News

August 25, 2025 - Ukraine/Russia -  Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khylyuk, a correspondent for UNIAN, has finally returned home after spending three years, five months, and 21 days in Russian captivity, liberated during a prisoner exchange on August 24, 2025, coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day. Khylyuk was abducted by Russian forces in March 2022, when he and his elderly father were retrieving essentials from their village of Kozarovychi near Kyiv. While his father was released shortly after, Khylyuk remained held incommunicado across multiple locations, including facilities in Dymer, Bryansk, and the Vladimir region. His detention was...

August 24, 2025 - Maldives -  A newly revived media bill in the Maldivian parliament has sparked fierce opposition from local and international journalism bodies. The bill, reintroduced on August 18 by MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, proposes dissolving existing independent regulatory bodies—the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and Maldives Broadcasting Commission—and replacing them with a single "Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission." This new entity would include three presidential appointees (including the chair) and four media-elected members who could be ousted by parliament, raising concerns about government influence and weakened independence. The proposed legislation grants the commission...

August 24, 2025 - Indonesia -  West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor, founder and editor of Jubi and a leading voice for press freedom in Indonesia’s troubled Papua region, has vowed not to be silenced despite enduring years of harassment, intimidation, and even a bomb attack outside his home. In January 2023, an improvised explosive device detonated near his residence and office in Jayapura, shaking the local community and sending a chilling message to journalists covering sensitive issues. Witnesses, CCTV footage, and explosive residue all confirmed the severity of the incident, but in a move widely...

August 24, 2025 - Palestine - In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, press freedom advocate Sherif Mansour warned that Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza since October 2023 is not an isolated crisis but part of a decades-long pattern of silencing the press. He pointed to the staggering figure of more than 200 journalists killed in Gaza in less than two years, making it the deadliest place for media workers in modern history. Mansour emphasized that these killings directly violate the Geneva Conventions, which grant journalists protected status in conflict zones, and argued that...

August 23, 2025 - Hong Kong - Bloomberg is working to resolve a visa denial for its veteran correspondent in Hong Kong, Rebecca Choong Wilkins, whose renewal application was unexpectedly rejected without explanation by immigration authorities. Wilkins, a member of Bloomberg’s Asia government and economy reporting team, has covered the region from Hong Kong for six years. Her visa renewal was denied, and no reason was provided, prompting concern from the media community and rights groups alike. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) confirmed Wilkins’ situation, lamenting the opacity and warning that “this decision and the...

August 23, 2025 - Pakistan -  The arrest of journalist Khalid Jamil by Pakistan’s National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has sparked widespread condemnation from rights groups, who call it an assault on press freedom. Jamil, a senior journalist based in Islamabad, was detained after officials raided his residence in Media Town. According to NCCIA, the arrest followed “completion of official procedures,” though authorities have not publicly disclosed the exact charges. The agency has stated that further details will be shared at a later stage. The detention has drawn sharp criticism from media and human rights...

August 23, 2025 - Palestine - Khaled Al Madhoun, a Palestinian cameraman for Palestine TV, was killed in North Gaza while covering the Israeli Army's shooting at hungry civilians waiting for aid. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Al Madhoun was killed while performing his professional duties, condemning the targeting of journalists as a persistent crime aimed at silencing Palestinian voices and obscuring the truth. It emphasized that such attacks would not break the resolve of Palestinian media workers who continue their mission despite grave risks. According to figures from Gaza's Government Media Office, the number...

August 23, 2025 - Palestine -  A harrowing situation has emerged for Ali al‑Samoudi, a 58-year-old Palestinian journalist widely respected for his decades-long field reporting amid conflict. Detained by Israeli forces in a pre-dawn raid on April 29, 2025, at his son’s home in Jenin, al‑Samoudi remains held without charge under administrative detention, a practice allowing detention with no trial or formal accusation for extended periods. His physical and psychological condition has deteriorated severely. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS) reports that he suffers from chronic illnesses—diabetes, hypertension, and stomach ulcers—and is significantly malnourished due to...

August 23, 2025 - UK/Palestine -  Following the deaths of Al Jazeera journalists in a strike near Gaza City's Al‑Shifa Hospital, British media workers mounted a powerful show of solidarity. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) across the UK and Ireland organized vigils and protests, including a poignant gathering outside 10 Downing Street in London. The NUJ—and particularly its London Digital Media branch- released a forceful statement condemning the targeted deaths of media professionals. Among the victims were Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al‑Sharif and photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher, Mohammed Qreiqeh, and Mohammed Nofal—journalists recognized for...

August 23, 2025 - Bangladesh -  Senior journalist and columnist Bibhuranjan Sarkar, aged 71, was found dead in the Meghna River in Munshiganj’s Gazaria Upazila on Friday afternoon, a day after his disappearance. The body, discovered near Balakir Char by river police, was identified by his family members via photographs and later confirmed at the morgue of Munshiganj General Hospital. Sarkar, who served as Senior Assistant Editor at the Bengali daily Ajker Patrika and regularly contributed columns to other media outlets, left his Siddheshwari residence Thursday morning around 10 AM, reportedly heading to his office. He...

August 22, 2025 - Ecuador -  Journalist Xavier Ramos, an editor and correspondent for El Universo who also contributed to La Hora, was found dead in his apartment in the La Alborada neighborhood of northern Guayaquil on the evening of August 21, 2025. His body was discovered with multiple stab wounds—evidence of a violent attack likely committed with a knife or sharp implement—prompting immediate alarm among Ecuador’s journalism community. Police Major Gino Sánchez confirmed Ramos’s identity and noted the severity of the injuries. The body was discovered after Ramos failed to report to work and...

August 22, 2025 - UK - A global coalition of 72 press freedom and human rights organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has called on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to intervene and secure the medical release of Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old British-Hong Kong publisher facing declining health in detention. In a joint letter sent on August 21, 2025, the groups urged the UK government to act “swiftly and decisively” to ensure Lai’s release, stressing that his current condition poses “life-threatening risks.” Lai, the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has...

August 22, 2025 - General -  The critical article from FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) asserts that mainstream Western media have largely parroted Israel’s justifications for deadly strikes in Gaza—sometimes tacitly endorsing the killing of bystanders—without adequately emphasizing that the five journalists killed were not linked to Hamas. Only The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post acknowledged their innocence; most outlets failed to highlight this crucial point, thereby amplifying a narrative that legitimizes civilian casualties as collateral damage. DAWN MENA's analysis similarly contends that Western coverage systematically obscures Israeli culpability in Gaza. The...

August 22, 2025 - Iraq/Kurdistan -  In the wake of journalist Gülistan Tara’s tragic death by Turkish drone strike in August 2023, Kurdish media innovators are honoring her legacy through powerful visual storytelling. A commemorative documentary, Gulistan Tara: Ronahiya Rastiyê (“The Light of Truth”), crafted by Ali Güler, premieres on Stêrk TV on August 23, 2025 — exactly two years after Tara’s death. The film vividly traces Tara’s journalistic journey from her origins in Batman to her reporting across Rojava and Bashur, featuring intimate interviews with colleagues and family. Güler underscores that Tara’s story reflects...

August 22, 2025 - Azerbaijan - In reaction to the increasing repression of independent media in Azerbaijan, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside exiled Azerbaijani media organizations—Free Voices Collective, Meydan TV, Toplum TV, and Qazetci—has initiated a solidarity campaign entitled "Flood Them with Fans." This symbolic postcard campaign honors imprisoned journalist Sevinj Vagifgizi, editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, who has been denied even the most basic comfort—a simple electric fan—despite the intense summer heat in Baku’s pretrial detention center. RSF and partners interpret this denial as a cruel punishment aimed at silencing her courageous reporting from behind...

August 22, 2025 - Kenya -  Journalists covering the return of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on August 21, 2025, were subjected to violent attacks that have sparked widespread condemnation from Kenya’s leading media oversight bodies. The assaults occurred along Mombasa Road, where media crews from TV47, Citizen TV, Standard Group, and other outlets were covering the homecoming from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when unidentified individuals launched targeted attacks. Journalists suffered injuries, essential equipment—including cameras and mobile phones- was stolen, and vehicles were vandalized amid chaos involving stoning and the presence of motorcyclists amplifying the...

August 22, 2025 - Indonesia -  Recent violent incidents targeting journalists in Indonesia—especially in Bone, South Sulawesi, and Grobogan, Central Java—have sparked renewed concern about media safety and freedom of the press. The attacks underscore growing threats facing reporters across the archipelago.  According to the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), there were 22 cases of violence against journalists in just the first quarter of 2025, warning that media professionals now face threats approximately every three days. Alarmingly, only a tiny fraction of cases are pursued legally; in 2024, of dozens of incidents reported, only one...

August 22, 2025 - General - A coalition of 27 countries, including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Ukraine, has urgently called on Israel to grant immediate, independent international media access to Gaza and to ensure journalists’ protection during the ongoing conflict. The appeal was issued through the Media Freedom Coalition, whose members underscored the vital role journalists play in documenting the mounting humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The statement expresses strong opposition to measures that restrict press freedom amid the conflict. It condemns violence against reporters and highlights alarming data from the Committee to Protect Journalists...

August 21, 2025 - Ghana - In a joint interview, JURIST Chief of Staff for Africa Lana Osei and Associate Editorial Director Alanah Vargas speak with veteran Ghanaian journalist Kwaku Sakyi-Danso as he reflects on his 24-year career covering Ghana’s Parliament during the media’s evolution from military to civilian rule. He speaks candidly about the threat untrained bloggers pose to public trust, the ethical responsibilities of accredited journalists, and his growing focus on regional parliamentary affairs. Sakyi‑Danso has covered the ECOWAS Parliament for 24 years, charting Ghana’s shift from military rule to civilian governance. He...

August 21, 2025 - Palestine - Israeli special forces arrested Muath Amarna, a Palestinian journalist who had previously lost an eye in 2019 while covering events. He was detained while traveling along the road between Bethlehem and Hebron in the southern West Bank and taken to an undisclosed location. In a separate operation in Qusra town, south of Nablus (northern West Bank), Israeli forces wounded one person with a rubber-coated metal bullet, and several others suffered from tear gas inhalation. Forces reportedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets at youths and residential areas, and even...

August 21, 2025 - USA/Palestine -  The U.S. State Department has terminated its top press officer for Israeli‑Palestinian affairs, Shahed Ghoreishi, following a series of internal disputes over messaging concerning Gaza and Israel. Ghoreishi, a contractor in the Bureau of Near East Affairs, had drafted talking points that included condemnation of the proposed forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza and condolences for journalists killed there—both of which were later rejected by department leadership. These disagreements reportedly led to his dismissal. Ghoreishi’s proposed line in a public statement stated: “We do not support the forced displacement...

August 21, 2025 - Serbia/Albania - radio correspondent Đuro Slavuj and driver Ranko Perenić of Radio Priština vanished while travelling to cover the return of kidnapped monks at Sveti Vrači monastery in western Kosovo. Their blue Zastava 128 vehicle and all traces of them disappeared after they entered a region under KLA control, marking one of the earliest journalist disappearances during the conflict. Nearly three decades later, their fate remains unresolved. Every year on the anniversary of their disappearance, journalists, families, and members of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) gather at the site of...

August 21, 2025 - USA/Palestine -  Seventeen U.S. senators, including prominent figures like Brian Schatz, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine, and Bernie Sanders, have formally written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanding urgent U.S. action over Israel’s lethal attacks on journalists in Gaza. Their statement directly followed a deadly Israeli airstrike that killed several Al Jazeera journalists—most notably Anas al-Sharif—bringing the total number of journalist fatalities in Gaza since October 2023 to at least 238, according to Gaza Government Media Office records. The senators voiced deep concern over the lack of credible evidence supporting Israel’s...

August 21, 2025 - USA -  Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran-born, Spanish-language journalist based in Georgia, has filed legal action against U.S. authorities, asserting that his ongoing detention by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) amounts to retaliation for his reporting and livestreaming of immigration enforcement activities. On June 14, while covering a “No Kings” protest near Atlanta and clearly identifying as press, Guevara was arrested by local police. Although criminal charges—including unlawful assembly and obstruction—were swiftly dropped, ICE took him into custody and transferred him to immigration detention. In early July, an immigration judge granted him...

August 21, 2025 - Palestine -  Israeli special forces carried out raids across the occupied West Bank that culminated in the arrest of veteran journalist Muath Amarna and left several others injured. Amarna, who had previously lost an eye while covering earlier hostilities in 2019, was detained while traveling on the road between Bethlehem and Hebron and taken to an undisclosed location. During these operations, Israeli forces aggressively used rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas in Qusra town, south of Nablus. Clashes erupted, resulting in injuries to multiple Palestinians—one young man was treated at a...