RSF

RSF strongly condemns the 20-year prison sentence handed to publisher Jimmy Lai on bogus charges. This amounts to a death sentence, as the health of the 78-year old British citizen is gravely deteriorating. RSF calls on the UK and governments worldwide to intervene to secure Lai’s release.

#Uzbekistan: A draft law against publishing insults online is threatening the country's press freedom due to a provision punishing "other actions that undermine the public order," an extremely vaguely-worded category that could lead to media censorship. RSF calls for this provision to be withdrawn.

#Türkiye: RSF condemns "national security" being used as a pretext to censor a 19 January report by news site Bianet.org on young unemployed people — including those from Kurdish and Arab minorities. The right to reliable information from diverse sources must be respected!

#Philippines: On the 6th anniversary of Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s arrest, 92 press groups from around the world, including RSF and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition, have sent a letter to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling for her release after her appalling guilty verdict last month.

#Philippines: Ahead of the 6th anniversary of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio's arrest, RSF spoke with her mentor, journalist Raymund Villanueva about her commitment to investigating social justice issues. A strong reminder that she doesn’t belong in jail. #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio

#India: Billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate is trying to silence his critics in the media with SLAPP lawsuits. RSF condemns this trend and calls for an anti-SLAPP law to protect press freedom. rsf.org/en/india-ada...

#Venezuela: RSF welcomes the release of journalist Rory Branker after almost a year of arbitrary detention. He is the 6th journalist to be freed in the past month. We hope this marks a first step towards broader, long-lasting advances towards press freedom in the country.

#Tajikistan: A year ago today, freelance journalist Rukhshona Khakimova was sentenced to 8 years in prison for “high treason.” Her crime? Conducting interviews on Chinese influence in the country. RSF condemns this arbitrary sentence and calls for her immediate release.

#Chine : RSF appelle le régime à libérer immédiatement les journalistes indépendants Liu Hu et Wu Yingjia, tous deux placés en détention cette semaine par la police après avoir enquêté sur la corruption des autorités locales dans une province du sud-ouest du pays. rsf.org/fr/chine-les...

#China: RSF urges the Chinese regime to immediately release independent journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao, who were apprehended by police this week following their investigation into corruption by local authorities. rsf.org/en/china-ind...

#USA: RSF stands with journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who face bogus charges because they reported the news. The 1st Amendment is a cornerstone of democracy, protecting the press from government abuse, not the other way around. Arresting journalists is an act of cowardice.

#Kyrgyzstan: On Monday, the Supreme Court will decide whether to re-open the bogus case against investigative journo Makhabat Tajibek kyzy. RSF and 7 other NGOs are calling for her immediate release — in line with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinion.

#Afghanistan: Broadcasting images of living beings was banned in Kapisa Province on 16/01. This ban has affected 24 out of the 34 provinces since the 2024 law on "the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice" and dozens of TV channels have closed or turned into radio stations.

#Azerbaijan: in Paris, Berlin and Bern, RSF has recreated the filthy detention conditions of imprisoned journalists like Sevinj Vagifgizi, who has been behind bars for 800 days in Azerbaijan. The silence surrounding these repressive measures must be broken. #FreeSevinj #NoAirForReporting

#Czechia: Denik N has been banned by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka from his press conferences over the daily's reporting on the racist statements of his party's MP. RSF condemns the serious attack on the right to information and urges the minister to lift the ban immediately and unconditionally.

#Azerbaijan: The ECHR has ruled that the 🇦🇿 state is guilty of misusing legal proceedings in the case brought against investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova in order to silence her. RSF welcomes this landmark decision condemning the use of the justice system as a tool to punish journalists.

#Malaysia: RSF calls on the authorities to drop the sedition investigation against journalist Rex Tan, arrested for simply asking a question at a conference. Instead, the authorities should protect the journalist, who is being subjected to outrageous harassment that forced him to resign.

#India: More than 8 years after the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh on 5 Sept 2017, the 17 suspects in this heinous crime still have not been tried, and the man accused of supplying the weapons, who is out on bail, has just won a municipal election. Justice must be served without further delay.

RSF has written to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to secure the release of publisher Jimmy Lai during his planned visit to #China this week. Lai’s health continues to deteriorate after more than 1,850 days in detention in #HongKong. rsf.org/en/bring-him...

#Albania: RSF and its 🇦🇱 & international partners welcome the 1st steps towards decriminalising defamation & protecting journalists at the Parliament of Albania. However, the measures don't go far enough and must be expanded to include the decriminalisation of whistleblowers & insults in particular.

On the 15th anniversary of the assassination of Gerry Ortega, who specialised in environmental issues, RSF pays tribute to a leading figure in investigative journalism in the #Philippines & calls on the authorities to end a culture of impunity that has persisted for far too long.

#Russia: The Kremlin plans to invest $29 million in a digital censorship system based on machine learning to tighten its firm control over the internet. RSF condemns this investment in censoring the Runet, another attack on the population’s right to information.

#Ukraine: Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have plunged Ukrainian newsrooms into darkness. RSF commends their courage and urges the international community to provide economic support via IFRUM so they can continue their vital work. rsf.org/en/russia-s-...

#Slovakia: On 26 January, the Special Criminal Court will deliberate for the 3rd time on businessman Marian Kocner's role in the 2018 assassination of journalist Jan Kuciak. RSF calls on the court to thoroughly examine all evidence in the case file, in line with the appeals court’s decision.

#Gaza: RSF condemns the Israeli strike that killed Mohammad Salah Qashta, Anas Ghneim, and Abdul Raouf Shaat yesterday just south of Gaza City. This isolated strike on clearly identifiable reporters who worked with international news agencies south of Gaza City may constitute a war crime.

#Gaza: On Jan 26th, a key hearing to end the blockade keeping the press from entering the territory without embedding with the Israeli army will begin. RSF and CPJ call on member states of the Media Freedom Coalition to ensure this happens by taking concrete measures.

#Malta: RSF hails yesterday’s appeal verdict upholding the life sentences of Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, convicted of supplying the bomb used to kill journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. Justice must run its full course, including the conviction of the mastermind.

#Pakistan: An investigation by FPU, in partnership with RSF and CPJ, reveals new evidence in the case of journalist Shan Dahar, who was killed in 2014 while reporting on medicine trafficking. Impunity must end & justice must be served.

Outrageous! RSF and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition condemn the conviction of the Filipino journalist, who now faces 12–18 years in prison on trumped-up charges. The guilty verdict for “financing terrorism” is a miscarriage of justice, based on a fabricated case that RSF has exposed.

#Russia: Today, the person who destroyed the plaque in memory of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, murdered in 2006, was sentenced to a fine of $13. RSF condemns this trivial punishment, which highlights the persistent impunity for attacks on journalists in 🇷🇺.

#Philippines: A RSF representative as part of coalition visited journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio in prison on the eve of her verdict. She thanked everyone for the support after nearly 6 years of detention & emphasised: solidarity is her strongest ally in tomorrow’s courtroom. rsf.org/en/philippin...

Over the weekend, DOJ officials threatened @donlemonofficial.bsky.social with prosecution for his reporting while federal agents violently tackled and detained photographer @john-abernathy.bsky.social, escalating attacks on journalists in Minnesota. rsf.org/en/attacks-j...

#Philippines: as the verdict approaches in the trial of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, RSF looks back on six years of fabricated cases against one of the country’s bravest journalists. We call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to act immediately to secure her release. rsf.org/en/philippin...

#Ukraine: Journalist & director of the NGO Women in Media Liza Kuzmenko has been threatened after denouncing a list on an anonymous Telegram channel that discredits journos + shares their personal info. RSF condemns this act of intimidation. Those behind it must be identified & prosecuted.

#Albania: RSF is alarmed by PM Edi Rama's proposals to close or privatise the public media, threatening not to finance broadcaster RTSH until it "deserves" it. RTSH is in deep crisis, but it must be protected from political influence & reformed according to EU standards.

#Azerbaijan: Yesterday, journalist Khayala Agayeva spent her 29th birthday in prison. She’s been held for over a year in connection with the Meydan TV case. RSF calls on the authorities to immediately release her, as well as the 24 other media professionals imprisoned in 🇦🇿. #FreeKhayala

#Azerbaijan: Exiled journalist and founder of YouTube channel, Sevinj Osmanqizi, was sentenced in absentia to 8 years in prison on trumped up charges. RSF deplores this decision - another example of the transnational repression of independent voices by the 🇦🇿 authorities.

#Azerbaijan: January 17 will mark one year since Farid Ismayilov, a journalist for the independent news channel Toplum TV, was imprisoned due to his work. RSF condemns the relentless, arbitrary arrests of media professionals in 🇦🇿 and calls for their release.

#Philippines: On January 22nd, journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio — detained for nearly 6 years on blatantly fabricated charges — will receive her verdict. RSF and an international coalition of NGOs are calling on the Philippine president to secure her immediate release. rsf.org/en/philippin...

#Thailand: At two recent RSF workshops, Thai women journalists shared how they face physical attacks and harassment at work. With general elections just weeks away, RSF urges parliamentary candidates to commit to laws protecting journalists’ safety. Read our full recommendations.👇

#USA: RSF is deeply concerned that the FBI has searched the home of and seized the devices of a @washingtonpost.com ngtonpost.com reporter. Reporters have the right to publish government secrets, and this appears to be an egregious violation of press freedom. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

#USA: RSF joins a coalition of 20+ organizations in calling on Congress to rescind the subpoena for investigative journalist Seth Harp. Harp's social media post on the US military operation in #Venezuela didn't reveal any classified information and his actions were protected by the First Amendment.

#Georgia: It's been 1 year since the arrest of Mzia Amaghlobeli, co-founder of the media Batumelebi and Netgazeti. RSF, CPJ & IPI urge 🇬🇪 authorities to immediately release this icon of independent journalism and investigate alleged violations of her rights. #FreeMzia

#Czechia: RSF and its partners call on Prime Minister and Culture Minister to uphold public media’s independence. The open letter criticises the new government’s plan to abolish the audiovisual licence fee, without any structural alternative for funding of @ceskatelevize.cz and @irozhlas.cz.

#Slovakia: RSF expresses its support for @denniksme.bsky.social columnist Peter Schutz, who was hospitalised after an assault by an unidentified attacker on Saturday in the Eastern city of Kosice. We call on the police to conduct a swift, independent and transparent investigation into the attack.

#Türkiye : RSF urges the Turkish authorities to do everything in their power to establish the motive behind the murder of environmental journalist Hakan Tosun, who was beaten to death in Istanbul on 11 October 2025. The investigation must quickly uncover the whole truth about this heinous crime!👇

RSF calls on the #UnitedStates government to halt deportation proceedings against Guan Heng, a Chinese national, and grant him asylum. His courageous and award-winning reporting exposed Uyghur detention camps in the Xinjiang region. If deported to China, his life will be put at serious risk.

#Syria: The Kurdish Autonomous Administration must immediately release Firas al-Barjas, a journalist held for the past month who is accused of collaborating with the Damascus government, presumably because of his contributions to independent media.

#HongKong: RSF condemns the attack of the authorities on the #BBC over its report on the deteriorating health of #JimmyLai — the latest in a series of assaults on the press. Democracies must ramp up pressure on authorities to end their crackdown on the media. rsf.org/en/hong-kong...

#Kazakhstan: Independent journalist Oleg Gusev was sentenced today to three years of suspended prison term and banned from practicing journalism for three years for using public judicial data in a report. RSF calls for this unjust decision to be overturned.