Around the world, journalists have been silent, imprisoned and disappeared – simply to do their job. From Guatemala to the US, Russia and Pakistan, governments are increasingly relying on ambiguous laws and weaponisation of justice systems to curb prestigious laws, the judicial system and freedom of the press.
These attacks on the press are not isolated incidents. They are often at the heart of a deliberate strategy to dismantle human rights foundations. Erosion of press freedom is a warning sign and shows a wider slide towards authoritarianism.
On World Press Freedom Day, we shed light on the state of press freedom around the world, spotlighting worrying trends, and explaining some of the recent developments that put journalists at risk.
Why is freedom of the press so important?
Freedom of the press contributes to the realization of human rights over freedom of expression, particularly the right to seek, communicate and receive information and ideas of all kinds. The Free Press plays an important role in explaining governments and other powerful actors. To do this, the media must be able to report freely and independently without being threatened, blackmailed or punished.
Free press on issues of public interest that shape our lives is a key building block in society that supports all rights. However, in many countries, journalists face oppression and attack.
Governments need to promote and protect free, independent media, and maximize transparency and access to information.
How is press freedom currently being attacked in America?
President Trump has taken various steps to overrestrict his right to freedom of expression and limit freedom of the press. Before becoming president, he sued media outlet CBS News, and Des Moines signed up to publish what he disagreed with. He is forbidden from covering events at the White House because he opposed the editorial decision to use the “Gulf of Mexico” instead of the “Gulf of America.”
He called on stores to fire certain reporters for reports that did not portray him in a positive light, and said he had put prison reporters in prison in retaliation for unfavorable reports. In addition to the demolition of American Voice (VOA), he supports cutting funding to other publicly funded broadcasters such as NPR and PBS, along with Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Marti covering Cuba, and stations broadcast in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the USAID slash has affected the relief assistance of at-risk journalists.
Furthermore, while President Trump attacks press freedom and journalistic integrity, social media companies, including Meta and Elon Musk’s X, have dismantled fact-checking programs on their platforms, helping to spread disinformation. This is especially concerning when such a high percentage of Americans receive news from social media platforms.
Why is Afghanistan ranked as the worst country for media freedom?
The Taliban continues to relentlessly restrain freedom of expression by banning media outlets from operating programming and restricting programming. For example, in November 2024, Unama reported arbitrary intentional arrests, torture, and other abuse use, threats and threats against 336 journalists and media workers from August 2021 to September 2024.
Since his return in 2021, the Taliban has banned many media outlets across the country, including television and radio stations, and has banned many media outlets in the country for critical policy. They also work for certain media outlets operating abroad and impose restrictions on journalists and analysts working together.
At some point in the ongoing attacks on media and freedom of expression, the Taliban reportedly introduced restrictions on live political talk shows, including restrictions on who can participate in interviews and what they can say. The Taliban continues to enforce bans from filming and broadcasting “that living” because it violates the unscrupulous and virtue laws of several states.
What is the state of press freedom in Eastern Europe and Central Asia?
In parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, media freedom continues to decline amid increasing censorship and oppression of independent voices. Governments are increasingly using illegal surveillance and misuse laws to limit free expression and criminalize dissent.
Media freedom does not exist in Belarus. Independent opposition media have been forced into exile, with more than 40 journalists remaining in jail. In Russia, independent outlets are labelled “unwanted” and lead to criminalisation of their work, effectively banning their operations and pushing them overseas. Individual journalists are also targeted as “foreign agents.” That means their funds have been cut, their reputation has been damaged, and they face threats and prosecutions.
Georgia’s media have found themselves at the forefront of government attacks on peaceful protests. Police are specifically targeting journalists to prevent coverage of protests, including illegal forces. Mzia Amaglobeli, a well-known journalist who joined the protesters, is among those currently being detained as a suspected crime. Access to trustworthy information is shrinking across the region, but disinformation is increasingly dominating public spaces.
What is it like to be a Central American journalist?
Guatemalan authorities have weaponized criminal law to crush press freedom and silence those exposing corruption and abuse. Journalists, along with human rights advocates and Indigenous leaders, target threats, including false trials, arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, and sexist and racist attacks, by a judicial system that acts as enforcers of political oppression.
Journalist Jose Reuben Zamora spent more than 1,000 days of unfair persecution reporting on government corruption. After spending 800 days in prison between July 2022 and October 2024, he was sent back to prison in March 2025.
He is among the hundreds who face criminalization solely to exercise their rights of free expression. These attacks violate Guatemala’s human rights and threaten the foundations of a free and open society. Our “frightless, gag” campaign is a call to stance with those who refuse to be silent.
Why is Pakistan forcibly disappearing journalists?
Pakistan’s human rights records have long been contaminated by using forced loss-disappearances to silence journalists and suppress activists and human rights defenders who try to speak out and criticize the government.
In 2024, at least seven journalists were killed in a targeted attack in Pakistan. Both states like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have large ethnic groups, but are particularly dangerous, with Balochistan being described as the “journalist cemetery” by Amnesty International.
The enforced loss of at least 10,078 people, including journalists, have been recorded in Pakistan since 2011, but human rights groups believe the actual figures are much higher. Pakistan’s criminal law is committed to inducing and abduction, but it does not specifically criminalize an enforced loss disappearance as another crime, and judicial agencies are unable to hold security agencies accountable, often leading to a lack of accountability from the state. Disappeared families are regularly harassed, and the threats are worse for those who have launched public protests and openly campaigned to seek justice for their loved ones. Laws such as the Electronic Crime Prevention Act and its amendment in 2025 have also been used to arrest journalists critical of the state.
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How are authorities in East and South Africa cracking down on journalists?
Authorities in East and South Africa continued to impose serious restrictions on the right to media freedom and freedom of expression.
In Madagascar, cybercrime codes and communication codes forced journalists to self-censor due to fear of retaliation. Zimbabwe has enacted the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment (Patriot Act) that threatens media freedom to criminalize what the authorities deemed to be “intentionally injuring Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and national interests.”
Those who dare to report allegations of corruption or human rights violations are also faced with widespread threats, harassment and detention. In Mozambique, where journalists routinely face death threats, violence and even murder, authorities have documented many cases in which journalists targeted journalists, including hypnotized press conferences.
How does Amnesty protect journalists because global photography is so dark?
We continue to actively campaign on the cases of unfairly imprisoned journalists and pressure the government to maintain their right to freedom of expression.
We regularly share it with the whole world of journalists who are threatened or become intimate. We support families whose loved ones are forced to disappear or get imprisoned. And we are calling on our supporters to take action, sign petitions and calling for the release of journalists around the world.
We will continue to call for the repeal of all laws that criminalize those who speak or protest peacefully.
