News

August 30, 2024 - General -  Journalists face a wide spectrum of threats in their work, from harassment and imprisonment to direct violence. Yet one of the most haunting dangers is disappearance, when reporters vanish without explanation, leaving families and colleagues without answers. Recent data from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) sheds light on the scale of this crisis, underscoring the urgent need for accountability. According to RSF’s figures compiled by Statista, at least 217 media workers have been recorded as disappeared worldwide since the year 2000. These cases...

August 30, 2024 - Russia -  The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing Friday of Russian journalist Sergey Mikhaylov to eight years in prison on “fake news” charges and calls on Russian authorities to release him immediately. “The sentencing of journalist Sergey Mikhaylov to eight years in prison on what Russian authorities label as ‘fake news’ is another sign of the Kremlin’s fear of journalists telling the truth about the 2022 civilian massacre in Russian-occupied Bucha,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia. “Russian authorities should not contest Mikhaylov’s appeal and stop their prosecution...

August 30, 2024 - Indonesia -  At least eleven journalists were violently assaulted by security forces while covering a mass protest in Jakarta on August 22, 2024, prompting strong condemnation from global and national press freedom organizations. The attacks occurred during demonstrations against the controversial Pilkada Bill, a proposed electoral reform that has sparked widespread unrest. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the journalists were identified as the press but were still subjected to beatings, threats, and destruction of their equipment by members of both the National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Armed...

August 30, 2024 - General -  Over the past ten years, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that 19 journalists have fallen victim to enforced disappearance by state actors and have yet to be found, accounting for the majority of the 32 journalists who vanished globally during this period. These deliberate abductions represent a grave escalation in the suppression of press freedom, undermining journalists’ safety and the public’s right to information. RSF defines enforced disappearance as a situation in which state agents detain individuals and refuse to acknowledge their whereabouts, effectively placing them outside the protection...

August 30, 2024 - Palestine -  The killing of Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul on July 31, 2024, in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza has drawn international condemnation and reignited concerns about the systematic targeting and posthumous discrediting of Palestinian journalists. Al-Ghoul, 27, was covering the aftermath of an Israeli strike when his marked press vehicle was hit near al-Shati camp, killing both him and his colleague, cameraman Rami al-Rifi. Their deaths brought the number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to well over 170, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers...

August 29, 2024 - Sudan -  Freelance journalist Aladdin Abu Harba, based in East Nile, Khartoum, was abducted by armed men affiliated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on August 23, 2024, and held in an undisclosed location, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Initially, the kidnappers demanded 1 million Sudanese pounds (approximately US$400) for his release, but upon payment, they raised the ransom to 2 million pounds, threatening to kill him if additional funds were not paid. The CPJ strongly condemned this act, calling on the RSF to immediately and unconditionally release...

August 29, 2024 - Iraq - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in collaboration with MENA Rights Group and two Iraqi civil society organizations, has submitted a detailed report to the United Nations Human Rights Council ahead of Iraq’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR), scheduled for 2025. The joint submission raises alarm over Iraq’s deteriorating press freedom environment and a deepening culture of impunity for crimes against journalists. The report outlines how Iraq has failed to uphold its previous UPR commitments, particularly regarding the safety and rights of journalists. Journalists in Iraq face increasing threats,...

August 29, 2024 - USA - Justice has finally been served in the high-profile murder of investigative journalist Jeff German, who was killed in 2022 after reporting on workplace misconduct in a local government office. On August 28, 2024, a Nevada jury found former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 28 years, a rare but significant legal outcome in a country where murders of journalists often go unpunished. German, a veteran reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had...

August 29, 2024 -Pakistan -  On August 27, 2024, Awaz TV reporter Muhammad Bachal Ghunio, aged 35, was brutally shot dead by unidentified gunmen while working in a field near his home in the Raunti area, Ghotki District, Sindh Province. The shooting took place as Ghunio, an investigative journalist, was covering reports on armed robbers (dacoits) operating in nearby riverine zones. Local authorities and his family suspect his professional reporting triggered the attack, while police have also referenced a personal feud as a possible motive. Witnesses and police noted that at least seven masked assailants...

August 29, 2024 - Source: Al Jazeera - Former public administrator Robert Telles sentenced to life after being found guilty of 2022 murder of Jeff German. A Las Vegas politician has been jailed for life for killing an investigative journalist who wrote critical articles detailing wrongdoing in the department he headed. Robert Telles, a former Democratic public administrator, lay in wait outside the suburban home of 69-year-old reporter Jeff German and then stabbed him to death on September 2, 2022. “Justice has been served,” Clark County prosecutor Steve Wolfson told reporters. “Today’s verdict should send...

August 28, 2024 - USA -  The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has welcomed the guilty verdict in the murder trial of former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles, marking a significant victory in the fight against violence targeting journalists. On August 28, 2024, a Las Vegas jury returned a unanimous verdict finding Telles guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of investigative reporter Jeff German—a veteran journalist who had exposed corruption in Telles's office—and delivered a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years before parole eligibility German, age 69, was found stabbed to death...

August 28, 2024 - China - Beijing authorities severed all forms of communication for veteran independent journalist Gao Yu, disabling her landline, mobile phone, and internet access. The disruption followed her publication of a critique of an Al Jazeera interview with Victor Gao, provoking what CPJ called a tactic of enforced isolation used to silence dissenting voices. At 80 years old, Gao found herself unable to contact emergency services, a distressing impact on her well-being. She reported having to rely on mobile data at cafés or at friends’ homes to stay connected. Telecom providers blamed non-payment, but...

August 27, 2024 - Thailand -  Duangporn Yiampop, a seasoned reporter from Thai PBS, was abruptly struck by General Prawit Wongsuwon—former deputy prime minister and leader of the Palang Pracharath Party—outside Government House in Bangkok. The attack unfolded after Yiampop inquired about Prawit’s absence from a crucial parliamentary vote, captured in a widely circulated video where he slapped her twice on the head while angrily demanding, “What did you ask?” before being escorted away by guards. The incident drew swift condemnation from media watchdogs, legal experts, and international press freedom organizations. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ),...

August 27, 2024 - Ukraine/UK -  Ryan Evans, a 38-year-old British media safety adviser working with Reuters, was killed on the night of August 24, 2024, when a Russian missile struck the Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. A former British soldier from Wrexham, Wales, Evans had served in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming a close-protection officer and later joining Reuters in 2022. Known for his calm demeanor and dedication, he provided safety and emotional support to journalists covering some of the world’s most dangerous assignments. The missile, believed to be an Iskander short-range weapon,...

August 27, 2024 - Bangladesh - Prominent Bangladeshi journalists Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa, formerly with Ekattor TV, were detained at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The couple, traveling with their young daughter on August 21, were arrested while attempting to fly to Istanbul. Police held them after questioning for two hours regarding allegations of inciting violence linked to a student-led demonstration that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and reportedly caused around 100 deaths on August 5, 2024. On August 22, they appeared before a Dhaka magistrate and were placed on four days of police remand. Prosecutors accused them under Sections 302...

August 26, 2024 - Tunisia - The Court of First Instance of Tunis 1 provisionally upheld its earlier in‑absentia verdict against Walid Al‑Majri, director of the investigative news site Al‑Katiba, following his appeal. Al‑Majri was originally sentenced in January 2023 to one year in prison for “insulting” former President Béji Caïd Essebsi and the Interior Minister via Facebook posts—a conviction widely regarded as politically motivated. His initial trial, based on a 2017 complaint by the Interior Ministry, was conducted without his presence or official summons, raising serious concerns over due process. The appeal hearing has been...

September 26, 2024 - Spain -  A troubling surge in online harassment is threatening press freedom in Spain. In September 2024, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium—backed by the International Press Institute (IPI) and others—raised the alarm over a targeted campaign of digital attacks against an investigative team at La Sexta TV. The harassment was orchestrated by Daniel Esteve, CEO of eviction firm Desokupa, and involved repeated doxxing threats and broad intimidation across social media platforms, including X and Instagram. Esteve escalated the situation after La Sexta’s Equipo de Investigación aired an inquiry into...

August 26, 2024 - Palestine - Sixty international press freedom and human rights organizations issued a joint statement urging the European Union to take immediate action against Israel for what they described as systemic violations of media rights. The coalition, which includes the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), International Press Institute (IPI), Free Press Unlimited, and Human Rights Watch (HRW), called for the suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement and the imposition of targeted sanctions on Israeli officials involved in press freedom violations. The groups highlighted an alarming pattern of violence,...

August 23, 2024 - Iraq - On 23 August 2024, a suspected Turkish drone strike in Said Sadiq, Sulaymaniyah province, Iraqi Kurdistan, tragically claimed the lives of two female journalists working for Chatr Multimedia Production Company, affiliated with Sterk TV. The victims—40-year-old Turkish reporter Gulistan Tara and 27-year-old Iraqi Kurdish video editor Hero Bahadin—were killed when their vehicle was struck while on assignment. A third journalist, Rebin Bakir, was seriously injured but is now in stable condition at a Sulaymaniyah hospital. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep sorrow over the incident, urging Turkish...

August 09, 2024 - Afghanistan -  Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Afghan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) revoked 17 broadcast licenses covering 14 media outlets in eastern Nangarhar province—a mix of TV and radio channels, including Hamisha Bahar Radio & TV, Sharq, Arzasht, and eight regional radio stations. Authorities claimed license suspension stemmed from unpaid fees totaling approximately Afg 108,000 (~US $1,500) annually, though some debts dated back to the previous government. Watchdog groups swiftly condemned the move. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Taliban authorities to reverse the decision, asserting it represents ongoing state pressure on independent media...

August 09, 2024 - Belarus -  Marking four years since Belarus’s widely discredited presidential election, the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ), along with the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), called for the immediate release of 37 journalists currently imprisoned under President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. According to BAJ, the 37 jailed media professionals—27 men and 10 women—have been detained solely for their journalistic work. Many face charges related to “extremism,” “inciting hatred,” or “threats to national security,” often tied directly to their reporting on protests, political dissent, or human rights abuses. Notable...

August 08, 2024 - Maldives -  Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla—a fearless journalist with Minivan News known for his critical reporting on religious extremism and advocacy for democracy—was forcibly disappeared after receiving consistent threats from extremist groups in the Maldives. Multiple eyewitnesses saw him at the Hulhumalé ferry terminal, and CCTV footage confirmed his presence there before he vanished under suspicious circumstances. Since then, Rilwan’s fate has been shrouded in silence, with no trace of justice in sight. Early legal action led to the arrest—but eventual release—of three suspects, with charges dropped due to what a court cited as...

August 08, 2024 - Kenya -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned multiple incidents of police violence against journalists in Kenya, demanding immediate accountability and disciplinary action against officers responsible. Over seven weeks of anti-government protests—including rallies against alleged brutality, corruption, and the death of blogger Albert Ojwang—journalists faced a harrowing pattern of intimidation: rubber-bullet shootings, tear-gassing, arbitrary arrests, and equipment destruction. A notable victim, Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki of Kameme TV, was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet during a July 16 protest in Nakuru. She stated, “This policeman tried to kill me,” asserting she...

August 07, 2024 - UK -  The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK and Ireland have sounded the alarm over a disturbing rise in violence targeting journalists covering recent riots across the country, calling for urgent intervention by employers and authorities. Since late July, far-right riots erupted in multiple UK towns in response to an anti-immigrant disinformation campaign following the Southport stabbings on July 29. Journalists reporting from the front lines have been attacked, harassed, and had their equipment destroyed. In one incident in Bolton on...

August 06, 2024 - Mexico - Veteran Mexican crime reporter Alejandro Alfredo Martínez Noguez, also known as “El Hijo del Llanero Solitito,” was fatally shot in Guanajuato while inside a police-escorted vehicle, in broad daylight on a highway between Celaya and Villagrán. Martínez, who hosted a highly popular Facebook page reporting on local crime, had nearly 350,000 followers and had survived a prior assassination attempt two years earlier. Assigned municipal police bodyguards due to persistent death threats, Martínez began filming and livestreaming a recent traffic accident in Celaya minutes before the attack, criticizing poor infrastructure and...