News

18 December 2024 - General - The year 2024 marked a devastating turning point for global press freedom, with journalist deaths reaching their highest level in over three decades. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 124 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide, a staggering escalation largely driven by the war in Gaza. Of those killed, 85 were covering the Israel-Gaza conflict, making it by far the deadliest single theater for journalists in modern history. The majority of these were Palestinian reporters, many of them freelancers working under dire conditions and without institutional...

December 18, 2024 - USA/Mexico - Mexico has renewed its pursuit of justice in the 2017 killing of renowned investigative journalist Javier Valdez by formally requesting the extradition of Dámaso López Serrano, also known as “Mini Lic,” from the United States. Valdez, a veteran reporter who covered drug cartels and corruption, was shot dead near his newspaper office in Culiacán, Sinaloa. Mexican authorities have long identified López Serrano as the suspected mastermind of the murder, allegedly ordering the hit in retaliation for Valdez’s reporting on internal cartel disputes involving the Sinaloa drug trafficking organization. Mini...

December 18, 2024 - Krygyzstan - In a major blow to press freedom, a court in Kyrgyzstan has upheld the convictions of four journalists from the investigative media outlet Temirov Live, a team known for its hard-hitting reports on corruption within the government and security services. The Bishkek City Court ruled in December 2024 to maintain prison sentences for Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, who received six years, and Azamat Ishenbekov, sentenced to five years. Two other journalists, Aike Beishekeyeva and Aktilek Kaparov, were handed three-year suspended sentences. The ruling was later confirmed by the country’s Supreme...

December 17, 2024 - UK - The UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has found that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Metropolitan Police unlawfully surveilled investigative journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney in a series of covert operations aimed at uncovering their confidential sources. The ruling, delivered in December 2024, marks a significant victory for press freedom and journalistic integrity in the UK. The case centers around the 2017 documentary No Stone Unturned, which examined the unsolved 1994 Loughinisland massacre in Northern Ireland. Following its release, the PSNI launched an investigation to...

December 17, 2024 - Romania/UK - British authorities have arrested two Romanian nationals in connection with the March 2024 stabbing of British-Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati, a prominent presenter with Iran International. The suspects, identified as 19-year-old Nandito Badea and 23-year-old George Stana, were apprehended in Romania and are currently facing extradition to the United Kingdom. The charges relate to a targeted attack in Wimbledon, where Zeraati was stabbed in the leg near his home. The incident left him hospitalized but did not result in life-threatening injuries. A third man, a 40-year-old suspect, was arrested in...

December 17, 2024 - UK - A tribunal in Northern Ireland has found that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) unlawfully used covert surveillance to identify a journalist’s confidential source and to monitor political figures, including former Secretary of State David Davis. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal determined that the PSNI bypassed legal authorization by launching secret operations—known as “directed surveillance” and “covert intrusion”—without meeting the required thresholds under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 or the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. This represented a serious violation of the journalist's right to protect sources and...

December 17, 2024 - Palestine/Israel - Since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023, over 86 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been detained by Israeli authorities—a scale of repression unprecedented in recent history. Many arrests occurred without charge, particularly through the administration’s broad use of administrative detention. Initial waves in October 2023 saw noted journalists such as Abdel Nasser al‑Laham, Moath Amarneh, Mustafa al‑Khawaja, and Sabri Jibril taken into custody. Their arrests were carried out in pre-dawn raids, often involving broken doors, confiscation of electronic devices, and allegations that their social media commentary or...

December 17, 2024 - Syria - With the collapse of the Assad regime after over a decade of authoritarian rule and civil war, Syria now stands before a rare opportunity to build an independent, inclusive media landscape. For the first time in thirteen years, journalists are no longer restricted by state censorship or the constant threat of violence from government forces. Free Press Unlimited, which has worked alongside Syrian media since 2011, views this transitional moment as critical for establishing press freedom as a cornerstone of the country’s recovery. Throughout the conflict, Syrian independent journalists,...

December 17, 2024 - Jamaica - The Jamaican media landscape was rocked in December 2024 by the brutal murder of Barbara Gayle, a celebrated veteran court reporter whose career at The Gleaner spanned over four decades. Found dead in her Caymanas Estate home in St. Catherine on the morning of December 17, Gayle had been struck in the head and her throat slashed, likely days after speaking to a visitor outside her residence. Authorities report that her vehicle and mobile phone were stolen, prompting homicide investigations and public appeals for justice from senior government figures,...

December 16, 2024 - Palestine - Ahmed al-Louh, a 39-year-old Palestinian photojournalist working for Al Jazeera, was killed on December 15, 2024, in an Israeli airstrike that struck a Palestinian Civil Defence center in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Al-Louh, who was wearing marked press gear at the time of the attack, was filming rescue operations when the strike occurred. Five Civil Defence workers were also killed in the same incident. He was transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, where he was pronounced dead. Al Jazeera issued a strong condemnation, describing...

December 15, 2024 - Palestine - Al Jazeera photojournalist Ahmed al‑Louh, aged 39, was killed on December 15, 2024, during an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian Civil Defence site in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Al‑Louh, easily identifiable in his press vest and helmet, was filming rescue efforts alongside Civil Defence workers when the strike struck. Five Civil Defence personnel also lost their lives. He was promptly evacuated to Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el‑Balah, where he was pronounced dead. Al Jazeera condemned the strike as a deliberate and “heinous crime,” insisting that...

December 15, 2024 - Pakistan - The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has sounded the alarm over a tightening crackdown on media freedom, warning that systemic harassment, intimidation, and violence against journalists are severely threatening press integrity in the country. PFUJ’s condemnation comes amid a broader context of recurring detentions, legal threats, and economic pressure on independent media outlets. The union emphasized that these tactics, which include filing sedition charges, enforcing blackouts on critical reporting, and orchestrating cyber harassment campaigns, aim to silence dissenting voices and chill investigative journalism at its core. PFUJ voiced...

December 15, 2024 - Pakistan - In a sharp escalation of media repression, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the issuance of arrest orders for at least 150 journalists under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) accused these journalists of posting content between November 24 and 27, 2024, that allegedly incited violence and undermined state institutions, including the military. The targeted individuals face charges under PECA sections related to glorifying crime, cyberterrorism, hate speech, and cyberstalking—offenses that carry severe penalties, including up to 14 years...

December 15, 2024 - Palestine - Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned the killing of its Palestinian cameraman Ahmad al-Louh in a targeted Israeli airstrike on December 15, 2024, in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Al-Louh, who was wearing press identification gear, was documenting Civil Defence rescue operations when the strike hit, killing him and five emergency workers. His death, the network stated, represents not only a personal tragedy but also a grave violation of international humanitarian law protecting journalists in conflict zones. In a strongly worded statement, Al Jazeera described the attack...

December 14, 2024 - Lebanon/Syria - Moaz Mouraab, a 51-year-old Lebanese journalist and father of two, has finally returned to his family in Tripoli, Lebanon, after enduring 17 harrowing years in a Syrian prison. His detention began on May 20, 2007, when Syrian authorities arrested him while he was transiting from Lebanon to Iraq. Accused of links to terrorist groups, Mouraab insists he entered Syria solely in his capacity as a journalist and humanitarian worker. His family lost all contact with him for the first two and a half years, leaving them uncertain of his...

December 14, 2024 - Iran/USA - Iran’s latest wave of repression has drawn sharp condemnation from rights groups, following the arrest of prominent human rights advocate Reza Khandan and the continued imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh. Both cases highlight the Islamic Republic’s deepening crackdown on dissenting voices, targeting not only activists within the country but also media professionals with ties abroad. On December 14, 2024, Iranian authorities arrested Reza Khandan, husband of renowned rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, at his home in Tehran. His daughter, Mehraveh, confirmed the arrest, linking it to a prior conviction...

December 14, 2024 - Pakistan - Pakistani-Sikh journalist Harmeet Singh, an anchor at Such TV, has become the latest focus of state action under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) following his coverage of November 2024 protests by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Authorities from the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing have filed an FIR accusing Singh of propagating anti-state narratives through his social media posts during the Islamabad demonstrations. He was summoned for questioning on December 24 and granted pre-arrest bail until December 21 by a special court in Islamabad,...

December 14, 2024 - Palestine - The conflict in Gaza has inflicted a devastating toll on journalists, with nearly 200 media workers killed in airstrikes carried out since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023. On December 14, 2024, the Palestinian Journalists’ Forum reported the death of Al‑Mashhad Channel correspondent Mohammad Baalousha, raising the total number of media casualties to 195. Just one day later, Gaza’s Government Media Office announced that Al Jazeera photographer Ahmad Bakr al‑Louh had been killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp strike, pushing the count to 196. These grim figures reflect...

December 13, 2024 - USA/Syria - American journalist Austin Tice, kidnapped in 2012 while reporting from northern Syria, remains one of the most enduring cases of an unresolved journalist disappearance in recent history. A freelance war reporter, Tice was covering the unfolding civil war in Damascus when he vanished. After being held by unknown groups, a video released later confirmed his captivity, but his precise whereabouts and condition have remained shrouded in uncertainty since then. Following years of silence, the U.S. government and non-profit organizations recently revealed that new intelligence obtained earlier in 2024 placed...

December 13, 2024 - Pakistan - Pakistani journalist Malik Zafar Iqbal Naich was shot and killed in a targeted attack in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, marking a grim continuation of violence against media workers in the country. Naich, a local correspondent known for reporting on governance issues, crime, and community concerns, was gunned down by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle while on his way to work. The brazen nature of the attack has sparked outrage and renewed fears among journalists already working under mounting pressure and insecurity. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ),...

December 13, 2024 - South Africa/Libya - South African photojournalist Anton Hammerl was killed on April 5, 2011, by pro-Gaddafi forces in the Libyan desert while covering the civil war. His body was never recovered, and for over a month, his family was misled to believe he was in custody. After being informed of his death, the family entered a long period of sorrow and unanswered questions, compounded when Libya withheld his passport despite years of international inquiries. On December 12, 2024, Hammerl’s widow, Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl—a journalist herself—filed a formal complaint with the U.N. Human...

December 13, 2024 - Russia - Nadezhda Kevorkova, a prominent 66-year-old journalist renowned for covering conflict zones in the Middle East, North Caucasus, and beyond, has had her pretrial detention extended by Moscow courts on multiple occasions throughout 2024 and early 2025. Initially arrested in May 2024 and charged with "publicly justifying terrorism" under Article 205.2, her case centers on two-year-old Telegram posts: one sharing an article by a fellow journalist about a militant raid in Nalchik, and another praising the Taliban for freeing prisoners. Her detention was first extended in October, then again in...

December 13, 2024 - Palestine/USA - Journalist arrests in the United States surged in 2024, with nearly one reporter detained or charged each week, largely at Israel‑Gaza war protests. According to data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there were at least 48 arrests or detentions of journalists, marking the third-highest annual total since 2017. Remarkably, approximately 90 percent of these incidents occurred during demonstrations related to the Israel‑Gaza conflict, reflecting a dramatic rise in police actions in response to public dissent. New York City’s Police Department played an especially prominent role, accounting for nearly...

December 13, 2024 - Belarus - Belarusian authorities arrested seven journalists from the independent online outlet Intex‑Press in Baranavichy in early December 2024, leveling charges of “supporting extremist activities.” The Belarusian Association of Journalists condemned the detentions as a deliberate effort to extinguish dissenting voices in the run‑up to January’s presidential election, calling it the single largest group of arrests from one media platform in the past year. The arrests come on the heels of a four‑year prison sentence handed down to journalist Volha Radzivonava earlier in December for her critical coverage of the regime,...

December 13, 2024 - Georgia - A coalition of major press freedom organizations, including the International Federation of Journalists and European Federation of Journalists, has urged the European Union to demand an immediate halt to the rising wave of repression against journalists in Georgia. In an open letter dated 12 December, the groups called on key EU figures—Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, Roberta Metsola, and Kaja Kallas—to address systematic threats to media professionals during increasingly violent anti-government protests in Tbilisi. Since late 2024, demonstrators have rallied against Georgia’s political leadership, especially following the suspension...