News

July 02, 2025 - Zimbabwe -  Faith Zaba, editor of the independent weekly Zimbabwe Independent, was arrested in Harare and charged with “undermining the authority of or insulting the President.” The charge stems from a satirical column published in the paper’s “Muckraker” section on June 27, which criticized President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zimbabwe’s leadership within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), labeling it a “trade union of dictators". Her arrest followed recent harassment of independent journalists, most notably Blessed Mhlanga of HSTV, who spent 72 days in pretrial detention earlier this year. Zaba is reportedly experiencing serious health...

July 01, 2025 - Syria -  The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued an urgent appeal for clarity and transparency after Hassan Zaza, a Kurdish journalist, was arrested in Damascus. Security forces reportedly took him from his home early on a Friday and transferred him to an undisclosed location. Zaza, who runs an online news outlet and has contributed to a television channel allied with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—a group banned in neighboring Turkey—is being held under murky “security concerns.” Government spokesperson Mohammad al‑Saleh told CPJ that the detainment is unconnected to his journalistic...

June 30, 2025 - Palestine - Palestinian photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al-Baqa café along Gaza City’s beachfront. He was 32 years old. Known for his sharp eye and dedication to documenting life under siege, Abu Hatab became one of the latest casualties in a war that has increasingly turned journalists into frontline targets. That afternoon, the café was crowded with civilians—many seeking a brief respite, charging their phones, or connecting to scarce internet. Without warning, an airstrike tore through the area, killing at least 30 people...

June 30, 2025 - USA/Iran -  A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report challenged President Donald Trump’s public claims that U.S. airstrikes had “completely and obliterated” Iranian nuclear facilities as part of Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22. Instead, the preliminary assessment suggested the strikes set Iran’s nuclear program back by only a few months, raising serious doubts over Trump’s portrayal of success. The leak prompted a fierce backlash. Trump denounced the leaker as a “low-level loser,” accused major media outlets like CNN and The New York Times of pushing “fake news,” and instructed the...

June 30, 2025 - Mexico - Salomón “Shalom” Ordóñez Miranda, a 40-year-old Mexican journalist and photographer, was fatally shot on June 23, 2025, at around 8 p.m. in the town of Papah­tapan in Cuetzalan del Progreso, Puebla. He succumbed to at least two gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital, marking him as the seventh journalist killed in Mexico this year. Ordóñez Miranda founded and ran Shalom Cuetzalan Producciones, a Facebook-based local news outlet boasting around 75,000 followers, outnumbering the town’s estimated 50,000 residents. He primarily covered cultural events and local communal life without delving into corruption,...

June 29, 2025 - Turkey/Iraq/Kurdistan -  Filming began on Analogue, a new feature-length film dedicated to the memory of two journalists—Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan—who were killed while reporting in Northern and Eastern Syria. Produced by journalist Enes Yıldız and directed by Selim Yıldız, the project aims to chronicle the past twelve years of conflict in the region, tracing the arc of Kurdish resistance amidst ongoing strife. The producers intend Analogue to memorialize all media workers who lost their lives covering the war in Rojava. In Yıldız’s words, participating in the film “was a duty,”...

June 29, 2025 - India -  Assam’s Public Health Engineering Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah ignited widespread controversy when he referred to a Guwahati-based journalist as a “tolor shrenir manush” — literally a “lower-class person” — during a press conference at the Gauhati Press Club. The remark came amid questioning about alleged misuse of state dairy promotion funds related to his private dairy farm housing Gir cows. The statement immediately triggered condemnation from journalist associations across Assam. Both the Media Association of Assam and the Guwahati Press Club denounced it as “insulting,” “undignified,” and “unconstitutional,” urging...

June 29, 2025 - Algeria -  French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes has been sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria, a ruling that has sparked widespread condemnation from press freedom advocates and international observers. The 36-year-old freelance journalist was arrested in May 2024 in the northern Algerian region of Kabylie, where he was reporting on the local football club JS Kabylie. He had entered the country on a tourist visa, which authorities later used as part of the case against him. Gleizes was charged with “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing propaganda materials harmful to national...

June 28, 2025 - Syria -  The Media Directorate of North and East Syria publicly denounced the detention of journalist and activist Hasan Zaza in Daramsuq (Damascus), characterizing it as a flagrant assault on press freedoms and fundamental human rights. Zaza, known for his active role in defending media independence and ensuring accurate reporting, was arrested by Syrian government security forces without any legal warrant—a move the Directorate called a direct violation of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, specifically Article 19, which defends freedom of...

June 28, 2025 - India -  Varanasi’s Lanka police station registered First Information Reports (FIRs) against six journalists connected to various media outlets, accusing them of distorting and circulating a video that depicted the routine cleaning of the statue of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya near the Banaras Hindu University gate. Authorities claim the video was manipulated with caste-based commentary to incite communal tensions and disturb public order. The journalists—Arshad Alam (admin of the WhatsApp group “Khabar Banaras”), Abhishek Jha (NBT Online), Abhishek Tripathi (Hindustan), Sonu Singh (Dainik Jagran), Shailesh Chaurasia (TV journalist), and...

June 27, 2025 - Palestine -  Palestinian journalist Ahmad Hasan Saad was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza’s Al‑Tuffah neighborhood, near the Shaaban Al‑Rees School in eastern Gaza City. Iranian outlet MizanOnline cited Shehab News, describing how Israeli airstrikes hit a group of civilians, resulting in 10 deaths and multiple injuries, among them, Saad, who was covering the scene when he was martyred. Additional details from the Stop Murdering Journalists project—backed by Databases for Palestine—readily identified Saad’s full name: Ahmad Hasan Saad. The group confirmed he was killed on June 27 by mortar or tank fire, alongside his...

June 27, 2025 - Kenya -  The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) has expressed deep concern over escalating threats to media freedom in Kenya, warning that recent actions by the government are part of a dangerous pattern of repression that could reverberate across the continent. In a public statement issued on June 27, 2025, SANEF specifically condemned the Kenyan Communications Authority for its role in targeting independent media houses, including through signal disruptions and equipment seizures during politically sensitive periods. According to SANEF, these actions appear designed to suppress dissent and restrict the public's...

June 27, 2025 - Kyrgyzstan -  Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed two sweeping laws that dramatically weaken protections against torture and severely restrict independent media, prompting urgent warnings from rights groups and international bodies. The first law dissolves the National Center for the Prevention of Torture, established in 2012 as an independent oversight body under Kyrgyzstan’s obligations under the UN Anti-Torture Convention. It merges this role into the Ombudsman’s office, undermining its autonomy and diminishing its preventative authority. Human Rights Watch (HRW) emphasized that UN experts had previously praised the Center as “a model for Central Asia”...

June 27, 2025 - Philippines -  At a United Nations Human Rights Council side event in Geneva on June 27, 2025, a powerful handwritten letter from detained Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio was read aloud by UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan. It marked the first time Cumpio, imprisoned since February 2020, was able to speak to the international community. Her message was both personal and political—a condemnation of the charges against her and a cry for justice after over five years behind bars without trial. Cumpio, then 21, was arrested in a police raid in...

June 27, 2025 - China/Ukraine -  Chinese journalist Lu Yuguang was injured during a Ukrainian drone strike near the village of Korenevo in Russia’s Kursk region, close to the Ukrainian border. Lu, a seasoned correspondent for Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, suffered head injuries while covering military activity with a film crew. Russian authorities claim the drone was launched by Ukraine and accuse Kyiv of deliberately targeting journalists to suppress media coverage. Lu, 63, reportedly declined hospitalization and treated his wounds himself. A video released by Russian state media shows him bandaged but composed, vowing to...

June 27, 2025 - Brazil -  Nearly 50 years after journalist Vladimir Herzog was tortured and killed by Brazil’s military dictatorship, the Brazilian government has officially recognized its responsibility and agreed to compensate his family. The landmark decision, finalized in June 2025, comes after decades of denial, judicial inaction, and public protest. Herzog, a Jewish journalist and editor-in-chief of TV Cultura, was summoned for questioning in 1975 over alleged ties to communism. He never returned. His battered body was later staged in a jail cell to appear as a suicide—a claim widely discredited and condemned...

June 27, 2025 - USA - On June 27, 1995, 27-year-old television news anchor Jodi Huisentruit, working at KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, disappeared under mysterious and disturbing circumstances. That morning, after assuring her assistant she would make the 6 a.m. broadcast, she never arrived. What remained of her: signs of a struggle by her red Mazda Miata, strewn personal items including a bent car key and high heels, and only lingering questions. Neighbors reported hearing possible screams and sighting a suspicious white Ford Econoline van in the parking lot between 3:50 and 4:30 a.m.—a detail that...

June 27, 2025 - Germany/Russia -  Germany has firmly rejected recent accusations by Russia claiming that Russian journalists are being harassed within German borders. On June 27, 2025, the German Foreign Ministry labeled Moscow’s statements as “unfounded” and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the rule of law and press freedom. A German government spokesperson emphasized that all journalists in Germany, including foreign correspondents, are protected by constitutional rights and operate under transparent legal standards. The diplomatic dispute escalated after the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff in Moscow, alleging that Germany had...

June 27, 2025 - Kurdistan/Iraq -  Kurdish journalist Hassan Zaza was arrested by Syrian government security forces in Damascus, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Zaza, a well-known Kurdish media figure, was reportedly seized by agents from the General Intelligence Directorate without prior warning, warrant, or explanation. His sudden detention marks another alarming episode in Syria’s ongoing repression of independent journalists and Kurdish voices. Zaza had been working in Damascus and was known for contributing to various Kurdish media outlets that report on human rights violations, political developments, and the lived...

June 27, 2025 - Syria -  Journalist Hassan (Hesen) Zaza, a prominent media figure in Syria, was detained on June 27, 2025, by security forces affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government. A joint report from the Free Press Union (YRA) and ANF News confirms that Zaza was forcibly taken from his home, with his current whereabouts and the reasons for his detention remaining undisclosed. Zaza, a member of the YRA General Council and Syria’s representative to the International Federation of Arab Journalists, suffered a pre-dawn raid in the Rukn al-Din district of Damascus. The YRA condemned the...

June 26, 2025 - Brazil - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has revealed that it was one of several organizations secretly monitored by Brazil’s intelligence agency (ABIN) during Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. RSF has demanded full disclosure of data collected and accountability for those responsible. According to RSF and statements from its leadership, a "parallel ABIN" — a clandestine surveillance structure created under Bolsonaro’s administration — targeted RSF along with at least 13 journalists and three media outlets. Surveillance included tracking internal communications and monitoring public campaigns concerning Bolsonaro. These revelations mirror findings in a comprehensive federal...

June 26, 2025 - Canada -  A new organization called Canadian Journalists for Justice in Palestine (CJJP) was officially launched, with simultaneous press events in Vancouver and Toronto. The group brings together Canadian journalists and media advocates committed to amplifying the plight of Palestinian reporters who have endured disproportionate violence, suppression, and fatalities in Gaza and the occupied territories. CJJP emerged against a harrowing backdrop: data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) notes that at least 186 journalists and media workers have been killed across Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and the West Bank over the...

June 26, 2025 - Turkey -  Mesopotamia Agency reporter Zeynep Durgut, known for her fearless coverage of Kurdish communities in southeastern Turkey, now faces intimidation after exposing a sex‑trafficking ring in Şırnak. Her February report detailed a long‑running investigation—initiated in 2013—into 25 suspects, including military non‑commissioned officers allegedly involved in trafficking women, girls, and minors from Syria’s Kurdish regions into forced prostitution. Following publication, Durgut received multiple threatening phone calls from relatives of key suspect Kenan Tatar. One caller warned: “We know who you are…we will not let you go…this won’t go unpunished”. Undeterred, she lodged...

June 26, 2025 - Venezuela -  FairPlanet published a revealing account of Venezuelan journalists from the investigative outlet Armando.Info who exposed one of the country's most brazen corruption scandals, only to be labeled as criminals and forced into exile. At the heart of the story is the PBS Frontline documentary A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela, aired February 4, 2025. It delves into the so‑called “PDVSA Crypto” scandal involving former vice president and oil minister Tareck El Aissami and other PDVSA executives accused of using cryptocurrency and state contracts to enrich themselves. Armando.Info's founders,...

June 26, 2025 - Palestine -  Motaz Azaiza, a 26‑year‑old from Deir al‑Balah in Gaza, has become an unexpected global photojournalist since the outbreak of full‑scale war in October 2023. Before then, he led a modest life, capturing daily moments in Gaza for around 25,000 Instagram followers. When Israeli strikes began, his footage—raw, unfiltered, deeply human—went viral, rapidly amassing nearly 17 million followers, transforming him overnight into a visual chronicler of his people’s suffering. Wearing casual attire and gold‑rimmed glasses, Azaiza traveled to the U.S. this June to raise funds for UNRWA USA at a...