News

September 27, 2024 - General -  On the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) launched a global campaign titled “No to Secrets,” urging governments around the world to stop restricting access to public information. The campaign highlights the vital role of transparency in upholding democracy, combating corruption, and empowering citizens to hold their leaders accountable. In recent years, many governments have tightened controls over information, using national security, anti-terrorism laws, and state secrecy provisions to shield official documents and data from public view. These legal...

September 27, 2024 - Brazil -  In the month leading up to Brazil’s October 2024 municipal elections, journalists faced an unprecedented wave of online hostility. According to a report by the Coalition in Defense of Journalism (CDJor), more than 37,000 online attacks were recorded against journalists between August 15 and September 27—an alarming figure that underscores a growing crisis for press freedom in Brazil’s digital sphere. The majority of these attacks—nearly 90%—were launched on X (formerly Twitter), where journalists were systematically targeted with slurs, threats, and campaigns aimed at discrediting their work. Reporters Without Borders...

September 26, 2024 - General -  At the 2024 UNCOVERED Conference in Athens, the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) Impact Awards celebrated the power of cross-border collaboration in exposing injustice and holding the powerful to account. Three groundbreaking investigations were each awarded €5,000 for their significant public impact, innovative reporting methods, and international reach. One of the award-winning investigations, The Pylos Shipwreck: Reconstruction of a Catastrophe, meticulously uncovered the details of a 2023 migrant boat disaster off the Greek coast that claimed over 500 lives. Through forensic modeling, survivor interviews, and collaboration between outlets like...

September 26, 2024 - Armenia -  Armenia’s media landscape has made important strides since the 2018 Velvet Revolution, but a new analysis by the International Press Institute (IPI) reveals that press freedom remains on uncertain footing. Despite climbing to 34th in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Armenia faces mounting challenges, including rising political polarization, waning public trust, and weak legal protections for journalists. One of the most pressing concerns is the growing perception that media outlets are politically biased. Many prominent news platforms are closely aligned either with the ruling Civil Contract Party or...

September 26, 2024 - Kyrgyzstan -  In a troubling escalation of media repression in Kyrgyzstan, prosecutors have demanded six-year prison sentences for 11 journalists associated with Temirov Live, a prominent independent investigative outlet. The charges against them—ranging from “calling for mass unrest” to “creating an organised criminal group”—follow a January 2024 raid on their homes and offices. The case centers on journalists, including current and former staff: Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, Aktilek Kaparov, Aike Beishekeyeva, and Azamat Ishenbekov, four of whom remain in detention, while others are under house arrest or travel bans. Prosecutors claim the group’s reports contained "indirect" incitement, even...

September 26, 2024 - Palestine -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a stark warning: since October 7, over 130 journalists have been killed in Gaza—at least 32 while reporting—a number so high that RSF fears the enclave may soon be without frontline media workers. Across Gaza, press vests no longer offer protection; instead, they have become targets. On September 26, RSF coordinated flash protests in ten countries, protesting the relentless killings and demanding urgent safeguards for journalists and granting safe access for foreign press. Director-General Thibaut Bruttin underscored that the “massacre of journalists…threatens to...

September 26, 2024 - China -  In a stark signal of shrinking press freedoms in Hong Kong, two senior editors from the pro-democracy outlet Stand News—Chung Pui‑kuen and Patrick Lam—have been convicted under the colonial-era Sedition Ordinance. On 26 September 2024, a Hong Kong court sentenced Chung, the former editor-in-chief, to 21 months in prison, and Lam, who had served pretrial custody, received 11 months before time already served and health considerations led to his release. This marks the first use of the sedition law against media figures since the 1997 handover, escalating concerns about the city’s rapid...

September 25, 2024 - Pakistan/Kenya - Nearly two years after the fatal shooting of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, calls for justice have intensified. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, has urged both Kenyan and Pakistani authorities to ensure full accountability for what she described as an "unlawful killing" that demands an independent and transparent investigation. Arshad Sharif, a prominent investigative journalist and vocal critic of Pakistan’s military, was forced into exile in 2022 following threats and legal harassment in his home country. He was killed on October 23, 2022,...

September 25, 2024 - Lebanon -  Since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, Lebanon has become one of the deadliest places for journalists outside the Palestinian territories. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least nine journalists and media workers have been killed in Lebanon as a result of Israeli airstrikes and escalating cross-border violence. These fatalities highlight the growing dangers faced by reporters covering one of the region’s most volatile frontlines. Among the most recent victims was Kamel Karaki, a cameraman with Al-Majd News, who was killed on 24...

September 25, 2024 - Egypt/UK -  British-Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah remains imprisoned in Egypt despite completing his five-year sentence in September 2024, prompting renewed international condemnation. Press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI), alongside a recent UN ruling, have declared his continued detention both arbitrary and illegal under international law. Alaa, a key figure in Egypt’s 2011 revolution and a longtime critic of government repression, was convicted in 2021 on charges of "spreading false news"—a broadly defined offense often used by Egyptian authorities to silence...

September 25, 2024 - China -  Hong Kong’s government has denied entry and refused a visa renewal for French photojournalist Louise Delmotte, who was working for the Associated Press. Her expulsion marks yet another troubling sign of the shrinking space for press freedom in the once semi-autonomous city. Delmotte had been based in Hong Kong since March 2023 and was widely recognized for her coverage of politically sensitive topics, including the trial of jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai. According to reports, Delmotte’s work visa application was rejected without explanation earlier this year. On September...

September 25, 2024 - Croatia - A recent press freedom mission by the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has found that Croatia’s media environment is under serious threat from entrenched political interference, outdated laws, and economic instability. While Croatia is an EU member and its constitution guarantees freedom of expression, the practical reality for journalists and media outlets is increasingly precarious. One of the most pressing concerns is the misuse of defamation and insult laws. These criminal statutes are frequently used in strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), designed...

September 24, 2024 - Cambodia - In a disturbing twist, Cambodian journalist Ouk Mao, who helped expose illegal deforestation in the Phnom Chum Rok Sat community forest, now finds himself accused of the very crime he uncovered. Mao, 49, was charged with deforestation and incitement—serious offenses in Cambodia that carry prison terms of up to 10 and 2 years respectively—after he reported on land seizures and forest destruction linked to powerful political and military interests. Mao’s investigative work revealed how the Lin Vatey company, allegedly connected to military figures, had taken over large swaths of...

September 24, 2024 - Iran -  Iranian security forces arrested Fardin Mostafaei, a 39-year-old Kurdish investigative journalist and administrator of the popular Telegram channel Saqqez Rudaw, in a café in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province. He has since been held at an undisclosed location, with authorities neither revealing charges nor location—a form of enforced disappearance. Mostafaei’s tensions with the state began in November 2023 when Saqqez's cyber police (FATA) summoned him following complaints from the city’s governor. He was interrogated for allegedly "spreading false information" and “disturbing public opinion” related to his reporting on local socio-economic issues. PEN...

September 24, 2024 - Mexico -  veteran reporter Mario Leonel Gómez Sánchez, a correspondent for El Heraldo de Chiapas, was gunned down outside his home in Yajalón, Chiapas—Europe's most violent region for the press in Mexico—reportedly shot by two men on a motorcycle. Gómez, 41, had long exposed organized crime and corruption in local government, including threats received in 2016 from a congressman’s associate after he reported on alleged abuses. Though three suspects were arrested and convicted years later—with one receiving 25 years and two others 19 years—the intellectual authors behind the murder remain unidentified. The Chiapas...

September 24, 2024 - Yemen -  In a milestone for press freedom and journalist protection, two Yemeni universities—Saba Region University in Marib and Al Mahrah University—have become the first in the country to adopt the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UNESCO’s Media Safety Curriculum. The integration of this course into journalism programs marks a proactive step toward equipping future reporters with the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate the dangerous and politically unstable media landscape in Yemen. The curriculum, developed by IFJ and UNESCO with support from the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression...

September 24, 2024 - Sahel - In a bold regional initiative, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside 547 community radio stations across the Sahel, has launched an urgent appeal to protect local journalism from growing threats. The joint statement, released during a large-scale mobilization event in Bamako on September 24, 2024, underscores the vital role community radio plays in informing rural populations in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad—regions increasingly plagued by violence, extremism, and media suppression. Community radio stations in the Sahel are often the only accessible source of independent news for millions of people....

September 24, 2024 - Afghanistan -  The Taliban have intensified their clampdown on press freedom by banning all live political broadcasts in Afghanistan, marking a chilling escalation in their control over the country’s media landscape. The directive, issued on September 21, 2024, by the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, mandates that all political and current affairs programs be pre-recorded and vetted before airing. Broadcasters must also select their guests from a pre-approved list of 68 individuals and submit detailed plans of their programs in advance. This unprecedented restriction extends to both television and radio,...

September 23, 2024 - General -  United Nations Summit of the Future in New York, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), backed by 123 civil society organizations, called for urgent and concrete action to safeguard press freedom globally. Their appeal came days before the Summit opened on September 22 and emphasized that democratic principles and sustainable development cannot survive without free, independent media. The focus was on the UN’s “Pact for the Future,” a landmark document intended to guide global cooperation and sustainable development in the coming decades. CPJ acknowledged that the latest version of...

September 23, 2024 - Belarus -  Belarusian authorities have detained and sentenced journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich in what press freedom advocates are calling a clear act of retaliation against independent journalism. The 2024 arrest and subsequent sentencing mark yet another alarming chapter in Belarus’s ongoing suppression of critical voices under President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. Nikalayevich, a former video reporter for Media Polesye, was initially targeted in 2020 after covering mass protests in Pinsk demanding Lukashenko’s resignation. He was arrested, reportedly beaten, and served 10 days in administrative detention before fleeing the country and ceasing his journalistic...

September 23, 2024 - Somalia -  Somalia is still grappling with a severe crisis: attacks on journalists persist while perpetrators rarely face justice. According to the International Press Institute (IPI), an alarming number of journalists killed in Somalia have never seen their killers prosecuted. In November 2023, IPI and the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) formally urged national institutions—including the Attorney General’s Office, the National Media Council, and the Ministry of Information—to prioritize journalist safety and thoroughly investigate at least 11 documented killings dating back to 2016. Despite constitutional guarantees of media freedom and commitments under...

September 23, 2024 - Kurdistan/Turkey -  Turkish authorities have launched a formal investigation into Kurdish journalist Rabia Önver, accusing her of “publicly spreading disinformation” after she reported on alleged corruption, narcotics trafficking, and prostitution involving officials in Hakkari province. The case marks a troubling escalation in the Turkish government’s use of its 2022 disinformation law to suppress independent journalism. On September 20, 2024, police reportedly raided Önver’s home in Hakkari under a prosecutor’s warrant, confiscating digital equipment and seeking her arrest, though she was not present at the time. The investigation was triggered by her reporting...

September 23, 2024 - India -  Broadcast journalist Salman Ali Khan, aged 35 and affiliated with a local TV channel and YouTube, was tragically shot dead by three unidentified assailants on motorcycles near a hospital in Rajgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, on the evening of September 17, 2024. He was riding with his nine-year-old son when attackers opened fire; Khan was rushed to the hospital but died upon arrival. Earlier in February 2023, Khan had suffered a violent assault, attacked with a sword and knife, possibly motivated by a personal feud, which also injured his brother. The International...

September 23, 2024 - Afghanistan -  The Taliban began jamming broadcasts of Afghanistan International (AITV), a London-based station delivering independent news to Afghan audiences. Starting September 5, Kabul viewers experienced intermittent “no signal” messages, while video evidence confirmed intentional disruption of the station’s satellite feed. CPJ condemned the move, labeling it “a new low” and urging the Taliban to halt its interference with AITV’s broadcasts. CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna warned that the use of “sophisticated technology” for jamming is alarming and emblematic of expanding efforts to silence independent journalism. An investigative report...

September 23, 2024 - Sri Lanka -  Election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s new president, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a direct and urgent appeal, urging him to commit to restoring press freedom in a country where journalists have long endured censorship, harassment, and violence. Sri Lanka currently ranks 150th out of 180 countries in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, reflecting a deep and ongoing erosion of media rights. RSF’s statement, released on September 23, highlights the deteriorating state of journalism under the previous government, where legislation such as the Prevention of...