Press Freedom Under Threat

by Amnesty International, USA Country and Thematic Specialists

Around the world, journalists are being silenced, jailed, and disappeared—simply for doing their jobs. From Guatemala to Hong Kong, Russia to Tunisia, governments are increasingly weaponizing vague laws, judicial systems, and the use of force to suppress the truth.

These attacks on the press are not isolated incidents; they are deliberate strategies to dismantle the very foundations of human rights. The erosion of press freedom is a warning sign—one that signals a broader slide toward authoritarian practices, including in the United States, where attacks against the media grow more hostile by the day.

On World Press Freedom Day, Amnesty International USA’s country and thematic specialists shine a light on courageous journalists around the world who risk everything to expose injustice.

We urge everyone to stand with them—share their stories and take action to protect the truth.

President Trump is attacking the freedom of the press, including hand-picking which outlets can cover the White House and demonizing reporters. Before becoming president, he sued media outlets CBS News and the Des Moines Register for publishing something he didn’t agree with. He’s barred the AP from covering events at the White House because he disagreed with an editorial decision to use “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.” He’s called on outlets to fire specific reporters for coverage that doesn’t paint him in the light he wants and has quipped that he’d jail reporters as retribution for unfavorable coverage. In addition to dismantling Voice of America, he’s supported slashing funding for outlets like NPR and PBS.

What’s more, while President Trump is attacking freedom of the press and journalistic integrity, social media companies, including Meta and Elon Musk’s X, have been granted unprecedented access to the White House, have dismantled fact-checking programs on their platforms, contributing to the spread of disinformation, especially with such a high percentage of Americans getting their news from social media platforms. 

To scrutinize and ultimately hold political leaders accountable, the press must have the freedom to report independent news without being blocked from access, punished, or intimidated. The government must respect and protect free and independent media and maximize transparency and access to information.

Take action to protect the freedom of the press in the U.S.

Guatemalan authorities are weaponizing criminal law to crush press freedom and silence those who expose corruption and abuse. Journalists, human rights defenders, and Indigenous leaders are being targeted with sham trials, arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, and threats—including gender-based and racist attacks—by a justice system acting as an enforcer of political repression. Journalist José Rubén Zamora has spent over 800 days unjustly jailed for reporting on government corruption. Claudia González, a former anti-corruption lawyer with the International Commission Against Impunity (CICIG) is being targeted for investigating cases of corruption in the justice system. And Indigenous leader Rigoberto Juárez faces ongoing persecution for defending land and environmental rights. They are among hundreds facing criminalization simply for exercising their right to free expression. These attacks violate human rights in Guatemala and threaten the very foundations of a free and open society.

Amnesty International’s “No Fear, No Gag” campaign is a call to stand with those who refuse to be silenced. Add your voice to defend press freedom and protect the truth in Guatemala.

On March 6, 2025, prisoner of conscience Jimmy Lai concluded testimony in his trial under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong. This marked the 52nd day in the witness box for the 77-year-old man who has been in solitary confinement for over three and a half years. Lai faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted. 

Lai is a businessperson and founder of the now-defunct prominent Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, which started as a local tabloid and later became well-known for its pro-democracy editorial positions and being critical of the Chinese government. Lai has been subjected to a string of prosecutions in retaliation for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly during the 2019 mass protests in Hong Kong.  

On December 11, 2020, Jimmy Lai was charged under the NSL and the Crimes Ordinance. Hong Kong authorities said the charges were related to the publication of articles in Apple Daily that called on foreign countries to impose sanctions. Authorities also cited Lai’s meetings with U.S. politicians and interviews with overseas media, his Twitter (now X) posts and his list of followers on the platform, which included prominent foreign politicians and NGOs supportive of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.  

In an op-ed in the Boston Globe, his son Sebastien Lai, said his father “faces the real possibility of life in prison, which, given his age and health, may not be long.” Jimmy Lai is a prisoner of conscience, and the Hong Kong authorities must release him immediately and unconditionally, drop the charges and expunge all his criminal convictions. 

Maria Ponomarenko, a journalist with online media RusNews, was sentenced on February 15, 2023, to six years’ imprisonment under Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code for a social media post condemning the Russian strike on the drama theatre in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians were reportedly sheltering. She is serving her sentence in penal colony IK-6 in Shipunovo, 175 km from Barnaul, southern Siberia, where she has faced ill-treatment, including multiple placements in a disciplinary cell (SHIZO), solitary confinement and denial of adequate healthcare.

In November 2023, authorities initiated a second criminal case against Maria under Article 321(2) for allegedly attacking two male penal colony officers, a charge she denies. This follows a pattern of additional punishments for political prisoners, as seen in the case of Aleksei Gorinov. On March 27, 2025, the Shipunovsky District Court granted an additional one year and 10 months to Maria and ordered her to undergo outpatient psychiatric treatment upon her release. Taking into account the partial concurrence of sentences, the 22-month sentence will not be automatically added to Maria Ponomarenko’s previous term of imprisonment, meaning her combined prison term is less than seven years and 10 months.

Maria is at serious risk of self-harm. The Russian authorities must safeguard Maria’s physical and mental health and act immediately to protect her from further harm and ensure she urgently receives any healthcare she requires. The reports that she has already self-harmed and is on a dry hunger strike raise serious concerns about her well-being.

We urge the authorities to grant access to an independent medical expert and an independent human rights expert to assess her conditions and treatment in detention.

Write a solidarity message to Maria Ponomarenko

EGYPT: Targeted for Telling the Truth

Egyptian journalist, 68-year-old Tawfik Ghanem, has been arbitrarily detained since May 21, 2021, without trial, pending investigations by the Supreme State Security Prosecution into charges of “spreading false news” and “misusing social media,” among others. Authorities in Badr 1 prison, where he is held, continue to deny him access to adequate healthcare, including transfer to a hospital and medication, for his numerous health conditions, including diabetes, a bone disease and a skin condition. He should be released immediately and unconditionally, as he is held solely in connection to his legitimate media work.

Mohamed Boughalleb, a prominent Tunisian journalist, was arrested on March 22, 2024, on baseless charges of spreading false news; the charges stemmed from a complaint by a senior official of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The complaint was based on comments Mohamed Boughalleb made publicly on his social media page as well as on TV and radio shows, questioning spending by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. He was convicted and sentenced to eight months in prison for defaming the official. His health deteriorated severely during his unjust detention. Released on February 20, 2025, Boughalleb is subject to a travel ban and continues to face harassment by authorities.

On May 11, 2024, a FRANCE 24 crew was live-broadcasting the scene of Sonia Dahmani seeking refuge on the premises of the Bar Association offices in Tunis, when, at 7:45 p.m. Tunisian police officers (masked and in civilian clothing) stormed the Bar Association offices and abruptly interrupted the broadcast by snatching the camera from its tripod. They proceeded to arrest Sonia Dahmani. Based on her public comments during her regular appearances on television and radio shows, Tunisian authorities initiated five separate legal proceedings against her. She was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in two cases. Both convictions were based on the draconian Decree-Law 2022-54 on Cybercrimes. The proceedings against Sonia Dahmani are taking place against the backdrop of an intensifying crackdown on freedom of expression.  In solidarity with Sonia Dahmani and Mohamed Boughalleb, sign this petition demanding that Tunisian President Kais Saied immediately and unconditionally release Sonia Dahmani, quash her unjust convictions, and drop the baseless criminal investigations against her. In addition, the petition calls for Tunisian authorities to repeal Decree-Law 2022-54, along with vague or overbroad provisions of other existing codes that have been used to criminalize free expression.

Pakistan’s government’s record on human rights has long been tainted by its use of enforced disappearances to silence journalists and suppress social activists and human rights defenders who dare to speak up and criticize the government. Regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both of which hold a large ethnic-minority population, are particularly perilous, and Amnesty International has described Balochistan as “a graveyard for journalists.” At least 10,078 enforced disappearances have been recorded in Pakistan since 2011, and human rights groups expect the numbers to be much higher. While the Pakistani Penal Code addresses kidnapping and abduction, it doesn’t specifically criminalize enforced disappearances as a separate offense, and the judiciary is often unable to hold security agencies accountable, leading to a lack of accountability from the state. Families of the disappeared are regularly harassed, and the intimidation is worse for those who have launched public protests and openly campaigned to seek justice for their loved ones.

One recent instance of a journalist forcibly disappeared for his outspoken criticism of enforced disappearances and the armed military forces is Ahmad Farhad. A renowned Urdu poet and Kashmiri journalist, Ahmad is known for uplifting themes such as enforced disappearances in his poetry and supporting social movements. On May 15, 2024, Ahmad’s family witnessed him being taken away in an unknown vehicle by four men in plain clothes from his home in Islamabad. Despite the Islamabad High Court filing reports to initiate an investigation into his disappearance, his whereabouts remained unknown until May 29, 2024, when he resurfaced in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir and was taken into custody on obstruction charges. In addition, he faced trumped-up charges for reporting on the Kashmir Long March, a series of protests in which people gathered to demand respect for their rights, including economic rights, reduced electricity tariffs, and wheat subsidies. While he was granted bail on June 14, 2024, the charges against him remain, and the investigation continues. 

If found guilty, Ahmad may spend up to 10 years in prison. Ahmad should not be subjected to criminal charges for his work as a journalist covering peaceful protests and advocating against enforced disappearances. Send an appeal letter to the Pakistani Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi, and urge the Pakistani government to drop all criminal proceedings against Ahmad, end the harassment and intimidation, and ensure that anyone suspected of being involved in Ahmad’s enforced disappearance is investigated. Ahmad’s right to free speech must be protected. He has a right to justice.

In Sri Lanka, it can be dangerous to be a journalist. Journalists who dare to criticize the government have been arrested and tortured. Prior to 2015, Sri Lanka was considered by Reporters Without Borders as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, where impunity for crimes against journalists was prevalent. At least 15 media workers are estimated to have been killed in Sri Lanka since 2006. In recent years, journalists have faced police intimidation, raids on media outlets, anonymous death threats, and smear campaigns aimed at silencing their reporting. 

One emblematic case is the disappeared journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda (pictured above). He went missing after leaving work on January 24, 2010. Two days earlier, he had published an article critical of then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Despite years of police investigations, the Sri Lankan government has not accounted for his fate. While a court case against members of military intelligence accused of involvement in his enforced disappearance has been proceeding for the past several years, it has been subjected to repeated and lengthy delays. This investigation can’t wait any longer.  

Call on the Sri Lankan government to conduct an effective investigation and hold accountable those responsible for Prageeth’s disappearance.