News

September 22, 2024 - UN -  At the United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024, expectations were high that global leaders would commit to robust protections for freedom of expression and access to information. However, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Article 19, the summit ultimately delivered a diluted outcome, prioritizing rhetoric over decisive action. RSF sharply criticized the final Pact for the Future and accompanying Global Digital Compact, describing them as “a missed opportunity” for advancing journalism and democratic information governance. These documents—adopted by UN member states on September 22—mention protecting journalists...

September 22, 2024 - Palestine -  Heavily armed and masked Israeli soldiers launched a pre-dawn raid on Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. The raid was broadcast live, showing troops forcibly entering the bureau and handing a 45‑day closure order to bureau chief Walid al‑Omari, citing alleged “incitement to and support of terrorism”. Journalists were instructed to evacuate with only personal belongings; cameras, documents, and archives were confiscated. Tear gas was reportedly deployed, and soldiers dismantled a poster of the late Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Al Jazeera condemned the raid as a “criminal...

September 20, 2024 - China -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the re-arrest of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, calling it a renewed act of repression against independent journalism in China. Zhang, a former lawyer who rose to prominence for her reporting from Wuhan during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, was detained again in August 2024, just three months after completing a four-year prison sentence for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Zhang’s earlier imprisonment followed her courageous documentation of the lockdown in Wuhan, where she livestreamed images, interviewed locals, and challenged the official...

September 20, 2024 - Russia -  Russian authorities escalated their crackdown on independent journalism, issuing fines to 11 journalists and imposing legal restrictions on two media outlets under the guise of “anti-state” legislation. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), these actions are part of a broader effort to suppress dissenting voices amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Journalists were fined under a range of repressive laws, including those governing so-called “foreign agents,” “undesirable organizations,” and wartime “disinformation.” Among them was Aida Ivanova, editor-in-chief of the Siberian outlet SakhaDay, who was fined for sharing...

September 20, 2024 - France -  In a bold initiative to protect independent journalism and support displaced media professionals, France has launched the “Voices in Exile” program, making Paris a central hub for exiled journalists. Spearheaded by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Canal France International (CFI), SINGA, and the Maison des Journalistes—with support from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs—the program offers a comprehensive support system for journalists forced to flee repressive regimes. Officially launched in September 2024, the three-year initiative will support four cohorts of displaced journalists through a nine-month process, including a...

September 20, 2024 - Poland -  Poland is experiencing a rare window of opportunity to restore and strengthen press freedom, according to a recent fact-finding mission by the International Press Institute (IPI) and its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners. In a report released following their September 2024 visit to Warsaw, the delegation acknowledged early improvements but emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive and ambitious reforms to secure long-term media independence. Recent steps taken by Poland’s new government have included reducing political influence over public media, ending biased state advertising practices following the sale of...

September 20, 2024 - Azerbaijan -  Bahruz Samadov, a prominent researcher, peace activist, and freelance journalist, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in a closed‑door trial by Baku’s Grave Crimes Court, following treason charges stemming from his August 2024 detention. Initially arrested on August 21 while visiting family in Baku, Samadov was accused of passing unspecified information to Armenia—charges he vehemently denies. Prosecutors sought a 16‑year sentence; Samadov is reported to have attempted suicide and begun a hunger strike amid trial proceedings, highlighting the dire conditions he faced. Samadov, born in 1995, holds a doctoral degree...

September 20, 2024 - Iran -  The Free Narges Coalition—a partnership of PEN America, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Front Line Defenders, and the Narges Mohammadi Foundation—is urging Iran for the immediate and unconditional release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2024. Mohammadi, a senior figure in Iran’s human rights and press freedom movement, has been detained in Evin Prison since November 2021. Her health has severely deteriorated: her coronary artery, already stented in 2021 for a 75 percent blockage, has worsened; she...

September 20, 2024 - Malaysia -  Malaysia’s Federal Court dismissed British investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown’s final appeal in a civil defamation case tied to her 2018 book The Sarawak Report, which investigated the massive 1MDB corruption scandal. The court ruled that the appeal lacked sufficient merit to be heard, thereby upholding a lower court's decision ordering Rewcastle Brown and two others to pay RM 300,000 (approximately USD 71,000) in damages and RM 120,000 in legal costs to the Sultanah of Terengganu, who claimed she was defamed in the book. The court also imposed an...

September 19, 2024 - Switzerland/China/UN -  During the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), represented by its international legal team, formally voiced grave concerns over the deteriorating physical and mental health of Jimmy Lai. The Apple Daily founder has been held in extreme solitary confinement since December 2020, spending over three and a half years confined to a cell for over 23 hours daily, with only 50 minutes of limited outdoor time. Lai is charged under Hong Kong’s National Security Law—a sweeping measure enacted by Beijing—and...

September 19, 2024 - General -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reaffirmed its strategic commitment to defending the right to reliable information and combating the growing influence of state-sponsored propaganda. As global press freedom deteriorates, RSF is intensifying efforts to protect independent journalism and expose disinformation campaigns, which it warns are eroding democracy worldwide. At the core of RSF’s strategy is the belief that access to trustworthy, pluralistic information is a fundamental right. The organization has observed that authoritarian regimes and powerful private actors are increasingly manipulating public discourse through propaganda, censorship, and information warfare. To...

September 19, 2024 - Greece - Independent Greek news outlet Alterthess and its editor, Stavroula Poulimeni, are facing a critical legal battle that press freedom advocates have condemned as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP). The case stems from a defamation suit filed against the outlet over its investigative reporting, with the plaintiffs initially demanding €100,000 in damages. Although the court later reduced the penalty, the case has become a symbol of the growing use of litigation to silence independent journalism in Greece. Poulimeni had reported on environmental and business issues involving powerful corporate...

September 19, 2024 - Samoa -  As Samoa prepared to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October 2024, the government introduced sweeping restrictions on media coverage that raised alarm among journalists and international bodies. Announced publicly on September 11, 2024, these measures severely limit media access and threaten transparency during a major regional event. At a press briefing, Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua‑Fonoti, co-chair of the CHOGM media subcommittee, confirmed that only state-backed outlets—Radio 2AP and TV9—working in collaboration with New Zealand firm MMG Communications, would have the exclusive right to film and broadcast CHOGM sessions....

September 18, 2024 - Source: RSF - Reporters Without Borders (RSF), together with the Swedish legal team of imprisoned journalist Dawit Isaak, has filed a complaint against Eritrean leaders – including President Isaias Afwerki – with the Swedish Prosecution Authority for crimes against humanity. On 23 September 2024, journalist and writer Dawit Isaak will have spent 23 years in detention without trial in Eritrea. Isaak, a Swedish citizen, and his Eritrean colleagues Seyoum Tsehaye, Temesgen Ghebreyesus and Amanuel Asrat are the longest-detained journalists in the world. Ten years ago, Isaak’s legal team filed a criminal complaint with the Swedish Prosecution Authority. The...

September 18, 2024 - Source: RSF -  Despite the release of 135 political prisoners in Nicaragua, journalist Fabiola Tercero Castro remains missing, with no updates on her whereabouts since 12 July. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Nicaraguan government to urgently shed light on her case and guarantee her safety, as there are growing concerns the authorities may be involved in her disappearance. No one has seen or heard from freelance journalist and feminist activist Fabiola Tercero Castro since 12 July 2024, when she reported a raid on her home by government agents under the command of Commissioner...

September 19, 2024 - Bangladesh - Student-led uprising that unseated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on journalists perceived as supportive of the former leader. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least four media professionals have been arrested, while many more face harassment, criminal investigations, or charges in what observers describe as a politically motivated purge. Among the most high-profile arrests are Ekattor TV journalists Farzana Rupa and her husband Shakil Ahmed, who were detained on August 21 at Dhaka’s main airport. Both face charges in a...

September 18, 2024 - Source: CPJ -  The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the September 17 release of Belarusian journalist Andrei Tolchyn, who received a presidential pardon after serving almost a year of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. “While we welcome the release of journalist Andrei Tolchyn, he should not have spent a single day in prison,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Despite the recent releases of political prisoners, Belarus remains Europe’s worst jailer of journalists and one of the most hostile places in the world for independent journalism. The authorities...

September 19, 2024 - Russia -  The Basmanny District Court in Moscow, on September 18, 2024, issued an arrest warrant in absentia for journalist and DOXA co-founder Armen Aramyan, who has been living in exile since April 2022. He is accused of “justifying terrorism online” and spreading “false information” about the Russian military through unspecified publications, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Aramyan helped establish DOXA, a student-run outlet, which in April 2022 was accused of involving minors in unauthorized protests and was subsequently banned. Along with two other co-founders, he fled Russia...

September 19, 2024 - Georgia - Georgian authorities have intensified efforts to restrict press freedom by denying entry to several foreign journalists, raising serious concerns among international watchdogs. At least four journalists from France and the Czech Republic have been barred from entering the country since early 2024, with no clear legal justification provided. Media freedom groups warn this trend marks a dangerous authoritarian shift, particularly as Georgia approaches key political milestones. In February 2024, French journalist Clément Girardot was turned away at Tbilisi International Airport without explanation. His colleague Jérôme Chobeaux faced a similar...

September 18, 2024 - USA -  With the 118th U.S. Congress concluding on January 3, 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging the Senate to urgently pass the PRESS Act, a federal shield law designed to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal sources or disclose sensitive materials—something not currently guaranteed at the national level. Although nearly every U.S. state and the District of Columbia already provide shield protections, a federal statute would establish a consistent standard across jurisdictions and guard reporters operating in federal contexts, such as federal court proceedings, congressional investigations, or national security inquiries....

September 17, 2024 - Source: IFJ -  On 15 September, Belarusian journalist Andrei Mialeshka was denied entry to Georgia, where he has lived for the past three years after facing political persecution in Belarus. On 17 September, Armenian journalist Arsen Kharatyan, editor-in-chief of an independent non-profit bilingual Georgian-Armenia media platform Aliq Media based in Tbilisi, was also denied entry to Georgia. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn the denial of entry of both journalists and call on the Georgian authorities to uphold freedom of access for all journalists. Andrei Mialeshka was returning...

September 18, 2024 - El Salvador -  Between March and May 2024, the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) documented 50 attacks against journalists, revealing a disturbing increase in both digital and physical aggression. These findings were released in APES’ first quarterly report on press attacks, alongside its Digital Listening Report for the first half of 2024. Journalists are being targeted through online harassment, legal threats, censorship, and stigmatizing public statements. The digital space, especially platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, has become a major battleground. Attacks range from smear campaigns and defamation...

September 17, 2024 - Timor - Timor‑Leste police arrested Antonieta Kartono Martins, a reporter with Média Diligente Online, while she was covering an eviction operation against street vendors in Dili ahead of Pope Francis’s visit—a rare case of targeting a female journalist in the country. She was held for approximately four hours and released without charges, but the detention highlighted growing pressure on journalists covering public-interest events. Simultaneously, Suzana Cardoso, a journalist from Média One Timor, had her camera confiscated and footage documenting the eviction operation deleted by security forces. Video evidence shows police and masked individuals using...

September 17, 2024 - Romania - Romanian authorities have reopened a criminal investigation into the coordinated smear campaign targeting journalist Emilia Șercan, marking a significant development in a case long emblematic of institutional failure and media repression. The move follows a September 5 court decision ordering the case to be re-examined after prosecutors previously shelved it without sufficient action. Șercan, known for exposing plagiarism by top officials, faced a torrent of intimidation beginning in January 2022 after she revealed that then–Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had plagiarized his doctoral thesis. The following day, she received anonymous...

September 17, 2024 - Sri Lanka -  With Sri Lanka’s presidential election set for September 21, 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a grave warning over the rapid decline of press freedom in the country. The organization highlights an alarming rise in journalist arrests, legal intimidation, and systemic censorship that threaten the integrity of democratic processes. At least two journalists have already been arbitrarily detained this year. G.P. Nissanka, editor of Ravana Lanka, was arrested after reporting on alleged corruption involving a police official. Freelance journalist Bimal Ruhunage was detained for filming a peaceful...