News

January 28, 2025 - Belarus -  Mzia Amaglobeli, a prominent Georgian journalist and co-founder/director of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, has been detained since January 11, 2025, facing an assault charge that could carry a prison sentence of four to seven years. Arrested during post-election protests in Batumi, she initially was held over administrative actions—placing a “Georgia is on Strike” sticker—but was quickly re-arrested after she slapped the city’s police chief amid his alleged verbal abuse. On January 12, Amaglobeli began a hunger strike, stating it was a protest against “repressive, treacherous, and violent processes targeting humanity,...

January 28, 2025 - Pakistan -  Pakistan’s Senate passed controversial amendments on January 28, 2025, to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), granting the government sweeping powers to regulate social media and criminalize the spread of “false news.” Under the new law, authorities can block content deemed offensive to institutions (judiciary, armed forces, parliament) or thought to incite disorder. Offenders may face up to three years in prison, fines as high as 2 million rupees (~US$ 7,200), and social media platforms could be blocked if they fail to comply. The Senate’s approval followed its passage in...

January 28, 2025 - Switzerland/Palestine/USA -  Palestinian-American writer and journalist Ali Abunimah was detained and deported by Swiss authorities on January 28, 2025, after being banned from entry upon arrival at Zurich Airport. Abunimah, co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, was initially blocked from entering Switzerland. Upon contesting the decision, he was taken into custody for two nights and subsequently deported. Swiss officials did not publicly specify the grounds for his exclusion. However, insiders suggest the ban may be linked to alleged security concerns related to his past activism, though no formal charges were presented. Expressing deep...

January 27, 2025 - Lebanon - Journalists from Lebanese networks LBCI and MTV were assaulted in two separate incidents while covering events in southern Lebanon, raising serious concerns over the growing threats to press freedom in the region. The first incident occurred near the villages of Deir Mimas and Khardali, where an LBCI team was reporting on civilians returning to their homes following prior military tensions. While filming, the crew was physically attacked by a group of unidentified individuals. LBCI correspondent Lara El Hachem and her cameraman were beaten, and the attackers seized their camera...

January 27, 2025 - Georgia -  Prominent journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, co-founder and director of independent outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested on January 11, 2025, during Batumi anti-government protests. Initially detained over placing a strike sticker, she was released on bail but rearrested shortly afterward for allegedly slapping Batumi’s police chief—charges that carry a potential prison sentence of four to seven years. Her arrest prompted urgent concern and condemnation. Over 300 Georgian media professionals—journalists, editors, and media managers—signed a strong statement on January 27, warning that Amaghlobeli’s arrest marks a "new phase" in the government’s...

January 27, 2025 - Pakistani - Razish Liaqatpuri—a prominent Seraiki-language journalist, author, and former editorial-in-charge at the daily Khabrian—was detained in late January 2025 by Rahim Yar Khan police amid a raid at his home in Liaqatpur. Authorities held him in undisclosed custody for over three days before formally charging him with terrorism-related offenses. According to the FIR filed January 25 at City A Division Police Station, Liaqatpuri allegedly shared a video clip on Facebook titled “To murder Punjabi officers was legal.” The post purportedly referred to tensions between language communities and included inflammatory remarks perceived...

January 27, 2025 - Lebanon -  Lebanese journalist Layal al‑Ekhtiar, an anchor for the Saudi-owned Al‑Arabiya network based in Dubai, was detained at Beirut’s airport on January 27, 2025, after landing from Dubai. Her detainment stems from an October 2023 interview with Col. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson for Arabic media, conducted during the Gaza conflict. Lebanese authorities claim the interview violated Lebanon’s strict “anti-normalization” laws, which prohibit contact with Israeli officials, given that the countries are still technically at war. Al‑Ekhtiar was brought before a military prosecutor, who had issued a warrant...

January 27, 2025 - Ukraine - Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reports that since the full-scale Russian invasion began, 147 artists and 95 media workers, including seven foreign journalists, have lost their lives. These staggering figures underscore the human cost not only of the war’s military toll but for the country’s cultural and informational fabric. The ministry likens the losses to historical tragedies: “Just as the Stalinist regime eliminated a generation of Ukrainian artists in the 20s and early 30s … so Russia is now deliberately eliminating Ukraine’s cultural elite”. Every individual lost—whether lyricist,...

January 27, 2025 - Sri Lanka -  Journalists and activists in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority north-east recently gathered to commemorate Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan—a Tamil journalist for Sudar Oli who was assassinated on January 24, 2006, in Trincomalee. He was just 35 and a father of two. Sugirdharajan earned widespread respect for exposing atrocities: he documented that five Tamil students were shot at point-blank range—contradicting claims that they died from a grenade blast—after the "Trinco 5" massacre. His reporting directly challenged the Sri Lankan military and allied paramilitary groups, prompting swift retaliation. Commemorative events held on January 24 in Trincomalee, Batticaloa,...

January 27, 2025 - Georgia -  More than 300 journalists, editors, and media leaders across Georgia have issued a powerful joint statement demanding the immediate release of veteran journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti. Arrested on January 12, 2025, during mass protests over alleged election fraud in Batumi, Amaglobeli was charged with assault after slapping the city’s police chief following verbal abuse. At the time of her arrest, she began a hunger strike protesting what media watchdogs describe as politically motivated detention. After 16 days on water alone—eventually lasting 38 days—her health deteriorated...

January 27, 2025 - Africa - A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has revealed that at least 67 journalists are currently imprisoned across Africa for their work, making the continent one of the most dangerous regions for media professionals. The report highlights a growing trend where governments across Africa are increasingly using anti-terrorism laws, cybercrime regulations, and pandemic-era emergency measures to silence critical journalism. Countries such as Eritrea, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe feature prominently in the report. Many of these journalists were arrested for covering politically sensitive issues, including...

January 26, 2025 - USA - In a disturbing incident reported on June 2, 2024, Brattleboro Reformer reporter Anessa Kim, a 22-year-old journalist and Edgewood Media Group employee, was physically assaulted while covering a town selectboard meeting at the Municipal Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. What HappenedKim had interviewed former selectboard member Michael “Mike” Fitzgerald as he exited the building. While filming with her phone, she followed him briefly to capture a statement. Suddenly, Fitzgerald reached out, grabbed Kim’s phone, and smashed it against a tree before walking away. Aftermath and Authorities’ ResponseKim reported the assault...

January 26, 2025 - Mexico -  Mexico’s alarming crisis of violence against journalists has once again come into the spotlight following the tragic murder of Alejandro Gallegos León, Editor-in-Chief of La Voz del Pueblo. His body was recently discovered in the southern state of Tabasco, prompting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to urge Mexican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. The OHCHR emphasized that the probe should not only identify the perpetrators but also examine whether Mr. León’s journalistic work played a role in his killing. Gallegos León was a widely...

January 26, 2025 - Syria -  The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has exposed horrifying new evidence of systematic repression, mass atrocities, and an aggressive war on journalists. Newly uncovered documents, obtained by OCCRP and its Syrian partner SIRAJ, show how Syrian intelligence agencies extensively monitored, harassed, and targeted journalists, both domestic and foreign, branding them as foreign agents and enemies of the state. Ordinary journalistic activities — interviewing civilians, gathering information, or collaborating with international media organizations — were treated as acts of espionage. Even prominent networks like the Global Investigative Journalism...

January 26, 2025 - Lebanon - In yet another alarming incident highlighting the growing dangers journalists face in conflict zones, a news crew from Russia Today (RT) narrowly survived an Israeli military attack while reporting from Maroun El Ras, a southern Lebanese village near the Israeli border. The team was clearly marked as press when Israeli gunfire targeted their position. Despite their professional identification, transmission engineer Hussein Khalil sustained injuries, while reporter Hussein Ayad managed to escape unharmed. The crew’s vehicle and equipment were also damaged in the attack. Footage released by MTV Lebanon shows...

June 26, 2025 - Pakistan - Pakistani crime reporter Hasnain Shah was gunned down in broad daylight outside the Lahore Press Club, a location considered a symbolic sanctuary for journalists. Shah, a senior journalist for Capital TV and a well-known figure in media circles, was waiting in his car when two unidentified men on a motorcycle shot him at least seven times before fleeing the scene. The murder occurred in front of multiple witnesses and nearby security personnel, yet the assailants escaped unhindered. Shah's killing sparked outrage among journalists, press freedom organizations, and civil society...

January 26, 2025 - Palestine -  In the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, journalists have increasingly become deliberate targets of violence, according to multiple recent reports. The Al Jazeera program The Listening Post, as featured by Asia Pacific Report, highlights the extreme dangers journalists now face, with many reporting that their press vests no longer offer protection. Instead, media workers describe being deliberately shot at with live ammunition and rubber bullets, arrested, or threatened while covering protests, evacuations, and military operations. The program emphasizes that these attacks aim to silence journalists...

January 26, 2025 - Switzerland/ Palestine/ Israel -  Prominent Palestinian-American journalist and co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, was unexpectedly detained by Swiss authorities in Zurich. Abunimah had traveled to Switzerland to speak at a Palestine rights event but was arrested by plainclothes officers shortly after his arrival. According to reports, he was held for three days in administrative detention without clear charges, access to legal counsel, or contact with his family. During his detention, Abunimah was interrogated by Swiss intelligence agents. He was never formally charged with a crime but was informed that...

January 26, 2025 - Croatia - Press freedom advocates in Croatia have raised serious concerns following an incident involving the harassment of journalist Damir Šarac by Split Mayor Ivica Puljak. On January 24, 2025, during a public town hall in Split, Šarac, a journalist for Slobodna Dalmacija, asked the mayor a question regarding the role of the city’s port company in recent toxic air pollution issues. Instead of addressing the journalist’s inquiry, Mayor Puljak responded aggressively, accusing Šarac of spreading political propaganda and being affiliated with the opposition HDZ party. The mayor's remarks escalated tensions...

January 26, 2025 - Turkey/ Nigeria -  Nigerian football star Victor Osimhen has filed a defamation lawsuit against Turkish journalist Tolga Bozduman, following allegations that the striker assaulted him in Istanbul. The controversy erupted after Galatasaray’s 3-3 draw with Dynamo Kyiv, when Bozduman claimed that Osimhen physically attacked him outside a restaurant. According to Bozduman, the altercation occurred as he attempted to photograph Osimhen. The journalist alleged that Osimhen tried to grab his camera, punched him in the head, and later offered him money to delete the footage. Bozduman said, “He tried to grab my...

January 26, 2025 - Source: Palestine/ Israel -  The war in Gaza has proven especially deadly for journalists, with at least 184 media workers killed since Israel's offensive began in October 2023. The vast majority— 166 Palestinians —died in Gaza under conditions press freedom groups call unprecedented. This makes it one of the deadliest conflicts for journalists in modern history. Among the casualties were Hossam Shabat , an Al Jazeera reporter targeted by an Israeli airstrike in March, and Fatima Hassouna , a 25-year-old photographer featured in a Cannes documentary, killed in April with her...

January 26, 2025 - Italy -  In early 2025, the Vatican made a strong moral and spiritual stand in defense of press freedom. On January 25, during the Jubilee of the World of Communications, Pope Francis addressed thousands of journalists and media workers. Abandoning his prepared speech, he spoke from the heart about the sacred role of communication. He described it as a divine gift meant to “build bridges and communities,” and stressed that authentic storytelling must be rooted in truth and integrity. Francis called for the release of unjustly imprisoned journalists, pointing out that...

January 26, 2025 - General -  Diaa Al-Ustaz says his work made him and his colleagues a target, with the International Federation of Journalists reporting this month that at least 152 journalists have died covering the war.     Reference -  https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6623001

January 26, 2025 - China -  International human rights advocates and media analysts are sounding the alarm over China’s ongoing crackdown on independent journalism, focusing particularly on the case of a detained writer and citizen journalist reportedly subjected to torture while in custody. The journalist, whose identity remains protected due to safety concerns, is said to have been severely mistreated, with reports indicating prolonged solitary confinement, denial of medical care, and psychological abuse—conditions that rights groups argue constitute torture under international law. According to sources cited in reports by VOA News and ANI News, this...

January 25, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Recent reporting from The Wire asserts that the deliberate killing of over 200 journalists and media workers in Gaza marks one of the most egregious assaults on press freedom in modern wartime history. Never before have so many journalists lost their lives in such a short timeframe, signaling a systemic campaign by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to suppress the Palestinian narrative through lethal force. The Wire’s analysis concludes that journalists have been explicitly targeted, with press vehicles attacked, snipers firing at cameramen, and eyewitness evidence pointing to the IDF’s...