** USA: RSF sues Trump administration to defend Voice of America
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On 14 March 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order dismantling the U.S. Global Media Management (USAGM) ([link removed]) , which funds vital independent global broadcasters such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), sending shockwaves through newsrooms around the world. The following day, VOA employees were placed on administrative leave. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) joined VOA employees and their unions in filing a complaint against the USAGM ([link removed]) on 21 March, demanding an immediate halt to the dissolution of VOA and the rapid reinstatement of its employees. On 23 March, RSF and its co-plaintiffs also filed a motion ([link removed]) for a temporary restraining order to halt the immediate dissolution of VOA and reinstate
its employees.


** Data : Journalists under threat in North Kivu, DRC
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** RSF Investigation
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** The confidentiality clauses silencing French journalists
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To obtain severance packages, French journalists must sign agreements that prohibit them from speaking freely about their employers for an indefinite period. These “confidentiality,” “loyalty” and “non-disparagement” clauses prevent hundreds of journalists from publicly criticising, testifying against and potentially reporting on media conglomerates and their affiliated companies. As a result, corporate interests supersede the public’s right to information. RSF investigated this underreported issue ([link removed]) and calls for stricter limitations on these clauses — especially when the employer's activities extend beyond the media sector.


** NEWS BRIEFS
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** In Türkiye, press freedom violations escalate as mass protests continue
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Since the start of the wave of protests against the arrest on 19 March of Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul mayor and main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, violence and harassment against journalists and outlets covering the demonstrations have soared ([link removed]) . News outlets have been threatened with sanctions if they continue their live coverage, at least ten journalists have been physically assaulted and seven have been arrested. Four were placed in custody ([link removed]) on 25 March, unjustly accused of taking part in an illegal gathering while covering the protests. They were released on 27 March, along with two other reporters who had been in police custody in Izmir. On the same day, BBC reporter Mark Lowen was expelled
([link removed]) from the country.

Repression continues in Palestine

Even before the ceasefire in Gaza collapsed, the crackdown on the press was intensifying in the West Bank and East Jerusalem ([link removed]) . Journalists are being targeted by gunfire, arbitrary arrests and their movement has been restricted by the Israeli armed forces, while Al Jazeera staff have been arrested by the Palestinian authorities. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Al Jazeera correspondent Hossam Shabat was killed on 24 March ([link removed]) by an Israeli strike targeting his vehicle. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza in the 15 months the war has raged on, including at least 43 slain while doing their job.


** Enforced disappearance of journalist's brothers after his investigation into the nepotism of Pakistan's army chief
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On 19 March, in Islamabad, some twenty armed men who claimed to be police kidnapped the two brothers of Ahmad Noorani, ([link removed]) the founder of the investigative site Fact Focus ([link removed]) who lives in exile in the United States. The enforced disappearance came shortly after the Ahmad Noorani published an investigation into the nepotism of Pakistan's army chief, and clearly appears to be an attempt at silencing the journalist. On 26 March, journalist Mohammed Wahid Mourad was also abducted by armed men before reappearing in custody on charges of “online disinformation,” notably for having shared Ahmad Noorani’s investigation.


** In India, two journalists were beaten and held captive — and are now targeted by law enforcement
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Two journalists in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, were physically assaulted and humiliated ([link removed]) following their reports that criticised a local mayor. Although seven of their alleged assailants have been arrested, Amit Dwivedi and Shailendra Kumar Mishra continue to live under serious threats and fear. They spoke to RSF ([link removed]) about the experience upending their lives — and their work.


** Arbitrary arrests of journalists in Burkina Faso
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Three days after they strongly criticising the deterioration of the country's media landscape, journalists Guezouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba, leaders of the Association des journalistes du Burkina (AJB) — which has since been dissolved — were arrested and taken to an unknown location ([link removed]) by individuals claiming to belong to the intelligence service. These disappearances echo the numerous other arrests and kidnappings orchestrated by the military authorities since they came to power, such as the abduction of journalist Alain Traoré ([link removed]) almost a year ago.


** Frenchie was imprisoned for telling the truth. Then and now, many powerful people want to keep a lot of things under wraps. This sends out the message that if you dare to speak out, you will meet the same fate as Frenchie, if not worse. [...] It's clear that the government doesn't want to let her out. Perhaps the state knows that when she is finally free, she will continue to reveal truths that those in power want to keep hidden.
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Neil Eco, journalist at Altermydia, reflects on the detention of Frenchie Mae Cumpio in the Philippines in #RSFTalk ([link removed]) . While the investigative journalist has been imprisoned for over five years ([link removed]) on trumped-up charges, RSF and a coalition of international and local press freedom organizations have called on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ([link removed]) to release her immediately.


** Highlight
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USA: Trump's offensive against press freedom, Danziger (USA), Cartooning for Peace

Cartooning for Peace, an RSF partner, uses the medium of cartooning to reflect on the attack on the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the vital independent outlets that it funds, such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). The cartoonists from this international network contribute to the global discussion on the Trump administration's offensive against press freedom.


** GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK
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Accused of making a false bomb threat by Greek authorities, Franco-Canadian journalist Romain Chauvet was sentenced ([link removed]) to a six-month suspended prison term for “spreading false information,” based on a virtually empty case file. The journalist, who received RSF aid during his legal ordeal, risked becoming the only journalist wrongfully convicted in the European Union — but was finally acquitted on 27 Thursday, March by the Athens Court of Appeal, which found that the crime he was accused of had not been committed. The former correspondent for French and Canadian outlets was simply doing his job and should never have been prosecuted in the first place.


** YOU CAN HELP
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** Your donations have a real impact for journalists
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Thanks to your support, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) can take concrete action to help journalists who risk their lives in the context of their work. RSF provides them with protective equipment. For example, a donation of €80 fully funds the purchase of an emergency first aid kit. By making a donation to RSF now, you are helping to protect the lives of those who risk everything to keep you informed.
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