News

January 20, 2025 - Italy/Iran -  Italian war correspondent Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested in Tehran on December 19, 2024, while reporting on assignment for Il Foglio. Despite holding a valid journalist visa, Iranian authorities accused her of violating national laws and detained her in Evin Prison, known for housing political prisoners and critics of the regime. During her 21-day detention, Sala was held in solitary confinement and subjected to extreme psychological pressure. She described spending nights on a concrete floor, under constant lighting, and without her glasses, which were confiscated upon arrest. She recounted...

January 19, 2025 - Russia -  In January 2025, Karelian journalist and poet Denis Pogrebnoy was fined 30,000 rubles (around €290) by the Petrozavodsk City Court for allegedly “discrediting the Russian army.” The charge stemmed from several posts he published on VKontakte between October 2022 and May 2024, including poems that criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine and expressed solidarity with imprisoned activists. One of the poems referenced the case of Aleksandra Skochilenko, the St. Petersburg artist sentenced to seven years in prison for replacing supermarket price tags with anti-war messages. Pogrebnoy’s poem read: “Seven years....

January 19, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces detained an Al Jazeera crew—including veteran journalist Givara Budeiri, a cameraperson, and another team member—while they were reporting near Ofer Prison in Beitunia, near Ramallah. The team was covering the release of Palestinian detainees as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Palestinian factions. Footage shows Budeiri reporting live just before she and her colleagues were forcibly taken away by uniformed officers. The crew was transported to a local police station, interrogated, and temporarily detained. Their equipment was reportedly confiscated...

January 19, 2025 - India -  Journalist Bijaya Kumar Pradhan was brutally assaulted in Kulthipali village, Balangir district, Odisha, while investigating alleged corruption related to the construction of a ₹10 lakh retaining wall. Pradhan, a TV reporter, had gone to the village to document irregularities in the project when he was attacked by a group led by the accused contractor Gajendra Dalai. According to eyewitnesses and viral video footage, Pradhan was tied up, beaten severely under a tree, and paraded through the village. The attackers confiscated his mobile phones, microphone, camera, and cash. They allegedly...

January 19, 2025 - Palestine/Israel -  According to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, 193 journalists were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza throughout 2024, marking one of the deadliest years for media workers in modern history. The figure was echoed by several media watchdogs, including Al Mayadeen, which cited 194 fatalities, along with at least 86 injuries and 64 arrests of journalists by Israeli forces. In addition to human losses, 54 media offices were reportedly bombed or destroyed. Many of the slain journalists were Palestinian reporters working in Gaza under extremely dangerous conditions, often without protective...

January 19, 2025 - Niger -  Nigerien journalist Seyni Amadou, editor-in-chief of Canal 3 TV, was arrested following the broadcast of a satirical news segment criticizing government officials. The program humorously ranked ministers, describing Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the most competent, while labeling others as the “soft underbelly” of the military-led regime. In response, the Ministry of Communication suspended Canal 3 for one month and revoked Amadou’s press card for three months. Amadou’s detention sparked swift condemnation from media unions and press freedom organizations, including CAP-Medias-Niger and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Critics...

January 19, 2025 - China -  In July 1967, British journalist Anthony Grey, then the Reuters correspondent in Beijing, was placed under house arrest by Chinese authorities in a retaliatory diplomatic move. His confinement lasted an extraordinary 26 months, from July 1967 until October 1969, making it one of the most prolonged detentions of a foreign journalist in modern history. Grey’s arrest came in response to the British colonial administration in Hong Kong detaining Hsieh Ping, a journalist with China’s Xinhua News Agency, during anti-British riots. Beijing viewed the detention of Chinese journalists in Hong...

January 19, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia - In 2024, Russian forces escalated their assault on media freedom in Ukraine, killing 24 Ukrainian media workers and committing over 150 violations against press freedom, according to data from Ukraine’s Institute of Mass Information (IMI). The report marks a sharp increase in the dangers faced by journalists amid the ongoing full-scale invasion. Of the 24 media workers killed, two were actively working as journalists at the time of their deaths. Among them was Victoria Roshchyna, a Zaporizhzhia-based journalist who died while in Russian custody on October 10, after being...

January 19, 2025 - Turkey -  On January 19, 2007, Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was assassinated in front of his newspaper Agos in Istanbul. The 52-year-old editor had long been a target of nationalist hostility for advocating Armenian-Turkish reconciliation and openly discussing the Armenian Genocide. His murderer, Ogün Samast, a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist, was arrested and later sentenced to over 20 years in prison. In November 2023, Samast was released on parole after serving nearly 17 years. Eighteen years later, justice remains elusive. Though Samast and a few accomplices were convicted, the masterminds and state...

January 19, 2025 - Nigeria -  In two disturbing events highlighting Nigeria’s infrastructure and security crises, residents in Aba, Abia State, experienced a sudden blackout after gas pipeline vandalism, while in Ogun State, a prophet was brutally killed during a church service. On January 19, 2025, vandals targeted gas pipelines supplying the Geometric Power Plant in Aba, disrupting what had been a month-long streak of uninterrupted electricity for the city. The attack, aimed at illegally tapping crude oil from nearby lines, inadvertently severed the gas supply essential for power generation. According to Aba Power Ltd.,...

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...