News

March 15, 2026 - China - The sentencing of Chinese writer and journalist Zan Aizong to three years in prison has drawn sharp condemnation from international free expression groups, highlighting ongoing concerns over the repression of independent voices in China. A court in Hangzhou handed down the sentence in February 2026, convicting Zan on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a broadly defined offence frequently used by Chinese authorities to target dissent. Rights groups argue that the charge lacks legal clarity and is routinely applied to silence journalists, writers, and activists engaged in peaceful...

March 14, 2026 - Pakistan - The Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) in Karachi hosted an Iftar and dinner reception to honour members of the media community, bringing together journalists from across print, electronic, and digital platforms during the holy month of Ramadan. The gathering took place at the Jaun Elia Lawn of the Arts Council and was attended by a large number of media professionals and public figures. The event was hosted by ACP President Muhammad Ahmed Shah along with members of the council’s governing body. In welcoming the guests, Shah expressed appreciation for...

March 14, 2026 - UK - Journalists working for the BBC World Service have called on the United Kingdom government to urgently secure long-term funding for the international broadcaster, warning that uncertainty over its financial future could undermine one of the world’s most widely trusted news services. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the World Service issued a statement urging ministers to reach an immediate funding agreement for the upcoming financial year. The appeal comes amid reports that the broadcaster is facing a real-terms budget freeze while negotiations over government support remain...

March 14, 2026 - China - China’s top legislator has commended journalists for their reporting on the country’s annual legislative meetings, highlighting the role of media coverage in informing the public about key political developments. Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), met with journalists in Beijing who had reported on the fourth session of the 14th NPC, China’s national legislature. During the meeting, Zhao expressed appreciation for the work carried out by domestic media outlets and reporters covering the annual parliamentary gathering. The NPC session, one of China’s...

March 14, 2026 - Pakistan/Afghanistan - International press freedom organizations have called on Pakistan to immediately stop the detention and deportation of Afghan journalists living in exile, warning that forced returns could expose them to danger under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. In a joint appeal addressed to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, several advocacy groups, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the Journalists in Need Network, expressed deep concern over what they described as a growing crackdown on Afghan journalists residing in Pakistan. The organizations reported an increase in...

March 14, 2026 - Ukraine - The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and its network of Journalist Solidarity Centers have received the Media Freedom Award, the top prize at the Voices European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom held in Florence, Italy. The recognition highlights efforts to support journalists and sustain independent media during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The award was presented to NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko during a ceremony at the festival, which brings together journalists, media organizations, and policymakers from across Europe to discuss press freedom, disinformation, and the future...

March 14, 2026 - Zimbabwe - International press freedom organizations have raised alarm over what they describe as a growing wave of attacks, intimidation, and harassment targeting journalists in Zimbabwe, warning that the recent incidents signal a worsening climate for independent reporting in the country. The International Press Institute (IPI) and partner organizations say several journalists have faced arrests, threats, and physical obstruction while covering politically sensitive issues and public events. Media advocates argue that these incidents reflect a troubling pattern of pressure on reporters attempting to cover matters of public interest, including governance, protests,...

March 14, 2026 - USA - A United States lawmaker has introduced new legislation aimed at strengthening protections for journalists and whistleblowers by reforming the country’s century-old Espionage Act. The proposal seeks to prevent the law from being used to prosecute individuals who disclose information in the public interest or report on government misconduct. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib unveiled the measure in the U.S. House of Representatives, naming it the Daniel Ellsberg Press Freedom and Whistleblower Protection Act. The bill is intended to limit how the Espionage Act can be applied and to ensure it cannot...

March 14, 2026 - General - A Palestinian press freedom body has reported a sharp increase in the abduction of journalists since the beginning of 2026, warning that the trend reflects growing pressure on media workers documenting events in the occupied Palestinian territories. According to the Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, at least 22 journalists have been abducted so far in 2026, with cases occurring across several areas of the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. The committee recorded 13 abductions in January, seven in February, and two in early March, indicating a sustained...

March 13, 2026 - Nigeria - Women journalists in Nigeria’s Bauchi State have called for stronger protections and improved access to healthcare, education, and justice for women and girls, highlighting the challenges many face in rural communities. The advocacy campaign was organized by the Bauchi chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as part of activities marking the 2026 International Women’s Day. The awareness event took place in Durum Village in Bauchi Local Government Area and focused on educating women about their rights and...

March 13, 2026 - Hungary - Press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned that Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election could have far-reaching consequences for media freedom both within the country and across Europe. The organization announced a mission to Hungary in mid-March, one month before voters head to the polls, to assess the state of the media environment and advocate for protections for independent journalism. The RSF delegation is scheduled to visit Budapest on March 16 and 17, meeting with journalists, editors, civil society groups, and policymakers to evaluate the conditions in which the...

March 13, 2026 - Kosovo - Press freedom organizations have called for an urgent investigation after the personal information of Kosovo journalist Ardiana Thaçi-Mehmeti was leaked online, triggering a wave of harassment and threats against her. Thaçi-Mehmeti, an investigative journalist known for her work with the television programme Kiks Kosova, had her private phone number and other personal details shared without consent in a large online group on the messaging platform Discord. The group reportedly has around 70,000 members, many of whom began sending the journalist harassing messages after her information was circulated. According to...

March 13, 2025 - Turkey - A Turkish court has handed prison sentences to veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak in the latest development of a long-running case linked to the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. The ruling marks another stage in a legal process that has been repeatedly overturned and retried by higher courts over several years. The Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court delivered its verdict in the retrial, sentencing Altan to four years and six months in prison and Ilıcak to three years and nine months on charges of aiding...

March 13, 2025 - UK - A British High Court judge has ruled in favour of journalist Owen Jones in a significant stage of a libel case brought against him by a senior BBC editor, marking an important development in a legal dispute linked to coverage of the war in Gaza. The case was filed by Raffi Berg, the BBC’s online Middle East editor, who sued Jones over a 2024 article discussing the broadcaster’s internal tensions regarding its reporting on Israel’s war in Gaza. In the article, Jones cited accounts from BBC staff and argued...

March 13, 2026 - Bangladesh - Press freedom organizations and legal advocates have called on the Bangladeshi government to re-examine the cases of journalists who remain imprisoned following political unrest in the country, warning that prolonged detention and broad criminal charges risk undermining media freedom and due process. The appeal comes more than a year after mass protests and a political uprising in 2024 that triggered a major shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape. In the aftermath of the unrest, numerous journalists were arrested and charged in connection with incidents that occurred during the protests. Many...

March 13, 2026 - Syria/Turkey/Germany - Press freedom organizations are urging Syrian authorities to clarify the fate of two journalists who disappeared while reporting in the northeastern Syrian city of Raqqa earlier this year. German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad have been missing since January 18, 2026, when Syrian government forces advanced into the city during clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Michelmann and Polad were reporting from the region amid shifting military control and escalating fighting. Both journalists were working for Istanbul-based outlets, including Etkin News Agency (ETHA)...

March 12, 2026 - Haiti - The residence of prominent Haitian journalist Jean Marvel Dandin was targeted in an armed attack in Pétion-Ville, raising fresh concerns about the safety of media workers amid Haiti’s ongoing security crisis. According to reports, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the home of Dandin, a well-known journalist and director of Radio Télé Kiskeya. The incident occurred during the night and caused damage to the property, though no injuries were reported among the journalist or his family members. Authorities have not yet announced any arrests in connection with the attack. Dandin...

March 12, 2026 - Indonesia - Two Indonesian journalists were assaulted while reporting on tensions surrounding a mineral processing facility in Bangka Belitung province, prompting press freedom groups to call for accountability and stronger protections for reporters covering environmental and industrial issues. The attack occurred on March 7 at the Putraprima Mineral Mandiri processing plant, a company involved in processing zircon, a byproduct of tin mining in the Bangka and Belitung islands. Journalists Frendy Primadana, a contributor to broadcaster TVOne, and Dedy Wahyudi, a reporter for the online outlet Babel Faktual, had traveled to the...

March 12, 2026 - MEA - Journalists covering the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are encountering growing obstacles, including detention, censorship measures, and restrictions on access to key locations, according to reports by press freedom organizations and international media outlets. A report highlighted by France 24 noted that governments across the region have imposed tighter controls on media coverage of the war, citing national security concerns and the need to manage sensitive information during military operations. These measures have limited reporters’ ability to independently verify events or access affected areas. The International Federation of...

March 12, 2026 - Congo - Journalists reporting on the armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have faced detention, intimidation, and media takeovers by armed groups, raising serious concerns about press freedom in the region. Media rights advocates warn that the escalating violence has created an increasingly dangerous environment for reporters attempting to cover the ongoing war. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), both government forces and rebel groups have detained journalists in recent months while attempting to control the flow of information about the fighting. Some reporters have...

March 12, 2026 - Bangladesh - Investigators in Bangladesh have found no evidence supporting allegations against 28 journalists in Chattogram who had been accused of involvement in attacks on student protesters during the country’s 2024 anti-government demonstrations, according to a report submitted to a local court. The findings were presented by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) following an inquiry ordered by the court after a complaint accused the journalists and dozens of other individuals of participating in violence during protests associated with the July uprising, a nationwide movement triggered by student demonstrations against government...

March 12, 2025 - Azerbaijan - An imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist has ended a hunger strike after prison authorities reportedly agreed to restore detainees’ ability to meet family members without restrictive barriers, highlighting ongoing tensions over prison conditions and press freedom in the country. Fatima Movlamli, a journalist detained in connection with a criminal investigation involving the independent outlet Meydan TV, stopped her hunger strike after officials at the Baku Pretrial Detention Centre withdrew newly introduced restrictions on visits. The policy had required all meetings between detainees and their relatives to take place through a glass...

March 12, 2026 - Cuba - Press freedom advocates have condemned what they describe as a renewed wave of repression targeting independent journalists in Cuba, following recent arrests, detentions, and restrictions imposed on reporters in Havana. Media organizations warn that these incidents reflect an ongoing pattern of harassment against journalists who operate outside the state-controlled media system. The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) recently raised concerns about several cases involving independent reporters who have faced detentions or surveillance by Cuban authorities. Among the most recent incidents was the detention of journalist Yunia Figueredo on March...

March 12, 2026 - USA - Three independent journalists have filed a lawsuit against the Washington State House of Representatives, alleging that the legislature unlawfully denied them press credentials and restricted their ability to report on government proceedings. The lawsuit was filed in federal court with support from the Citizens Action Defense Fund, which argues that the decision to deny the journalists access violates constitutional protections for freedom of speech and the press. The case raises broader questions about who qualifies as a journalist and how governments regulate press access to official institutions. The journalists...

March 11, 2026 - Palestine - Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian photojournalist during a series of raids across several areas of the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian prisoner affairs organizations and local reports. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the detention of journalists while carrying out their professional activities in the region. According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians early on 10 March 2026 during raids in multiple West Bank governorates, including Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarm, and Nablus. Among those arrested was photojournalist Abdul Karim al-Alami, who was taken into...