egyptian and international law. The identity of the journalist has not been publicly disclosed, likely due to safety concerns, but media watchdogs...

November 12, 2024 - Syria/Turkey - Syrian journalists living in perceived safety within Türkiye face an escalating crackdown marked by harassment, legal threats, and forced deportations. According to the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), the Turkish authorities—leveraging anti-terrorism laws and migration protocols—have begun interrogating, detaining, and pressuring Syrian reporters, accusing them of overstaying visas or "spreading propaganda." Reportedly, journalists have been summoned to police stations, where they face warnings that any critical reporting—especially on Turkish politics or refugee policy—could result in deportation to Syria. One journalist described living in fear: “If I go out,...

November 12, 2024 - General - The International Press Institute (IPI), in collaboration with Croatian fact-checking outlet Faktograf and German newspaper taz, has launched the Observatory of Disinformation Narratives Against the Media, a digital platform designed to monitor and expose coordinated disinformation attacks targeting journalists and independent media. Supported by the European Media and Information Fund, the initiative aims to systematically document the tactics used to discredit reporters, undermine trust in journalism, and silence critical voices. The Observatory tracks and analyzes recurring smear campaigns, false narratives, and online attacks that are increasingly employed by populist,...

November 12, 2024 - Palestine - Palestinian journalist Mahdi Al-Mamluk, a news manager at Wataneya Satellite Channel, was killed by Israeli gunfire while covering the humanitarian situation near a school-turned-shelter in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza. According to eyewitness accounts and media reports, Al-Mamluk was inside a vehicle marked as press when Israeli forces targeted it. He was reportedly shot multiple times and died on the scene. Al-Mamluk’s death has sparked condemnation from international press freedom organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which confirmed his killing and added his name to the...

November 11, 2024 -Eritrea/Sweden - Dawit Isaak, a dual Eritrean–Swedish journalist and one of the founders of Setit, Eritrea’s first independent newspaper, has been imprisoned without trial since September 2001. His arrest followed Setit’s publication of a letter advocating democratic reforms, alongside other prominent intellectuals and politicians—a purge that led to the shutdown of all independent media in Eritrea. For over 23 years, Isaak’s fate has remained a mystery. Eritrean authorities have provided no official information about his whereabouts, well-being, or legal status. He remains in de facto detention—lacking contact with family, legal representation, or external...

November 11, 2024 - Palestine - Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Al‑Dahdouh, has received the prestigious 2024 International John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award from the U.S. National Press Club in recognition of his unwavering commitment to journalism under fire. The award, the National Press Club’s highest accolade for press freedom, was formally announced in November 2024 and presented at the club’s Fourth Estate Gala on November 21, 2024, in Washington, where President Emily Wilkins highlighted Dahdouh’s resilience and vowed continued support for journalists worldwide. Dahdouh’s journey has been marked by extraordinary hardship. On October 28, 2023, while...

November 11, 2024 - Philippines - Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist from Tacloban and host at Eastern Vista, has been entangled in a long-running case dubbed the “Tacloban 5.” Arrested in February 2020 alongside fellow activists, she faced charges of illegal firearms possession and terrorism financing—accusations widely condemned as baseless, aimed at silencing her human rights reporting. For four years, her trial was stalled amid delays, court inefficiencies, and expanding charges. Initially accused merely of possessing firearms, she was later “red‑tagged” as a Communist insurgent and levied terrorism financing charges after a cash stash...

November 11, 2024 - Philippines - Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist and host with Eastern Vista in Tacloban, has endured a prolonged legal battle since her arrest in February 2020. As part of the “Tacloban 5,” she initially faced charges of illegal firearms possession and graduated to accusations of terrorism financing—allegations widely dismissed by press advocates and rights organizations as politically motivated attempts to suppress dissenting voices and grassroots journalism. Over the ensuing years, Cumpio’s trial was plagued by delays and procedural obstacles. Despite presenting a clean record, her case was entangled in an expansive...

November 10, 2024 - Ukraine/Russia - In a compelling 60 Minutes profile, veteran Ukrainian war correspondent Andriy Tsaplienko speaks to the indispensable role of journalism in his country’s fight for survival. As bombs fall and frontlines shift, Tsaplienko believes that Ukraine’s ability to resist Russia’s invasion is tied not only to its soldiers but also to the power of a free press. Tsaplienko has covered wars across the globe, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he became a war reporter in his homeland. Wounded near Chernihiv by shrapnel, he continues to report from danger...

November 9, 2024 - Palestine - In one of the deadliest 24-hour periods for the press in Gaza, three more Palestinian journalists were killed amid continued Israeli bombardment, bringing the total number of media workers killed since October 2023 to at least 184. Reports from Press TV, Anadolu Agency, and the Palestine Chronicle detail the tragic losses of journalists who remained on the ground to document the war’s toll on civilians. The most recent victim named was journalist Yazan Ibrahim Al-Zwaidi, killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza. Anadolu Agency confirmed his death as...