News

December 6, 2024 - Azerbaijan - Berlin-based Meydan TV publicly condemned the arrests of six of its journalists—Ramin Jabrayilzade, Aynur Elgunesh, Aytaj Ahmadova, Aysel Umudova, Khayala Aghayeva, and Natig Javadli—as part of the so-called “currency smuggling” case; all were taken into custody by Baku authorities on claims of illegal foreign currency importation under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code. Meydan TV’s management slammed the detentions as unlawful, refuting the allegations and describing the actions as part of a long-running persecution of their reporters and families, involving travel bans, Pegasus spyware surveillance, cyberattacks, and a longstanding website block since 2017. By December 8,...

December 05, 2024 - Palestine/Lebanon -  The Mancunion shed light on the increasingly perilous conditions facing journalists in Gaza and southern Lebanon, where local reporters are bearing the brunt of regional conflict with limited protection and escalating danger. The article highlights a disturbing trend: journalists are not just collateral damage—they are being deliberately targeted. In Gaza, where foreign media have been largely barred, Palestinian journalists are now the sole chroniclers of events on the ground. Over 120 have been killed since October 2023, with at least 35 cases involving what watchdogs have identified as direct...

December 05, 2025 - Rwanda -  Amnesty International condemned Rwanda for detaining journalist Théoneste Nsengimana alongside eight members of the unregistered opposition party Dalfa‑Umurinzi. The arrests stemmed from attendance at a training workshop on peaceful protest tactics, inspired by Srdja Popović’s Blueprint for Revolution, held in late 2021. The detainees—charged with forming a criminal association, inciting unrest, and distributing harmful propaganda—have endured nearly three years of pre-trial detention under vague legal definitions. Rwandan authorities are reportedly seeking sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison. Amnesty’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah,...

December 5, 2024 - Malta/Russia - At the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting held in Malta on December 5–6, 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on member states to take a united stand against Russia’s widespread imprisonment of journalists. The appeal, timed with the arrival of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, highlighted the detention of 38 journalists—19 Russian and 19 Ukrainian—many held under harsh conditions or fabricated charges, including terrorism, espionage, or “extremism.” RSF urged OSCE states to publicly demand the unconditional release of all detained journalists and to press Russia to allow the International Committee...

December 5, 2024 - UK - British prosecutors have charged two Romanian nationals over the stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, a British-based Iranian journalist known for his critical reporting on the Iranian regime. The attack, which took place on March 29, 2024, outside Zeraati’s home in Wimbledon, is being investigated as a potentially politically motivated assault amid growing fears of Iran’s transnational crackdown on dissidents abroad. The Crown Prosecution Service announced in early December that Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, face charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding....

December 5, 2024 - Kosovo- Kosovo journalist and media founder Berat Buzhala received a chilling death threat via Facebook Messenger, warning that he and “some of your kind” would be killed. The message, sent from an anonymous account that was deactivated shortly after, is believed to be linked to Buzhala’s critical journalism and his outlet Nacionale’s independent editorial stance. This threat follows months of escalating pressure on Nacionale, including online harassment, smear campaigns, cyberattacks, and verbal attacks by government officials. Buzhala, a prominent figure in Kosovo’s media landscape and a former lawmaker, believes the threats...

December 4, 2024 - Georgia - In a troubling development for press freedom, at least 50 journalists were violently assaulted while covering pro-European Union protests in Georgia between November 28 and December 3, 2024. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other press freedom watchdogs have condemned the widespread police brutality and called on Georgian authorities to ensure accountability. Journalists were injured during clashes with riot police in Tbilisi, where demonstrators were protesting the ruling Georgian Dream party’s suspension of EU accession efforts. Among the most severe cases was Guram Rogava of Formula TV, who...

December 4, 2024 - Mexico - Journalist Adriano Bachega Olvera was shot and killed in Monterrey, Nuevo León, becoming the latest victim of Mexico’s worsening violence against the press. Bachega, originally from Argentina and a naturalized Mexican citizen, was the editor-in-chief of Diario Digital Online and known for his work in media, business consulting, and communication strategy. According to reports, Bachega was driving along Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas, near the border of Monterrey and San Pedro Garza García, when his vehicle was ambushed by gunmen in at least two other cars. Witnesses say more than ten...

December 4, 2024 - USA - The U.S. State Department sharply criticized Georgian authorities for their oppressive response to escalating pro-EU protests, including physical assaults and arrests targeting journalists. Spokesperson Vedant Patel declared that the “excessive use of force” against demonstrators—and the “assaults and arrests of journalists”—posed serious concerns for press freedom and press safety. The unrest began after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on November 28, suspending Georgia’s European Union accession negotiations until 2028. Widespread demonstrations quickly followed, met with heavy-handed tactics. Riot police and unidentified masked forces disrupted rallies using water cannons, tear...

December 4, 2024 - Media -  A wave of concern swept through Israel’s media landscape as journalists, editors, and opposition lawmakers accused the Netanyahu government of launching a coordinated campaign to weaken press freedom. During an emergency session at the Knesset, media professionals warned that a proposed media reform package would place dangerous levels of control in the hands of the government, threatening the independence of journalism in Israel. The reforms, championed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, include proposals to privatize the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, commercialize Army...

December 04, 2025 - Niger - Nigerian security forces forcibly arrested Moussa Tchangari, a respected journalist and human rights advocate serving as General Secretary of Alternative Espaces Citoyens (AEC), immediately upon his return from Abuja, Nigeria. Accompanied by others, plainclothes operatives surrounded his residence without presenting any warrant, seized his belongings, and took him to an undisclosed location. Tchangari, a veteran activist with over two decades in journalism and civil society, had attended high-profile meetings in West Africa—including sessions in Abuja and Abidjan—focused on democracy and humanitarian crises. He also lectures on human rights at...

December 3, 2024 - India - Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, India’s prominent fact-checking website, faces renewed legal peril. On December 3, 2024, Uttar Pradesh police filed sedition charges against him under Section 152 of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), accusing him of “endangering the sovereignty and unity of India” through social media content. The case focuses on a video Zubair shared in October 2024 on X (formerly Twitter), which captured Hindu preacher Yati Narsinghanand making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. Though the preacher was swiftly placed under house arrest, Zubair was accused...

December 3, 2024 - Mozambique - Following Mozambique’s disputed October 9, 2024, general election, widespread protests erupted nationwide over alleged fraud and ballot tampering by the ruling FRELIMO party. Journalists reporting on the unrest—especially in Maputo and other urban centers—faced targeted harassment, unlawful detention, physical assaults, and equipment confiscation. The International Press Institute (IPI), alongside press freedom organizations, condemned the illegal arrests and detention of media professionals during these protests. IPI stated that journalists were often blocked from covering events, detained without cause, assaulted by police or masked individuals, and had their cameras and phones...

December 3, 2024 - France - Marine Vlahovic, a prominent French journalist and pro-Palestinian documentarian, was found dead in late November 2024 on the rooftop terrace of her Marseille apartment. The 39-year-old journalist, known for her outspoken reporting on Palestine and her solidarity with Gaza’s people, had become a respected voice in European media for her coverage of the Middle East. Her sudden and unexplained death has sparked urgent calls from press freedom groups for a full, transparent investigation. Vlahovic had a long history of reporting from conflict zones, including a notable three-year period based...

December 3, 2024 - Syria - Three Syrian journalists were killed in early December 2024 while covering the intensifying conflict in Aleppo, underlining once again the deadly risks faced by media workers in Syria. According to Gulf Times, the journalists—Ahmed Al-Omar, Alaa Al-Abrash, and Mustafa al-Sarout—were each targeted in separate incidents during their reporting, with both aerial attacks and ground gunfire involved. Ahmed Al-Omar and Alaa Al-Abrash were killed when regime airstrikes hit Aleppo University Hospital, where they had been reporting on the human toll of the bombardment. The hospital, considered a civilian sanctuary, was...

December 3, 2024 - Georgia - A wave of assaults on journalists during pro-EU demonstrations in Tbilisi, Georgia, has drawn sharp condemnation from the International Press Institute (IPI) and 15 partner organizations. The attacks occurred in late November 2024 amid nationwide protests sparked by the Georgian Dream party’s announcement to suspend EU accession talks—a move seen by many as a rejection of democratic values and a pivot toward authoritarianism. According to monitoring networks, including the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and Mapping Media Freedom, between 50 and 90 journalists were harassed, assaulted, or obstructed while...

December 3, 2024 - Slovakia - A coalition of international press freedom organizations, led by the International Press Institute (IPI), issued a stark warning on Slovakia’s deteriorating media landscape following a mission held on November 25–26, 2024. The findings underscore a systematic erosion of press independence, driven by government-led legal changes and political interference. Central to this trend is Prime Minister Robert Fico’s populist Smer-led coalition, which has pushed through reforms weakening key institutions. Authorities disbanded the Special Prosecutor’s Office tasked with investigating corruption and assassinations—a move that, they argue, hampers justice for the 2018...

December 3, 2024: - Lebanon  - Lebanese media veteran Ali Hassan Ashour, a journalist with Al‑Nour Radio, was killed during an Israeli military operation in southern Lebanon amid the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict that began on October 8, 2023. Al‑Nour Radio confirmed his death today, referring to him as a “martyr” of Israeli aggression. Although details remain scarce—the exact date, time, and location of the strike were not released—multiple credible sources align in reporting that Ashour died amid renewed Israeli bombardments targeting Hezbollah positions. His death brings to ten the number of journalists known to have been killed by...

December 3, 2024 - France - Ariane Lavrilleux, a French investigative reporter with Disclose, is scheduled to appear before a Paris court on January 17, 2025, in connection with her groundbreaking 2021 exposé on “Operation Sirli”—a clandestine French military mission in Egypt. She faces charges of “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret,” punishable by up to five years in prison and a €75,000 fine. The investigation stems from her November 2021 report connecting French military intelligence to alleged extrajudicial killings of hundreds of Egyptian civilians, detailed through documents marked “confidentiel défense” sourced from the...

November 3, 2024 - France - Marine Vlahovic, a French journalist and accomplished documentarian known for her deeply empathetic reporting on the Middle East and unwavering support for Palestinian voices, died suddenly on November 25, 2024, at her Marseille home. Discovered collapsed on her rooftop terrace by concerned friends—who had not received replies to her calls—Vlahovic was just 39 years old. Her passing sparked immediate alarm. After an initial autopsy revealed no clear indicators of foul play, French authorities opened an investigation and awaited toxicology results. Press freedom advocates, including Women Press Freedom, have demanded a "full and...

December 2, 2024 - Congo - The M23 rebel group raided the Mpety Community Radio Station (RCMP) in Walikale territory, North Kivu, in a brazen attack that highlighted the escalating dangers facing journalists in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. That evening, M23 fighters destroyed station equipment and abducted reporter and sports presenter Yoshua Kambere Machozi, whom they later murdered. His body was discovered on November 6 along a riverbank near Katobi, approximately four kilometers from Mpety. Evidence from local witnesses and human rights observers suggests Machozi was “slit… with a knife” before his body was dumped...

December 2, 2024 - Lebanon - Lebanese journalist and Sky News Arabia analyst Daoud Rammal was physically assaulted in southern Lebanon—specifically in his hometown of Doueir, Nabatieh district—while reciting prayers at his mother's grave. The attack occurred approximately six months ago and has been widely linked to Hezbollah members, amid a broader pattern of intimidation targeting independent journalists in Lebanon. Rammal publicly condemned the assault as intended to "silence" his critical voice. In his statement, he vowed that the experience would "only strengthen my determination to continue fighting until the very end… regardless of the pressure...

December 1, 2024 - Egypt - Prominent Egyptian journalist and satirist Sayed Saber was forcibly taken from his home by state security forces and held overnight at an undisclosed location before appearing before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo the following morning. Authorities have ordered a 15‑day detention, ostensibly to investigate his recent social media posts that sharply criticized Egypt’s military rule, describing it as “fascism”. Saber, an established journalist and author known for his satirical tone, is also affiliated with the Al-Karama Party, carrying on the Nasser-era Arab nationalist and socialist legacy. While formal...

December 1, 2024 - Tbilisi - RFE/RL Georgian Service producer Beka Beradze was arrested and physically assaulted by security forces near Georgia’s parliament in Tbilisi during anti-government demonstrations. According to his lawyer, Beradze was walking with friends—off duty and not actively reporting—when he was suddenly seized by masked officers, beaten on the head, and taken to a police van. Beradze recounted that officers became more aggressive upon realizing he was a journalist. He was held in a police minivan for nearly an hour, during which he was repeatedly beaten. His forehead bore visible injuries, and he...

December 1, 2024 - Syria - As military escalations continue across Syria, journalists remain among the most vulnerable groups, facing mounting threats from all sides of the conflict. A December 1, 2024, report by The Levant News outlines the dire conditions under which Syrian reporters operate, including frequent attacks, arbitrary arrests, forced exile, and growing state censorship. In northern and northeastern Syria—particularly in regions like Manbij, Kobani, and around Aleppo—journalists risk their lives covering shifting frontlines. In recent weeks, Turkish airstrikes and clashes involving rebel factions like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have intensified, killing at...