DATA

Serbia: nearly 90 journalists assaulted in the last 12 months

At least 89 journalists have been physically assaulted while covering the protests that have rattled the nation for nearly a year, following the deadly collapse of a train station on 1 November 2024. After being called out by international organisations, the European Parliament has reprimanded the Serbian government for violence against media professionals in a recent resolution.

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“We cannot begin to think about the future of journalism without considering the regulation of social networks and their responsibility,” explains Thibaut Bruttin, RSF Director General, referring to the role platforms play in shaping the information landscape.

NEWS BRIEFS

Gaza: the Strip must be opened to journalists!

The Israeli Supreme Court has granted the government another 30-day delay to clarify its position on journalists’ access to Gaza, despite the ceasefire, which the government says will involve an overhaul of its press policy. The blockade, in force for over two years, is illegal and violates citizens’ right to reliable information. RSF, privy to the proceedings as an amicus curiae, finds this decision regrettable: it’s the seventh time the Israeli government has been granted an extension.

Independent voices silenced in Sudan

Sudanese journalist Mouammar Ibrahim has been arrested by the Rapid Support Force (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital of the state of North Darfur, which paramilitary forces recently seized. For two years, Mouammar Ibrahim had been covering the conflict raging in what is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. Since the start of clashes between the army and the paramilitary group, at least seven journalists have been killed and seventeen imprisoned, according to RSF information. More than 400 reporters and around ten media outlets have been forced into exile.

Deadliest year for journalists in Mexico since 2022

The body of Miguel Angel Beltran Martinez, a journalist for the local media outlets La Voz de Durango and Contexto, was found wrapped in a blanket in the countryside near the town of Rio Chico, in the state of Durango, bearing a chilling message: “For spreading lies about the people of Durango.” A few days earlier, he had posted a video referring to criminal groups operating in the region. He is the ninth journalist to be killed in Mexico in 2025, making this the deadliest year for the Mexican press since 2022.

Ukraine’s rising death toll

While covering a bombing in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, Ukrainian war correspondent Olena Hubanova (Alyona Hramova) and cameraman Yevhen Karmazine were killed in a Russian drone strike. Their deaths bring the number of journalists killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine to sixteen. On 3 October, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was also killed by a drone in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

GOOD NEWS!

Prestigious French journalism prize awarded to journalists in Beirut

This year, the Albert Londres Prize was presented in Beirut to Franco-Russian journalist Elena Volochine and Palestinian journalist Adel Zaanoun, who accepted the prize on behalf of Gaza’s journalists. The most prestigious award in French-language journalism, the prize recognises exceptional, rigorous and dedicated reporting.

The 30% deduction from international funds makes it impossible for community radio stations to survive. If they disappear, the media ecosystem will be reduced to official propaganda.

Carlos Humberto Amaya, Salvadoran journalist from Radio Izcanal, denounces the suffocation of independent media orchestrated by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador — by persecution, violence, and financial strangulation.

HIGHLIGHT

The RSF album

Seven days until the official release of the Studio Ghibli album!

Already available via our online shop, this edition of the RSF album pays tribute to the legendary Japanese animation studio behind classic films like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Princess Mononoke. This 80th edition celebrates a joint anniversary: 40 years of Studio Ghibli and Reporters Without Borders, both founded in 1985. The album will be on sale next week in newsstands and bookstores. Each album costs €12.50 and one hundred per cent of the profits go towards funding RSF work. Don’t miss out!