Press freedom

An undated image of Suat Toktas.

Turkey arrests journalist as clampdown on dissent tightens

The arrest of journalist Suat Toktas comes amid increasing pressure on dissidents from various backgrounds over the past weeks.

Cecilia Sala

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala lands in Rome after release from Iranian prison

After more than three weeks of detention, Cecilia Sala has been released from Tehran's Evin Prison and was met at the airport in Rome by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Trump and Meloni

After meeting Italy’s Meloni, Trump agrees to halt extradition of Iranian detainee: What we know

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President-elect Donald Trump have reportedly agreed to delay a US extradition request for an Iranian citizen to allow Italy to negotiate the return of its journalist Cecilia Sala, currently detained in Iran.

Alessio Romenzi, Sergio Splendore and Cecilia Sala are seen on stage during the “Gli orrori della guerra: storie dal fronte” event as part of the Terni Influencer & Creator Festival 2024, on April 13, 2024, in Terni, Italy.

Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala: What to know

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested on Dec. 19, just six days after arriving in Tehran where she had conducted a series of interviews for her podcast series.

Latest News

Turkey postpones debate on controversial ‘foreign agent’ law amid public outcry

Turkish Jandarma soldiers guard the entrance to the Silivri Courthouse while awaiting the court's decision during the ongoing trial of journalists from the Cumhuriyet newspaper.

Turkey’s proposed ‘foreign agent’ law threatens press freedom, critics say

Turkish members of parliament attend a session at the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, in Ankara, on Dec. 11, 2023.

What's behind Algeria's suspension of Saudi-owned Al Arabiya?

Palestinian security forces close off the entrance of a building housing the offices of Saudi broadcasters MBC, Al-Arabiya, and Al-Hadath in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 21, 2024, during a protest calling for their closure against the backdrop of their descriptions of Hamas leadership which the protesters reject. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP) (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

After Al Jazeera office closure, what's next for press freedom in Israel?

Pictures of slain al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh hang on the facade of the building housing the television station's office in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, after Israel issued a 45-day closure order on September 22, 2024. Al Jazeera reported on September 22 that Israeli troops had raided its Ramallah bureau and informed journalists for the Doha-based network in the occupied West Bank to shutter operations. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP) (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

Turkey blocks multiple X accounts, cites 'terrorist crackdown'

Turkey has mounted repeated attacks on the Kurdish-led region on the grounds that it is governed by terrorists.

This picture shows a view of the newsroom at the main headquarters of Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera in the capital Doha on May 6, 2024. Al Jazeera went off-air in Israel on May 5, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government decided to shut it down following a long-running feud, a move the Qatar-based channel decried as "criminal". (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why closure of Al Jazeera is futile and slippery slope for Israel

There is broad understanding in Israel that shutting down Al Jazeera's local outfit is not only technologically impossible but also harmful to Israel's international image.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

An employee of the Qatar-based news network and TV channel Al Jazeera is seen at the channel's Jerusalem office on July 31, 2017.

Israel’s Netanyahu vows to shut Al Jazeera after Knesset law

The prime minister's pledge drew statements of concern and condemnation from the White House and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) escorts King Mohammed VI of Morocco (C) and Crown Prince of Morocco, Moulay Hassan as they leave the Elysee palace on December 12, 2017 in Paris, following a lunch hosted by the French President as part of the One Planet Summit. The French President hosts 50 world leaders for the "One Planet Summit", hoping to jump-start the transition to a greener economy two years after the historic Paris agreement to limit climate change. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN

Analysis

Can France restore Morocco ties without shifting on Western Sahara?

On a visit to Rabat, French Foreign minister Stephane Sejourne acknowledged for the first time the importance of the Western Sahara issue for Moroccan diplomacy, but did not commit to any movement by Paris on the issue.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

People take part in a protest against the arrest of nine journalists working for Kurdish media outlets including Mezopotamya news agency in Istanbul, on Oct. 31, 2022.

Kurdish journalists harassed, detained ahead of key municipal race in Turkey

The detentions come amid ongoing demonstrations across the majority-Kurdish southeast region in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the arrest of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader Abdullah Ocalan.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

85 journalists killed in Gaza war, deadliest for the press in 30 years

The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the continued targeting of journalists in Gaza, coinciding with reports of Al Jazeera reporters sustaining serious injuries in an Israel strike in Rafah.

Tucker Carlson, US television personality and founder of the Tucker Carlson Network.

Why is Tucker Carlson in UAE after controversial Russia visit?

The controversial former Fox News host, who recently interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressed a summit in the UAE’s largest city.

Turkey’s parliament ejects jailed lawmaker Can Atalay, defying top court

With the ejection, lawmakers from the Turkish president’s ruling coalition unprecedentedly defied the country’s highest court.

Photo illustration of a selection of front pages from UK daily national newspaper coverage, London, Jan. 18, 2024.

Analysis

UAE-backed fund's planned Telegraph takeover raises press freedom fears

Members of parliament and former state security figures have raised concerns about what it would mean for an entity with close ties to a foreign government to own one of the United Kingdom’s most influential newspapers.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Journalist Wael Dahdouh 'the mountain' inspires Gaza through tragedy

Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza has lost most of his family members and relatives, but is determined to continue covering the Israeli bombardment of the enclave.

Crowds examine the car in which two journalists, Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for AFP news agency, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, a journalist with Al Jazeera television network, were killed in an air strike on Rafah blamed by Hamas on Israel

Al Jazeera says two Gaza journalists killed in Israeli strike

Agence France-Presse

TOPSHOT - Palestinian journalists attempt to connect to the internet using their phones in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on December 27, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Power cuts have become a fact of life in war-torn Gaza. But thanks to embedded SIM cards, Palestinians can still access the internet and stay in touch with loved ones abroad. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Gaza journalists killed at rate of 7.5%, higher than US soldiers in recent wars: IFJ

IFJ has recorded the death of 75 journalists in Gaza since Oct. 7 out of an estimated 1,000 working there before the war began.