News

January 18, 2025 - Kurdistan -  In 2024, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq recorded a 22% decline in violations against journalists, according to a report by the Metro Center for Journalists’ Rights and Advocacy. A total of 182 cases were documented, down from 231 in 2023, signaling modest progress in journalist safety. However, rights groups caution that the environment for independent journalism remains fragile. The violations included: 27 cases of physical assault or threats 24 arbitrary arrests carried out without legal warrants 17 incidents of confiscated media equipment 60 cyberattacks, including online harassment and smear...

January 18, 2025 - USA/Syria-  Twelve years after her son’s disappearance, Debra Tice has returned to Damascus to search for her son, American journalist Austin Tice, who vanished in August 2012 while reporting on the Syrian conflict. Her visit marks a pivotal moment in the long-running campaign for answers, coinciding with political changes in Syria and renewed diplomatic interest. Austin, a former U.S. Marine and freelance journalist, was abducted near Daraya, a Damascus suburb, shortly after his 31st birthday. A video released weeks later showed him blindfolded and held by unidentified captors. Since then, no...

January 18, 2025 - Nicaragua -  Independent journalism in Nicaragua is nearing total collapse, according to a 2025 report by the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED). The study reveals that in 10 of the country’s 15 regions, local journalism has completely disappeared. The environment has become a “news desert,” where state propaganda dominates and dissenting voices have been driven into exile, detention, or silence. Under the regime of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, Nicaragua has experienced a steady dismantling of press freedom since 2007. The government has shut down...

January 17, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish police raided two Kurdish media organizations, detaining five Kurdish journalists as part of a broader crackdown on independent and opposition press. The arrests occurred in multiple cities, including Istanbul, Diyarbakır, and Van, and involved coordinated raids on journalists' homes and offices. During the arrests, police reportedly used force, particularly during the detention of Hacıoğlu, whose professional equipment was confiscated. A 24-hour confidentiality order was imposed, preventing lawyers from accessing their clients or the case files, effectively silencing legal recourse in the critical early hours of detention. These arrests...

January 17, 2025 - Russia -  Russian police detained multiple journalists in the town of Petushki, near Vladimir, as they attempted to attend the court hearing for three former lawyers of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The lawyers—Vadim Kobzev, Alexey Lipster, and Igor Sergunin—were facing sentencing on charges of participating in an “extremist organization,” a label the Russian state has used to target Navalny’s supporters. As accredited journalists arrived by train from Moscow to cover the high-profile trial, police intercepted them at the station. Some were taken directly to the Petushki police precinct for "identity checks."...

January 17, 2025 - Afghanistan -  The Taliban’s primary court in Kabul sentenced Mahdi Ansary, a 27-year-old reporter for the Afghan News Agency (AFKA), to 18 months in prison. He was convicted of spreading “anti-Taliban propaganda” and collaborating with “banned media outlets” via videos posted on his personal YouTube channel. Ansary was arrested on October 5, 2024, while returning to his office in Dasht-e-Barchi. His family was initially left in the dark, only learning of his detention when informed by Taliban intelligence over a month later. During the hearing held in early January, the court...

January 17, 2025 - Ethiopia -  Ethiopia has been named one of the worst jailers of journalists in Africa, according to a recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). As of January 2025, at least six journalists are currently detained in Ethiopia, with five of them facing terrorism-related charges—a tactic increasingly used by the government to silence critical voices, particularly those reporting on conflict and political unrest in the Amhara region. These charges, often vague and broad, carry harsh penalties, including potential death sentences. The accused journalists are reportedly being prosecuted under Ethiopia’s...

January 17, 2025 - Azerbaijan -  Azerbaijani authorities arrested journalists Farid Ismayilov and Elmir Abbasov, intensifying an ongoing crackdown on independent media. The arrests are part of a broader investigation into Toplum TV, a media outlet known for covering corruption and government accountability. Both journalists now face charges of illegal business activities, money laundering, and smuggling—accusations widely criticized as politically motivated. These detentions come amid a sweeping repression of independent journalism in Azerbaijan. Since March 2024, authorities have targeted Toplum TV, Meydan TV, Abzas Media, and Argument. AZ, accusing their staff of financial crimes. Offices...

January 17, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  In war-torn Gaza, journalists have found that wearing a press vest—once a symbol of protection—is now a potential death sentence. Reports by The Guardian and The New Arab detail how Israeli strikes have increasingly targeted media workers, even when they are marked as press. One of the most harrowing cases involved Ibrahim Muhareb, a young journalist with Al-Quds Today, who was killed in Khan Younis by Israeli tank fire. He wore a helmet and a flak jacket labeled “PRESS,” but this did not save him. His colleague, Salma Kaddoumi,...

January 17, 2025 - France -  Paris’s anti‑terrorism judges decided not to indict Ariane Lavrilleux, an investigative journalist with Disclose, who had faced serious criminal charges tied to her reporting on French military operations in Egypt. Lavrilleux played a key role in exposing “Operation Sirli,” a secret mission where, based on leaked classified documents, France allegedly assisted Egypt in carrying out hundreds of extrajudicial killings. The revelations triggered a national defense secrecy probe, accusing Lavrilleux of “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret”—an offense punishable by up to five years in prison and heavy...

January 17, 2025 - Switzerland -  From January 20 to 31, 2025, Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, conducted an official visit to Zambia. The mission aimed to assess the state of free expression, media freedom, and access to information in the country, as well as the legal frameworks that govern them. Khan’s visit included meetings with government officials, judiciary representatives, journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society groups across several cities, including Lusaka, Livingstone, and Kitwe. Her focus was to...

January 17, 2025 - General -  In 2024, 361 journalists were imprisoned worldwide, marking one of the highest numbers ever recorded, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The three worst offenders were China, Israel, and Myanmar, each playing a leading role in the global crackdown on press freedom. China topped the list with 50 journalists behind bars. Many were arrested under sweeping national security laws, especially in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The government continues to target those reporting on human rights, political dissent, and minority issues. High-profile cases like Jimmy...

January 17, 2025 - USA -  U.S. journalist Sam Husseini and The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal were forcibly removed from a press briefing at the U.S. State Department after confronting Secretary of State Antony Blinken over America’s continued support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The incident has raised serious concerns about the treatment of dissenting journalists and press freedom in the U.S. As Blinken began his final briefing, Husseini challenged him with a direct question about U.S. complicity in alleged war crimes in Gaza, referencing the International Criminal Court and the controversial Hannibal Directive, an...

January 16, 2025 - Africa -  As of December 1, 2024, at least 67 journalists were imprisoned across Africa for their work, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This troubling figure highlights a growing pattern of repression against independent media across the continent, contributing to the global tally of 361 jailed journalists—the second-highest ever recorded by CPJ. The report identifies Egypt and Eritrea as the worst offenders. Egypt currently holds 17 journalists, many detained under vague anti-state or anti-terrorism charges. The country continues to suppress dissenting voices by weaponizing national...

January 16, 2025 - Egypt - Australian journalist Peter Greste has begun a 21-day hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office in London to demand the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian activist and writer imprisoned in Egypt. Greste, who was himself jailed in Egypt in 2013 while reporting for Al Jazeera, said he owes his life to Alaa, referencing the solidarity shown to him by the Egyptian activist during their shared time in Tora Prison. Alaa, a prominent voice during the 2011 Egyptian revolution, was re-arrested in 2019 and sentenced in 2021 to...

January 16, 2025 - Palestine/Israel - Palestinian journalist Ahmed Al-Shayyah was killed in an Israeli airstrike while reporting near a food distribution point in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The strike hit a tent sheltering displaced civilians, volunteers, and journalists. Al-Shayyah was reportedly on assignment documenting the humanitarian situation when the attack occurred. Al-Shayyah was a dedicated journalist working as an editor, producer, and correspondent for several Gaza-based media outlets, including ALEF Multimedia. Colleagues described him as deeply committed to telling the stories of civilians caught in the war. His death brings...

January 16, 2025 - Egypt -  Egyptian authorities arrested Nada Mougheeth, the wife of imprisoned satirical cartoonist Ashraf Omar, and Ahmed Serag, a journalist from the independent outlet ZatMasr. Their arrests came after Serag published an interview with Mougheeth in which she spoke out about her husband's detention and alleged abuses by security forces. According to human rights groups and press freedom advocates, the arrests mark a dangerous escalation in Egypt's efforts to silence dissent and intimidate anyone who speaks out. Mougheeth had publicly criticized the authorities for confiscating her family’s savings during Omar’s arrest...

January 16, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif, reporting for Al Jazeera, removed his flak jacket and helmet live on air following the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. The emotional gesture, captured during a live broadcast from Gaza City, quickly went viral, becoming a powerful symbol of both exhaustion and resilience after over a year of relentless war. Standing in a crowd of civilians reacting to the ceasefire news, al-Sharif declared, “Now, I can finally take off this helmet that has exhausted me, and this vest that has become part of...

January 16, 2025 - Senegal - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has raised serious concerns over the conviction of Senegalese journalist René Capain Bassène, who is serving a life sentence for his alleged involvement in a 2018 massacre in the Bayotte Forest region near Ziguinchor, Senegal. CPJ’s recent investigation has revealed major procedural flaws, coerced testimony, and questionable evidence, suggesting Bassène may have been wrongfully convicted. Bassène, a former correspondent and editor known for his reporting on the separatist conflict in Senegal’s Casamance region, was arrested in 2018 along with several others following the...

January 16, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalist Ahmed Abu al-Rous was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Abu al-Rous, known for his fearless reporting from the frontlines, died alongside his twin brother, three friends, and four other civilians when their vehicle was hit just hours before a temporary ceasefire was announced. Abu al-Rous was a respected freelance journalist and photographer, contributing to local media outlets including Fourth Estate. He had also been honored by the Sobh International Media Festival for his dedication to documenting life under siege...

January 16, 2025 - Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities released prominent free speech advocate Carlos Correa, director of the NGO Espacio Público, after nine days in detention. His arrest on January 7 occurred during a wave of crackdowns targeting activists, journalists, and opposition figures ahead of President Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration for a third term on January 10. Correa, a university professor and leading figure in the defense of press freedom in Venezuela, was taken by hooded security agents without a warrant. His family and colleagues were left without information on his whereabouts for days, prompting widespread...

January 16, 2025 - Europe -  Twenty-two member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issued a joint statement reaffirming the critical role of journalist safety and media freedom in maintaining peace and security. The declaration, led by Iceland and supported by countries including Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Ukraine, emphasized that there can be “no genuine security without media freedom, and no media freedom without journalists being able to carry out their work safely and freely.” The signatories expressed strong support for the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM)...

January 16, 2025 - UK/Brazil -  British journalist Dom Phillips, who was tragically killed in the Brazilian Amazon alongside Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in June 2022, will have his final investigative work, How to Save the Amazon: A Journalist’s Fatal Quest for Answers, published in May 2025. The book, a culmination of Phillips’s research plotting solutions to deforestation and environmental degradation, was completed posthumously by a team of close colleagues and his widow, Alessandra Sampaio. Phillips focused on uncovering sustainable approaches to preserve the world's largest rainforest, covering topics like agroforestry, bioeconomy, ecotourism, and Indigenous...

January 15, 2025 - Venezuela - Venezuelan authorities detained journalist Leandro Palmar, news director of Luz Radio at the University of Zulia, and his assistant, Belises Salvador Cubillá,n while they were covering anti-government protests in Maracaibo. Both were arrested on January 9 while reporting on demonstrations linked to growing public discontent with President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Just two days later, on January 11, a local court ordered their continued detention on preliminary charges of terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to hatred, and disturbing public order. Press freedom organizations and human rights advocates have strongly condemned the charges,...

January 15, 2025 - Afghanistan -  The Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) recently spotlighted the critical role of safe refuge in enabling Afghan journalists to continue their work under threat. In a featured case study, two Afghan reporters shared how escaping Taliban-controlled Afghanistan saved their lives—and preserved their ability to document injustice back home. Both correspondents emphasized that while exile is emotionally wrenching—marked by separation from family and the trauma of displacement—it is vital for survival and professional continuity. From their new bases, they have maintained coverage of human rights abuses, women's suppression, and civilian targeting,...