News

September 19, 2024 - Switzerland/China/UN -  During the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), represented by its international legal team, formally voiced grave concerns over the deteriorating physical and mental health of Jimmy Lai. The Apple Daily founder has been held in extreme solitary confinement since December 2020, spending over three and a half years confined to a cell for over 23 hours daily, with only 50 minutes of limited outdoor time. Lai is charged under Hong Kong’s National Security Law—a sweeping measure enacted by Beijing—and...

September 19, 2024 - General -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reaffirmed its strategic commitment to defending the right to reliable information and combating the growing influence of state-sponsored propaganda. As global press freedom deteriorates, RSF is intensifying efforts to protect independent journalism and expose disinformation campaigns, which it warns are eroding democracy worldwide. At the core of RSF’s strategy is the belief that access to trustworthy, pluralistic information is a fundamental right. The organization has observed that authoritarian regimes and powerful private actors are increasingly manipulating public discourse through propaganda, censorship, and information warfare. To...

September 19, 2024 - Greece - Independent Greek news outlet Alterthess and its editor, Stavroula Poulimeni, are facing a critical legal battle that press freedom advocates have condemned as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP). The case stems from a defamation suit filed against the outlet over its investigative reporting, with the plaintiffs initially demanding €100,000 in damages. Although the court later reduced the penalty, the case has become a symbol of the growing use of litigation to silence independent journalism in Greece. Poulimeni had reported on environmental and business issues involving powerful corporate...

September 19, 2024 - Samoa -  As Samoa prepared to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October 2024, the government introduced sweeping restrictions on media coverage that raised alarm among journalists and international bodies. Announced publicly on September 11, 2024, these measures severely limit media access and threaten transparency during a major regional event. At a press briefing, Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua‑Fonoti, co-chair of the CHOGM media subcommittee, confirmed that only state-backed outlets—Radio 2AP and TV9—working in collaboration with New Zealand firm MMG Communications, would have the exclusive right to film and broadcast CHOGM sessions....

September 18, 2024 - Source: RSF - Reporters Without Borders (RSF), together with the Swedish legal team of imprisoned journalist Dawit Isaak, has filed a complaint against Eritrean leaders – including President Isaias Afwerki – with the Swedish Prosecution Authority for crimes against humanity. On 23 September 2024, journalist and writer Dawit Isaak will have spent 23 years in detention without trial in Eritrea. Isaak, a Swedish citizen, and his Eritrean colleagues Seyoum Tsehaye, Temesgen Ghebreyesus and Amanuel Asrat are the longest-detained journalists in the world. Ten years ago, Isaak’s legal team filed a criminal complaint with the Swedish Prosecution Authority. The...

September 18, 2024 - Source: RSF -  Despite the release of 135 political prisoners in Nicaragua, journalist Fabiola Tercero Castro remains missing, with no updates on her whereabouts since 12 July. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Nicaraguan government to urgently shed light on her case and guarantee her safety, as there are growing concerns the authorities may be involved in her disappearance. No one has seen or heard from freelance journalist and feminist activist Fabiola Tercero Castro since 12 July 2024, when she reported a raid on her home by government agents under the command of Commissioner...

September 19, 2024 - Bangladesh - Student-led uprising that unseated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on journalists perceived as supportive of the former leader. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least four media professionals have been arrested, while many more face harassment, criminal investigations, or charges in what observers describe as a politically motivated purge. Among the most high-profile arrests are Ekattor TV journalists Farzana Rupa and her husband Shakil Ahmed, who were detained on August 21 at Dhaka’s main airport. Both face charges in a...

September 18, 2024 - Source: CPJ -  The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the September 17 release of Belarusian journalist Andrei Tolchyn, who received a presidential pardon after serving almost a year of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. “While we welcome the release of journalist Andrei Tolchyn, he should not have spent a single day in prison,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Despite the recent releases of political prisoners, Belarus remains Europe’s worst jailer of journalists and one of the most hostile places in the world for independent journalism. The authorities...

September 19, 2024 - Russia -  The Basmanny District Court in Moscow, on September 18, 2024, issued an arrest warrant in absentia for journalist and DOXA co-founder Armen Aramyan, who has been living in exile since April 2022. He is accused of “justifying terrorism online” and spreading “false information” about the Russian military through unspecified publications, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Aramyan helped establish DOXA, a student-run outlet, which in April 2022 was accused of involving minors in unauthorized protests and was subsequently banned. Along with two other co-founders, he fled Russia...

September 19, 2024 - Georgia - Georgian authorities have intensified efforts to restrict press freedom by denying entry to several foreign journalists, raising serious concerns among international watchdogs. At least four journalists from France and the Czech Republic have been barred from entering the country since early 2024, with no clear legal justification provided. Media freedom groups warn this trend marks a dangerous authoritarian shift, particularly as Georgia approaches key political milestones. In February 2024, French journalist Clément Girardot was turned away at Tbilisi International Airport without explanation. His colleague Jérôme Chobeaux faced a similar...

September 18, 2024 - USA -  With the 118th U.S. Congress concluding on January 3, 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging the Senate to urgently pass the PRESS Act, a federal shield law designed to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal sources or disclose sensitive materials—something not currently guaranteed at the national level. Although nearly every U.S. state and the District of Columbia already provide shield protections, a federal statute would establish a consistent standard across jurisdictions and guard reporters operating in federal contexts, such as federal court proceedings, congressional investigations, or national security inquiries....

September 17, 2024 - Source: IFJ -  On 15 September, Belarusian journalist Andrei Mialeshka was denied entry to Georgia, where he has lived for the past three years after facing political persecution in Belarus. On 17 September, Armenian journalist Arsen Kharatyan, editor-in-chief of an independent non-profit bilingual Georgian-Armenia media platform Aliq Media based in Tbilisi, was also denied entry to Georgia. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn the denial of entry of both journalists and call on the Georgian authorities to uphold freedom of access for all journalists. Andrei Mialeshka was returning...

September 18, 2024 - El Salvador -  Between March and May 2024, the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) documented 50 attacks against journalists, revealing a disturbing increase in both digital and physical aggression. These findings were released in APES’ first quarterly report on press attacks, alongside its Digital Listening Report for the first half of 2024. Journalists are being targeted through online harassment, legal threats, censorship, and stigmatizing public statements. The digital space, especially platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, has become a major battleground. Attacks range from smear campaigns and defamation...

September 17, 2024 - Timor - Timor‑Leste police arrested Antonieta Kartono Martins, a reporter with Média Diligente Online, while she was covering an eviction operation against street vendors in Dili ahead of Pope Francis’s visit—a rare case of targeting a female journalist in the country. She was held for approximately four hours and released without charges, but the detention highlighted growing pressure on journalists covering public-interest events. Simultaneously, Suzana Cardoso, a journalist from Média One Timor, had her camera confiscated and footage documenting the eviction operation deleted by security forces. Video evidence shows police and masked individuals using...

September 17, 2024 - Romania - Romanian authorities have reopened a criminal investigation into the coordinated smear campaign targeting journalist Emilia Șercan, marking a significant development in a case long emblematic of institutional failure and media repression. The move follows a September 5 court decision ordering the case to be re-examined after prosecutors previously shelved it without sufficient action. Șercan, known for exposing plagiarism by top officials, faced a torrent of intimidation beginning in January 2022 after she revealed that then–Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had plagiarized his doctoral thesis. The following day, she received anonymous...

September 17, 2024 - Sri Lanka -  With Sri Lanka’s presidential election set for September 21, 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a grave warning over the rapid decline of press freedom in the country. The organization highlights an alarming rise in journalist arrests, legal intimidation, and systemic censorship that threaten the integrity of democratic processes. At least two journalists have already been arbitrarily detained this year. G.P. Nissanka, editor of Ravana Lanka, was arrested after reporting on alleged corruption involving a police official. Freelance journalist Bimal Ruhunage was detained for filming a peaceful...

September 17, 2024 - Palestine -  Amid growing tension over its coverage of Gaza, Israel has revoked the Government Press Office (GPO) credentials of four Al Jazeera journalists—two Israeli citizens and two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. Announced on September 12, 2024, this action follows the earlier shutdown and banning of Al Jazeera’s Israeli and West Bank bureaus, part of what press freedom advocates describe as a coordinated media crackdown. The GPO defended the decision, accusing Al Jazeera of disseminating "false content" and "incitement" that threatens Israeli soldiers and national security. The revoked journalists, primarily full-time...

September 17, 2024 - Belarus/Serbia -  Belarusian investigative journalist and filmmaker Andrey Gnyot—also known as Andrei Gnyot—remains under house arrest in Belgrade amid efforts by the Belarusian government to secure his extradition on politically motivated charges. Serbian authorities initially detained him in October 2023 on an Interpol red notice for alleged tax evasion—a charge Gnyot and press-freedom advocates say serves as a thinly veiled attempt to silence him. On May 31, 2024, Serbia’s Higher Court in Belgrade ruled in favor of extraditing Gnyot to Belarus. The decision was later communicated officially in mid-June, prompting condemnation from...

September 16, 2024 - Romania -  In an open letter, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside nearly 40 media outlets and rights organizations, called on Romanian authorities to launch a comprehensive and independent investigation into the highly orchestrated smear campaign targeting investigative journalist Emilia Șercan. The campaign—commonly referred to as a “kompromat” operation—involved the illicit dissemination of intimate photos of Șercan. These images had been stolen and distributed widely online, a tactic designed to intimidate and discredit her following her exposure of plagiarism among high-level Romanian officials. While a Bucharest court did eventually order the reopening of...

September 16, 2024 - Malaysia/UK -  The Federal Court of Malaysia has dismissed British investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown’s final appeal in a civil defamation lawsuit brought by the Sultanah of Terengganu. This ruling upholds a December 2023 decision that she must pay RM 300,000 (approx. £52,800) in damages and RM 135,000 in legal costs—totaling over RM 435,000 (£76,600)—after being found civilly liable for erroneously listing the Sultanah in her 2018 book on the 1MDB corruption scandal. Rewcastle Brown had corrected the mistake soon after publication, clarifying that it was the Sultan’s sister — not his wife — associated with a businessman...

September 16, 2024 - Vietnam -  A Hanoi court sentenced veteran journalist and blogger Nguyen Vu Binh to seven years in prison on charges of “making, storing, and distributing anti-state propaganda.” The 56-year-old was convicted under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, which has been widely criticized for its use against dissenting voices. His arrest and sentencing are part of an intensifying crackdown on independent journalism in Vietnam. The charges stem from four videos Binh posted in early 2022 on TNT Media Live, in which he discussed political, social, and economic issues. Authorities claimed the...

September 16, 2024 - Venezuela - In the wake of Venezuela’s contested July 28, 2024, presidential election, the country has witnessed an unprecedented wave of repression targeting journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the number of detained media professionals has reached levels not seen in decades. Security forces have arrested reporters with alarming frequency—often without warrants and sometimes demanding bribes of up to US$4,000 to avoid detention, CPJ reports. At least 14 journalists have had their passports revoked without explanation, severely restricting their ability to travel or report internationally. One of the most...

September 16, 2024 - Iran - Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released a detailed report exposing the systematic repression of women journalists in Iran. The report documents how female reporters have become primary targets of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on dissent following the mass “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that erupted in September 2022. According to RSF, at least 42 journalists were arrested in the initial weeks of the protests, 15 of whom were women. Broader estimates suggest up to 79 journalists have been detained...

September 16, 2024, - Nigeria -  In a troubling escalation against press freedom, Nigerian authorities have brought criminal charges against Haruna Mohammed Salisu, publisher of WikkiTimes, and reporter Yawale Adamu following a damning April 2024 investigation. The report exposed alleged embezzlement of public funds by federal lawmaker Mansur Manu Soro, who is accused of colluding with businessman Abubakar Abdullahi to siphon millions through inflated contracts, prompting Abdullahi to file suit two months later. On September 3, 2024, a magistrate court in Bauchi State issued a bench warrant for Salisu, who was abroad, and scheduled Adamu’s...

September 14, 2024 - China -  A wave of coordinated harassment has targeted dozens of journalists in Hong Kong, marking one of the largest organized intimidation campaigns against the press in recent years, according to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA). The attacks, which took place between June and August 2024, involved threats directed not only at journalists but also at their families, landlords, workplaces, and schools. At least 15 journalists from more than a dozen media outlets—including Hong Kong Free Press, InMediaHK, and HK Feature—were affected. Anonymous emails, letters, and social media posts were...