News

March 24, 2025 - Russia -  Maria Ponomarenko, a Russian journalist and anti-war activist, has had her prison sentence extended by an additional 22 months, bringing her total incarceration to nearly eight years. The extension stems from charges of allegedly assaulting prison staff, which she denies. Ponomarenko was initially sentenced in February 2023 to six years for disseminating "knowingly false information" about the Russian military, specifically regarding the bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater in Ukraine. During her recent court appearance, Ponomarenko delivered a poignant statement detailing the abuse she has endured in prison. She...

March 24, 2025 - USA -  A major security breach has rocked the Trump administration after it was confirmed that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to a Signal group chat containing classified military plans. The group, named “Houthi PC Small Group,” included Vice President JD Vance, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Goldberg received detailed operational information just hours before the U.S. launched airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, 2025. The White House admitted the mistake, stating that Goldberg’s...

March 24, 2025 - Serbia/Albania -  In March 2025, during the ongoing war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi at The Hague, new testimony shed light on the fate of Serbian journalists during the Kosovo conflict. Naim Maljoku, a former KLA commander and head of the KLA’s operational directorate in 1998, testified that two Serbian journalists were abducted and held at the KLA’s main headquarters near Lipljan, Kosovo, in the autumn of 1998. Maljoku identified the “White House,” the KLA’s central command facility in the village of Divljane, as the...

March 24, 2025 - Turkey -  In March 2025, the Turkish government formally requested that the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) block access to more than 700 user accounts, sparking renewed controversy over digital censorship and political repression. The accounts targeted reportedly include journalists, news organizations, activists, students, and political dissidents—many of whom were involved in or voiced support for recent protests against the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu’s detention on corruption charges has triggered widespread demonstrations across Turkey, with over 1,100 people reportedly arrested, including several members of the press....

March 24, 2025 - Palestine - On March 24, 2025, 23-year-old Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Hossam Shabat was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his vehicle in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. Shabat was en route to the Indonesian Hospital for a live broadcast when the strike occurred. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Shabat was a Hamas sniper operating under the guise of a journalist, alleging his affiliation with the Beit Hanoun Battalion. However, Al Jazeera and press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have vehemently denied these accusations. RSF condemned the strike...

March 24, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish police detained eight journalists in Istanbul as they covered protests sparked by the arrest of opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The journalists, who were reporting on demonstrations in support of the imprisoned mayor, were taken into custody under charges that authorities have not publicly clarified. The incident comes amid a sweeping crackdown by the Turkish government, which has arrested more than 1,100 people nationwide since protests erupted. The journalists worked for a range of media outlets, including Mezopotamya Agency and JINNEWS, both of which focus on Kurdish and human...

March 23, 2025 - Palestine -  In March 2025, Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, filed for restraining orders against Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav and protest activist Nava Rozolio, alleging that their actions constituted harassment and posed a threat to her family's safety. Netanyahu claimed that Misgav's publications were obsessively focused on her personal life and that Rozolio engaged in unlawful surveillance, including managing a WhatsApp group that allegedly incited harm against her family. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court initially granted a restraining order against Rozolio, barring her from approaching Netanyahu. However, in...

March 23, 2025 - Pakistan - Farhan Mallick, a Pakistani journalist and founder of the online news platform Raftar, was arrested on March 20, 2025, by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He was charged under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) with disseminating what authorities labeled as “anti-state content.” Additionally, he was accused of operating an illegal call center allegedly involved in defrauding foreigners, a claim that many in the journalism community dispute as an attempt to tarnish his credibility. Mallick’s detention drew widespread criticism from media organizations and rights groups. They argued that...

March 23, 2025 - Philippines - A wave of online harassment targeted prominent Filipino women journalists covering former President Rodrigo Duterte’s ongoing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The attacks, widely condemned by civil society groups, were primarily aimed at reporters Mariz Umali (GMA-7), Zen Hernandez (ABS-CBN), and Gretchen Ho (News5), all of whom have been reporting on the sensitive developments surrounding Duterte’s alleged human rights violations during his administration’s drug war. These journalists faced a barrage of misogynistic and defamatory comments on social media, many of which were amplified by Duterte supporters. In...

March 23, 2025 - Kurdish/Iraq -  Nûjiyan Erhan, born Tuğba Akyılmaz, was a courageous Kurdish journalist remembered for her relentless dedication to amplifying the voices of the Yazidi people in northern Iraq. Originally from Turkey, Erhan moved to the Shengal (Sinjar) region in 2014 after ISIS launched genocidal attacks on the Yazidi community. Her mission was clear: to document their suffering, tell their stories, and support the emergence of a local, women-led media presence in a war-ravaged region. In 2015, she helped establish the Shengal Women's Press, a pioneering initiative that empowered Yazidi women to...

March 22, 2025 - Russia -  Kanyshai Mamyrkulova, an independent journalist and civic activist from Kyrgyzstan, was arrested in Bishkek on March 20, 2025, in a case that has drawn sharp criticism from international human rights groups. According to reports, her arrest was orchestrated by police officers posing as potential buyers of an apartment she had listed for sale, suggesting a premeditated effort to detain her discreetly. Authorities claim that her social media posts incited national unrest and ethnic tension. Mamyrkulova faces serious charges under Article 278 and Article 330 of Kyrgyzstan’s Criminal Code. These...

March 22, 2025 - Burundi -  Sandra Muhoza, a journalist for the online outlet La Nova Burundi, has been at the center of a contentious legal battle that underscores growing concerns over press freedom in Burundi. Arrested in April 2024, Muhoza was charged with "undermining the integrity of the national territory" and "racial aversion" after sharing information in a private WhatsApp group about alleged government-led arms distribution. In December 2024, the High Court of Mukaza in Bujumbura sentenced her to 21 months in prison—18 months for undermining national integrity and three months for racial aversion....

March 22, 2025 - Indonesia -  Recent threats against journalists in Indonesia and the Philippines have sparked renewed government commitments to safeguard press freedom and protect media workers. These incidents highlight ongoing challenges faced by journalists in Southeast Asia, where intimidation and violence threaten free expression. In Indonesia, investigative journalist Francisca “Cica” Christy Rosana of Tempo magazine became the target of a disturbing and symbolic death threat in March 2025. Rosana found a severed pig’s head and decapitated rats placed outside her office—an act loaded with cultural and religious implications in the Muslim-majority country. Alongside...

March 21, 2025 - France -  On March 21, 2025, a French court convicted Mehdi Nemmouche, a 39-year-old French jihadist, of holding four French journalists hostage in Syria between June 2013 and April 2014. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years before eligibility for parole. Nemmouche, who had previously been convicted for the 2014 Jewish Museum shooting in Brussels, denied the charges, asserting he had only fought against Syrian government forces and had never been a jailer. However, the surviving hostages identified him as their captor, citing his distinctive...

March 21, 2025 - Sudan -  Three journalists and their driver were killed in Sudan on March 21, 2025, when a drone strike targeted their vehicle amid fierce fighting in Khartoum. The attack was carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are locked in a violent conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The journalists were reporting on the SAF’s efforts to retake the Republican Palace, a key government site. This tragic incident underscores the extreme risks journalists face while covering conflict zones in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The victims were Farouk...

March 21, 2025 - Source: Barrons -  Zimbabwean journalist Blessed Mhlanga was denied bail after his arrest on February 24, 2025, in connection with interviews he conducted with war veteran and former Zanu-PF member Blessed Geza. The interviews, which aired on Heart and Soul Television (HStv) in late 2024 and early 2025, featured Geza openly calling for the resignation of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mhlanga was charged under Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act, accused of transmitting data messages that could incite violence or damage property. The law carries penalties of up to five years in...

March 21, 2025 - Turkey -  Exiled Turkish journalists have raised alarms over increasing digital censorship by major tech companies, urging international accountability for platforms enabling authoritarian governments to suppress independent media. Speaking at a United Nations panel in Geneva, they highlighted how platforms like X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Google comply with censorship requests from the Turkish government, citing the misuse of counterterrorism laws to stifle press freedom. The panel, organized by the International Journalists Association and the International Association for Human Rights Advocacy, called for reforms to ensure tech companies uphold free expression...

March 21, 2025 - Azerbaijan/Turkey - Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, detained in Georgia since August 2024, has been released on bail following a ruling by the Tbilisi City Court. The court replaced his extradition detention with a ₾5,000 ($1,800) bail, allowing him to leave prison on April 16, 2025. Sadigov, the head of the Azerbaijani news outlet Azel.TV, was arrested in Tbilisi at Azerbaijan's request, facing charges of extortion. He had been living in Georgia with his family since December 2023 and had planned to leave the country two weeks before his arrest but was...

March 21, 2025 - General -  The article highlights a critical challenge faced by journalism today: the tendency of audiences and media outlets to avoid or shy away from difficult or distressing news stories. This avoidance not only undermines the importance of hard-hitting journalism but also threatens the safety and sustainability of journalists themselves. The piece argues that turning away from “bad news” creates a dangerous gap in public awareness, allowing crucial issues to go unreported or ignored. Journalists play a vital role by bringing to light uncomfortable truths, exposing corruption, injustice, and human rights...

March 21, 2025 - Indonesia -  In a chilling act of intimidation, an Indonesian investigative journalist received a severed pig’s head at his news outlet’s office in Jakarta—an incident that has sparked national outrage and raised fresh concerns over the safety of journalists in the country. The grotesque package, accompanied by decapitated rats and a threatening message, was delivered to Project Multatuli, a nonprofit outlet known for reporting on corruption, environmental degradation, and marginalized communities. The targeted journalist, who remains unnamed for security reasons, had recently published a story critical of a high-ranking government official....

March 21, 2025 - Mozambique -  The disappearance of Mozambican journalist Arlindo Chissale has cast a dark shadow over press freedom in the country, particularly in the conflict-ridden province of Cabo Delgado. Chissale, an investigative reporter known for his work on illegal mining and security force abuses, vanished on December 29, 2023, in the district of Mocímboa da Praia. Since then, no verified sighting or communication has been made, raising fears of enforced disappearance, a serious human rights violation. Chissale had traveled to Cabo Delgado to report on developments in the region, which has been...

March 21, 2025 - Germany/Turkey -  Germany is under increasing scrutiny for its growing number of deportations to Turkey, particularly of individuals linked—often loosely—to the Gülen movement. The number of deportations from Germany to Turkey has more than doubled in recent months, with migration figures reaching record highs. This surge has sparked concern among human rights advocates, who warn that deportees are at serious risk of imprisonment, torture, and unfair trials once returned to Turkey. One such case is that of a Turkish asylum seeker who was forcibly returned from Germany and immediately arrested upon...

March 21, 2025 - Pakistan -  In a deeply troubling development for press freedom in Pakistan, journalist Farhan Mallick, founder and editor of the independent news outlet Raftar, was arrested by federal authorities in Karachi on March 20, 2025. The arrest occurred following a late-night raid on his home, during which electronic devices and documents were seized. His outlet, known for investigative journalism and critical reporting on state affairs, was also blocked by Pakistan’s media regulatory body, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Mallick's detention and the silencing of Raftar come amid increasing government efforts to...

March 21, 2025 - General -  When journalists are imprisoned for doing their jobs, society loses not just its storytellers but its truth-bearers. In her impassioned piece, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya paints a haunting portrait of her country’s silenced press, calling on the world to defend the fundamental right to free speech. Her words echo like a warning bell: Belarus is now Europe’s leading jailer of journalists, and each arrest is another step toward a voiceless, blindfolded society. Journalists in Belarus today face persecution not for distorting the truth, but for daring to tell...

March 21, 2025 - France -  In a powerful moment of justice, a Paris court on March 21, 2025, sentenced five jihadists for their roles in the kidnapping and torture of four French journalists in Syria from 2013 to 2014. Among them was Mehdi Nemmouche, a notorious figure already serving life for the deadly 2014 Brussels Jewish Museum attack. Nemmouche received another life sentence with a mandatory 22-year term before parole, sealing his fate as one of the central figures in a harrowing ordeal that left deep psychological scars on his victims. The journalists—Didier François,...