News

October 16, 2025 - USA -  In mid-October 2025, more than 30 news organizations pulled out of the Pentagon press pool, returning their press badges and vacating offices in response to newly imposed restrictions by the U.S. Department of Defense. The new policy, spearheaded by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, mandates that journalists acknowledge a detailed 21-page document setting limitations on their movement, questioning, and reporting practices within the Pentagon. Under the new regime, reporters may forfeit their credentials if they solicit information deemed unauthorized, even if that information is unclassified. The Pentagon has framed the...

October 15, 2025 - Turkey -  A shocking attack targeted Turkish publisher Mehmet Nafiz Koca, head of the Elazığ Press and Media Society and owner of the newspapers Günışığı and Yeni Ufuk. Koca was shot with a shotgun outside his office in the eastern Turkish city of Elazığ. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the moment the assailant approached and opened fire while Koca was seated in a gazebo in front of the newspaper building. Koca was hit in the leg, suffering a serious wound but avoiding life-threatening injuries. He was immediately transferred to Fırat University Hospital,...

October 15, 2025 - Palestine - In Khan Younis, Gaza, a once–beloved family home now lies in unrecognizable ruins, torn apart by the consequences of conflict. Ruwaida Amer, the author of a feature in +972 Magazine, recounts how she waited anxiously for confirmation of her home’s survival after Israeli forces withdrew. What she received instead was a video showing only a mound of debris—no walls, no roof, no remnants of the life once lived there. The home was located in Al-Fukhari, a neighborhood evacuated and later returned to under a ceasefire. Neighbors, who ventured back...

October 15, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkish freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker Hakan Tosun has died from severe injuries sustained in a violent assault in Istanbul, intensifying fears over the safety of journalists in Turkey. He had been reported missing since October 10, before being found unconscious in the city’s Esenyurt district and taken to the hospital, where he passed away on October 13. Tosun, 50, was known for his reporting on environmental destruction, social inequality, and corruption, often challenging powerful interests. His disappearance and the subsequent discovery of his critically injured body triggered widespread...

October 15, 2025 - USA -  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has issued a public admonition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling on the agency to respect the rights of journalists and adhere to its own internal rules amid mounting reports of assaults on press personnel. The criticism follows documented instances between September 26 and 30, during which at least seven journalists allege having been physically attacked by ICE agents while covering protests and court actions. One high-profile incident occurred at the Federal Plaza Immigration Court in New York City, where an ICE agent...

October 15, 2025 - General -  In its call surrounding the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, UNESCO is pressing governments, civil society, media organizations, and international bodies to strengthen collective efforts to investigate and prosecute attacks on journalists. UNESCO stresses that the death of a journalist should not mark the end of the search for truth, and that those who threaten, harm, or kill journalists—or fail to act—must be held accountable. The day itself—celebrated annually on 2 November—was established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 2013 to spotlight and combat the...

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has increasingly made use of in absentia convictions against exiled journalists and foreign media figures as a tool of transnational repression. Over 44 months, nearly 70 journalists have been targeted via arrest warrants or court sentences issued without their presence. These judicial maneuvers carry multiple functions: they bar the convicted journalists from returning to Russia (where immediate detention is certain), they signal intimidation, and they enable pressure against relatives who remain inside Russia. Because the procedures are opaque, many targets are neither informed nor allowed...

October 15, 2025 - Turkey -  Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador Gülnur Aybet, has urged the organization to apply a consistent and impartial standard when condemning the killings of journalists in Gaza. Speaking at the 222nd Executive Board session, she highlighted what she described as a troubling discrepancy between the number of journalists killed in the conflict and the number of cases UNESCO has publicly acknowledged. According to Aybet, since the escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, around 250 journalists and media workers have been killed. UNESCO, however, has issued public...

October 15, 2025 - Malta -  On the eve of the anniversary of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and a coalition of 17 international media-freedom groups issued a call to action urging Malta to adopt a National Action Plan on Media Freedom and Journalist Safety. In their joint statement, they reaffirm that all those responsible for her assassination must be held to account, and demand that legal proceedings related to her case move forward transparently and without obstruction. Also on 15 October 2025, the International Federation of Journalists...

October 15, 2025 - Portugal -  António Pedro Santos, a photojournalist associated with the Portuguese news agency Lusa, has been awarded the Gazeta de Fotografia prize by the Clube de Jornalistas. His winning portfolio comprises images that accompanied reports under the collective title “Hope Has Won in Syria,” produced in the aftermath of the deposition of Bashar al-Assad on 8 December 2024. The recognition forms part of the 40th edition of the Prémios Gazeta 2024, in which other categories were also awarded. For instance, the Gazeta de Mérito was given to journalist Mário Zambujal for...

October 14, 2025 - Palestine -  Instagram has removed the account of slain Palestinian journalist Saleh Al-Jafarawi, which boasted about 4.5 million followers. The deletion extends beyond the account itself: archived snapshots on the Wayback Machine appear to have been disabled, raising fears that efforts are underway to erase public records of his work. Al-Jafarawi was reportedly killed on October 12 while covering clashes involving militias in Gaza during a fragile ceasefire. His death and the account removal together have provoked alarm among media watchers, who warn that silencing digital footprints of journalists undermines documentation,...

October 14, 2025 - Nigeria - A disturbing incident has drawn attention to the security risks faced by journalists in Nigeria. Salis Manaja, a multimedia reporter affiliated with PRNigeria and Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), was abducted by armed assailants while traveling toward Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, to attend the organization’s media fellowship. According to multiple accounts, Manaja departed from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, heading toward Kwara when he went missing along the highway section passing through Kogi State, which has become notorious for banditry and abductions in recent years.  His communication line reportedly...

October 14, 2025 - USA/Palestine -  Noa Avishag Schnall, an American photojournalist aboard a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla, has publicly alleged that she endured horrific mistreatment while in Israeli custody. According to her account, she and other detainees were subjected to beatings across multiple parts of the body, including the face, back, stomach, and skull. In one instance, she says guards lifted her by metal shackles attached to her wrists and ankles and seated a guard on her face, restricting her breathing. Schnall further claims the detainees were roused from sleep with explicit threats of rape....

October 14, 2025 - Afghanistan/India -  During a high-profile visit to New Delhi, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held a press event that sparked major controversy after female journalists were reportedly barred from attending the initial session.  The exclusion prompted strong reactions from Indian media, civil society, and opposition figures, who interpreted it as a stark reinforcement of gender discrimination under Taliban rule even beyond Afghanistan’s borders. In response to mounting criticism, Muttaqi convened a second press conference two days later, this time allowing women journalists to participate and publicly defending the earlier...

October 14, 2025 - Belarus -  Yauhen Nikalayevich, a former video correspondent for Media-Polesye, has been released after completing a one-and-a-half-year prison term tied to his alleged involvement in protests that took place in 2020. The Pinsk City and District Court had convicted him of engaging in acts that severely disrupted public order — charges tied to his journalistic coverage of the demonstrations in Pinsk during that period. His arrest in early 2024 followed his return to Belarus after having left the country amid prior detention actions. During earlier protests in 2020, he had been detained...

October 14, 2025 - Palestine -  Lawyers and rights advocates are pushing the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to open investigations into the killing of Saleh Aljafarawi, a Palestinian journalist who was reportedly abducted, tortured, and then murdered in Gaza City. They say his disappearance and subsequent death represent a “grave injustice” that demands accountability at the highest international levels. According to legal filings, advocates are lodging formal complaints to both the UN and ICC, accusing parties connected to the killing—allegedly involving an “Israeli-backed gang”—of orchestrating a deliberate attack on a media worker. The...

October 14, 2025 - Georgia -  The International Press Institute (IPI), in collaboration with International Media Support (IMS), has named Mzia Amaglobeli a 2025 World Press Freedom Hero. The award recognizes her steadfast dedication to independent journalism in the face of political pressure and her ongoing imprisonment in Georgia. Amaglobeli is the co-founder and leader of two respected independent news outlets, Batumelebi and Netgazeti, both of which have played critical roles in Georgia’s media landscape. Her prosecution and detention have become emblematic of the shrinking civic space and efforts to silence dissenting journalism in Georgia....

October 14, 2025 - Iran -  Shirin Saeedi, a veteran economic journalist in Iran, was released from Evin Prison in mid-October 2025 after being held for more than 21 months. Her release came under a general amnesty and directive for sentence reduction, though the precise reasons and legal mechanism behind the decision have not been publicly clarified. Saeedi was arrested in late December 2023. According to public reports, her detention followed a summons to the court, and she was then transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison after interrogation. In March 2024, she was convicted...

October 14, 2025 - Moldova/Belgium - The European Union Delegation in Moldova, in collaboration with the EU NEIGHBOURS East program, is inviting journalists from the Republic of Moldova to participate in a study visit to Brussels from 17 to 21 November 2025. The visit is strategically aligned with the EU Enlargement Forum on 18 November, giving participants the rare opportunity to follow crucial debates and policy discussions shaping the future of EU enlargement. The primary aim of this initiative is to strengthen the capacity of Moldovan media professionals by providing them with firsthand insight into...

October 14, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli authorities have freed fourteen journalists and other individuals who were detained earlier this month while aboard the Wijdan (Conscience), a vessel belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). The detentions occurred on October 8, 2025, when the Israeli military intercepted the flotilla as it attempted to sail toward Gaza. Most of those detained were held for approximately four days before being released. Among the released journalists were Emily Wilder, Noa Avishag Schnall, Thomas Hayes, Hicham Rami, José María Lozano Maneiro, Ali Kniss, and others. One of them, Thomas Bain Becker...

October 13, 2025 - Palestine - The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was supposed to bring a fragile pause to months of relentless war in Gaza. For many Palestinians, including journalist Salih Al-Caferavi, it was a moment of brief relief. Just days before his death, Al-Caferavi was filmed walking through the streets of Gaza joyfully announcing the truce. His optimism, shared widely on social media, stood in sharp contrast to what would follow only three days later. Al-Caferavi, known for documenting the realities of war on the ground, was in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood reporting...

Ocotber 13, 2025 - Australia/Palestine - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), have strongly denounced efforts by lobby groups to silence Australian journalists who report critically on Israel’s war in Gaza. In a public statement, IFJ and MEAA assert that targeting, harassment, and censorship campaigns represent serious threats to press freedom and democratic rights. They called on media organizations and regulatory bodies to uphold journalists’ fundamental rights to free expression and access to information. One high-profile case involves Lebanese-Australian journalist Antoinette Lattouf, who the...

October 13, 2025 – Ecuador - Ecuadorian press freedom organization Fundamedios has issued a strong condemnation following violent assaults by state security forces on journalists covering protests in Quito on October 12, 2025. The incident has triggered national and international outrage, raising serious concerns about the growing hostility toward the press during moments of political unrest. According to Fundamedios, reporters who were clearly identified as members of the press were deliberately targeted by security officers while documenting clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. Journalists were reportedly beaten, searched, and in some cases temporarily detained despite...

October 13, 2025 – Turkey – Turkish journalist and environmental activist Hakan Tosun, aged around 50, is fighting for his life after a violent assault in Istanbul that many believe was linked to his work reporting on environmental issues. Tosun went missing after getting off public transport and was later found unconscious and gravely wounded in the Esenyurt district. He had suffered a severe beating and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain hemorrhage and described his condition as critical. His family, alarmed by delays in locating him and obtaining hospital information,...

October 13, 2025 – Palestine – In the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, international journalists and press organizations have renewed urgent appeals for Israel to open Gaza’s borders and allow free, unrestricted foreign media access to the territory.  The Foreign Press Association (FPA), among others, welcomed the ceasefire but insisted that halting hostilities must be matched by transparency and independent reporting. Across multiple media platforms, commentators warn that shutting out international journalists deepens the already severe information blackout over Gaza, leaving coverage dependent on local reporters who work under extreme conditions and...