The annual report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows that Iran, with twenty-one imprisoned journalists and one disappeared, is among the countries with the highest number of jailed journalists.
Following China, Russia, and Myanmar—which top the list of countries with the most imprisoned journalists—Belarus, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Iran, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia rank next
Thibaut Bruttin, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders, said on Tuesday, December 9, that crimes against journalists stem from governments’ impunity.
He added that the failure of international organizations to guarantee journalists’ protection in armed conflicts is the result of a global decline in governments’ courage to implement necessary public protection policies.
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The new RSF report includes separate sections dedicated to journalists working in war zones, including Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, and Syria.
The organization warns that these environments have become increasingly deadly.
According to the report, about 43% of journalists killed in the past twelve months lost their lives in Gaza at the hands of Israeli armed forces.
The report emphasizes that in Ukraine, the Russian military continues to target both foreign and Ukrainian journalists.
Sudan is also described as one of the deadliest war zones for media workers.
Exiled journalists
RSF lists Iran among the ten countries with the highest number of exiled journalists. Afghanistan, Russia, Sudan, Belarus, Myanmar, El Salvador, and Kyrgyzstan also appear on this list, with Iran ranking fourth in terms of exiled journalists.
The report states that of more than forty media outlets supported by RSF’s assistance office in the past twelve months, nineteen belong to editorial teams from Afghanistan, Russia, Sudan, Iran, Belarus, Myanmar, El Salvador, and Kyrgyzstan, all of which continue operating in exile.
More than half of the journalists who sought emergency assistance from RSF in 2025 came from forty-four different countries and were forced to leave their homelands.
RSF has called for targeted sanctions against officials and institutions responsible for monitoring, repressing, and arresting journalists.
The situation of journalists in Iran
Following the nationwide 2022 protests in Iran—known globally as the Mahsa Amini uprising—media repression intensified significantly.
Social repression and the imposition of sweeping restrictions on journalists—especially after the twelve-day war—continue, with no sign of easing or opening of space.
UN experts have urged Iran’s regime to end the post-ceasefire repression and warned that the aftermath of the war must not be used as an opportunity to silence dissent and intensify crackdowns.
Over the past year, after events such as the explosion at Rajaei Port, the twelve-day war, and the activation of the snapback mechanism against Iran’s regime, many journalists were interrogated by various security bodies—especially the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC—for content posted on social media.
