IFEX

#Argentina 🇦🇷 FOPEA warns of an unprecedented escalation in President Javier Milei's rhetoric against journalists, urging authorities to guarantee press safety as attacks intensify. (In Spanish) buff.ly/rdiZ8uH

🌏 @RSF.org featured research that showed how an authoritarian regime like #China, #Vietnam, and #Turkmenistan “that puts significant effort into media control and also has a high degree of language exclusivity” can shape large language models. buff.ly/s1Yd7o4

#Syria 🇸🇾 Does a change of regime mean a free, plural media? Syrian Center’s report on Syria's first year after Assad starts from the opposite premise: that media structures, laws and professional cultures often carry over, even when the flags change. buff.ly/DtZ7y1P

#SouthernAfrica🌍 The Media Institute of Southern Africa launches its 2025 annual report: "The 2025 media environment across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is characterised by a volatile convergence of legislative reform and systemic democratic regression." buff.ly/N0wH3Kx

#NorthMacedonia 🇲🇰 Stakeholders shared their recommendations to address Foreign Information Manipulation & Interference. "There must be transparency about political advertising & who pays for it during & (after) elections," said the Metamorphosis Foundation. buff.ly/4PsgH2O

#Nepal 🇳🇵 Freedom Forum and its global media partners have been providing reporting fellowships, livelihood assistance, and equipment support to journalists affected by the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi flood in August 2026. buff.ly/Svgwo34

🇧🇦 @europeanjournalists.org and Bosnia-Herzgovina Journalists’ Association have called for urgent action to save public service broadcaster BHRT. The 700 people working at BHRT “must not become the victims of years of political and institutional blockages.” buff.ly/YlIXeCS

#Senegal 🇸🇳 The Media Foundation for West Africa condemns the criminal proceedings initiated against columnist Mamadou Cissé who is facing a lawsuit after commenting on a broadcast programme. buff.ly/pRvFhGd

#Egypt 🇪🇬 Rights groups including AFTE urge authorities to drop the case against #LinaAttallah, EiC of Mada Msr, referred to trial for running a website without a license. A dangerous escalation against independent journalism. buff.ly/woXpO4L

#Malaysia 🇲🇾 Civil society groups, including the Centre for Independent Journalism, assert that amending the Federal Constitution is unnecessary, and what is urgent now is the need to focus on operationalizing the right to information through progressive legislation. buff.ly/EmDfCPk

🌐 @eff.org examines the impact of online age verification measures, laws, and restrictions on free speech. "The net result is reduced access, more data collection, and an increased chance of unequal or mistaken exclusion from accessing information online. buff.ly/sRdzDDs

#Venezuela 🇻🇪 Espacio Publico warns hate law reform removes prison sentences but keeps censorship intact, urging full repeal rather than cosmetic changes to a tool of repression. (In Spanish) buff.ly/dK64z2c

#Palestine 🇵🇸 New research by @7amleh.bsky.social traces how Palestinians' calls & conversations are intercepted, stored & algorithmically analysed in Israel's surveillance system — and the tech & cloud firms enabling it. buff.ly/doipqUF

#Moldova 🇲🇩 The 2026 Media Information Literacy Index, released by the Independent Journalism Center, examines the media consumption of the population. "The greatest vulnerability lies in people's ability to act when exposed to disinformation." buff.ly/M3Umw4f

#BurkinaFaso 🇧🇫 The Media Foundation for West Africa welcomes the release of nearly 100 supporters of Imam Mohamed Ishaq Kindo, the Vice President of the Sunni Movement of Burkina Faso after four months, and calls on the Burkinabè authorities to release the imam. buff.ly/wj7lka6

🌐 In an article for @globalvoices.org, Alli Armijo writes about how internet infrastructure policy, like control over subsea cables, is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion in military strategy and geopolitical policy decision-making. buff.ly/ljoQoEg

#India 🇮🇳 @sflcin.bsky.social looks into more than 200 posts that were taken down during the protests demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. The organisation warns that "platforms are increasingly becoming unreliable spaces for dissent." buff.ly/iyQy9Gm

#Nigeria 🇳🇬 The Media Rights Agenda calls for renewed public scrutiny on the government's failure to deliver justice on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of journalist Dele Giwa. On October 19, 1986 a parcel bomb was delivered to Giwa at his residence. buff.ly/2qcEnB7

#Egypt🇪🇬 AFTE reports on trial adjournments for journalists, a poet, and an Al-Azhar University student in cases involving charges of terrorism and spreading false news, and other key legal developments bit.ly/4vr0e6m

🌐 Listen to “Privacy’s Defenders,” a podcast about the people who promoted & fought for our digital liberties. The first episode tackles the establishment of @eff.org “as a bulwark against government investigation & prosecution of early internet users.” buff.ly/ZHJIrRv

#Turkey 🇹🇷 Various groups, including @globalfreemedia.bsky.social, call on authorities to end the takeover of Halk TV & restore the broadcaster’s editorial independence. "A criminal investigation into the channel’s owner cannot justify seizing control of a newsroom." buff.ly/IeJsgW1

#Malaysia 🇲🇾 Civil society groups, including the Centre for Independent Journalism, said the government must end the culture of secrecy that continues to shield the exercise of power from public scrutiny. They called for the strengthening of the Freedom of Information bill. buff.ly/DrxY9MZ

#Argentina 🇦🇷 FOPEA's Lab documents how young people in Formosa use memes to challenge official propaganda, viralising satire where traditional media cannot report freely. (In Spanish) buff.ly/WYaa9aM

#Malta 🇲🇹 Members of Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), including @ifex.org, call on authorities to address the country’s weak anti-SLAPP law. CASE was formed after the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia nine years ago. @indexoncensorship.org buff.ly/h18krIf

#Bahrain 🇧🇭32 NGOs including @Gulfcentre4hr.bsk.social call on Macron ahead of his Bahrain visit to put human rights at the center of talks with King Hamad Al-Khalifa as Bahrain carries out its harshest crackdown on dissent since 2011. buff.ly/6OFL5jH

#Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 The Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa reports on the threatening and barring of journalist Nunurai Jena from entering the ZANU PF Annual People’s Conference on October 16, 2026. buff.ly/r5AEyWq

🌐 Surveillance technologies are increasingly being used throughout the migration journey. @privacyinternational.org's global survey highlights growing concerns over the lack of oversight, accountability and safeguards surrounding the use of these technologies. buff.ly/npPVXoe

#Nepal 🇳🇵 Freedom Forum reported that four journalists went missing after the flash flood in August. 14 relatives of journalists are still missing, two reporters lost their cars & 6 radio stations were affected due to unstable connections. buff.ly/i6paAPW

#Mexico 🇲🇽 @article19.bsky.social profiles Miryam Vargas, an Indigenous broadcaster who turned community communication into a tool of resistance, keeping native languages and local voices alive on air. (In Spanish) buff.ly/WJv9Twj

🌏 A new collaborative piece from @globalvoices.org provides a brief history and overview of protest music, including censored songs, around the world. buff.ly/pWSujGe

#Egypt 🇪🇬 AFTE says security forces arrested all 6 journalists of the independent fact-checking platform "Matsadaqsh", held them in unknown locations, and accused them of "false news" before investigating. The Journalists Syndicate has demanded answers. buff.ly/z9KG9s8

#TheGambia 🇬🇲 The Gambia Press Union held a pre-election deployment engagement with police officers and journalists to enhance the safety of journalists ahead of The Gambia's general election, bringing together 40 police officers and 30 journalists. buff.ly/4faZHuV

#NorthMacedonia 🇲🇰 Butchkuruzh, a project supported under the Digital Spark program, offers lessons on developing a digital queer archive. "Searching for queer histories in North Macedonia often means searching through fragments." buff.ly/iEziMcd

#Pakistan 🇵🇰 A new report from @digitalrightspk.bsky.social exposes how digital spaces in the country "are increasingly weaponized to trivialize the violence that women face and turn such incidents into an opportunity for gaining personal benefit." buff.ly/hlWWwEY

#Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 The Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa reports on the detention of journalist Thomas Madhuku, who was reportedly held by the police for recording a video of them confiscating wares from vendors in Harare’s central business district. buff.ly/d1GRyHG

#Ecuador 🇪🇨 IFEX and IFEX ALC express concern over ruling against FUNDAMEDIOS in Ecuador, warning that its impact creates uncertainty and restricts the organisation’s freedom of expression. buff.ly/22kL009

#Qatar 🇶🇦Media personality Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Ansari, 55, has been on hunger strike since Oct 11 water & salt only. He can't stand, has lost 6 kg, and doctors warn of organ failure. @Gulfcentre4Hr.bsky.social reports buff.ly/XTB4Dmc

#Moldova 🇲🇩 Civil society groups, including the Independent Journalism Center, warn that the proposal to remove the requirement for urgent review of requests for protection under the anti-SLAPP mechanism would undermine the reform measure. buff.ly/tk6rb1e

🌏 Colleagues and partners pay tribute to the late @cartoonistsrights.org founder Robert “Bro” Russell. IFEX’s Executive Director Rachael Kay described him as “a champion for freedom of expression and cartoonists everywhere.” buff.ly/SfGQzVT

#Nepal 🇳🇵 Freedom Forum filed a total of 18 Right To Information applications with the Office of the Prime Minister and 17 ministries "to promote transparency and accountability in government appointments and expenditure." buff.ly/FZZmVBk

#Egypt 🇪🇬 4 journalists were referred to trial after prolonged pretrial detention. Does this transfer mean an improvement in their legal status? Read the report by AFTE bit.ly/4dBqjZc

#Brazil 🇧🇷 Artigo 19 presents the winning works of the Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira contest, honouring journalism that defends the Amazon, Indigenous peoples and the environment. (In Portuguese) buff.ly/ov0e4bJ

#Turkey 🇹🇷 @ifex.org joined civil society groups in calling on the government to cease the use of blocking orders that violate the right to freedom of expression. In September alone, authorities ordered the blocking of at least 1,270 accounts on X. buff.ly/iX1FFeZ

#Nigeria 🇳🇬 the Media Rights Agenda filed a suit against the government, Attorney General, Inspector General, and Nigeria's Police Force, seeking judicial intervention over gender-specific attacks against female journalists. The hearing is set for October 29, 2026. buff.ly/sYCfla7

#India 🇮🇳 @sflcin.bsky.social has written to Meta raising concerns over the automated restriction of its Instagram content discussing the takedowns faced by Alt New. It also pointed out the lack of an accessible mechanism to challenge these restrictions. buff.ly/Gu3uLZS

🌏 @globalfreemedia.bsky.social encouraged the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment to recognise protecting environmental journalists as integral to the broader protection of environmental human rights defenders. buff.ly/ALQzIZU

#Samoa 🇼🇸 Pacific Freedom Forum expresses concern over reports that a Samoa Observer reporter was directed away from an official Police Remembrance Day event. "Security must never become a pretext for obstructing legitimate journalism." buff.ly/rbF5VLJ

#Bolivia 🇧🇴 ANP alerts on threat of detention against Correo del Sur executives, warning that criminalising newspaper leadership jeopardises the paper's survival. (In Spanish) (buff.ly/rxnYIIN)

#Africa 🌍 The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa has launched the 2026 edition of the State of Internet Freedom in Africa report. The report examines how Digital Public Infrastructure systems reshape the relationship between states and citizens. buff.ly/vt4azN0

🌐 @eff.org provides an overview of how digital sovereignty is understood across the world. It lays down the basic principles of how this term can empower users. "People should be able to easily understand where their data lives and who has access to it." buff.ly/1fyQHrf