IFJ Issues Global Red Alert as Journalist Deaths Surge in 2025
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has declared a "global red alert" for press freedom after its annual report documented the killings of 128 journalists and media workers in 2025, marking one of the deadliest years on record. The findings, described by IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger as "not just a statistic," highlight an extreme concentration of violence in the Middle East and a pervasive climate of impunity for the perpetrators.
Conflict Zones
For the third consecutive year, the Middle East and Arab World was the most lethal region for journalists, accounting for 74 deaths, or 58% of the global total. The ongoing war in Gaza was the single deadliest conflict, with the IFJ confirming 56 Palestinian journalists killed there in 2025 alone. Bellanger stressed the unprecedented nature of this toll, stating, "We've never seen anything like this: so many deaths in such a short time, in such a small area".
The violence in the region extended beyond Gaza. In one of the worst single attacks on media offices, an Israeli strike on the '26 September' newspaper in Yemen killed 13 journalists. Elsewhere in the world, conflict zones remained exceptionally dangerous. Ukraine recorded eight journalist deaths, while Sudan reported six. In the Asia-Pacific region, 15 journalists were killed, including four in India and three each in Pakistan and the Philippines.
The Silence the Truth
The IFJ and regional press freedom groups warn that the killings, particularly in Palestine, are not incidental but part of a deliberate strategy to suppress reporting. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate released a separate report alleging that Israeli forces have killed at least 706 family members of Palestinian journalists since October 2023. This tactic, described as "collective punishment," aims to turn journalism into an "existential burden" and intimidate reporters into silence. The IFJ has also raised alarms about systemic pressures on media freedom in Israel, including a newly passed law allowing the government to permanently shut down foreign media outlets deemed a security threat without judicial oversight.
Beyond the killings, the IFJ reports a deepening crisis with the imprisonment of journalists. A record 533 journalists are currently jailed worldwide, a number that has more than doubled in the past five years. China, including Hong Kong, remains the world's worst jailer of journalists, with 143 behind bars. This trend is often linked to the use of broad national security laws. While Western governments have criticized Hong Kong's National Security Law for suppressing dissent, Chinese authorities and supporters argue it was a necessary response to instability and has restored order and economic confidence to the city.
A Call to End Impunity
The IFJ condemned the persistent "impunity" enjoyed by those who attack journalists, warning that without justice, the cycle of violence will continue. The federation is calling for immediate and decisive action from governments and the international community to protect media workers, including the creation of a United Nations convention dedicated to journalist safety. As the 2025 report makes clear, the attack on journalists is an attack on the public's right to know, and the current level of violence represents a direct threat to global press freedom and informed democracy.