World Press Freedom Day

On World Press Freedom Day, France condemns the attacks and acts of violence against journalists and media professionals. It pays tribute to those, too many again this year, who have been killed while carrying out their work around the world, in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere. We honour the memory of Antoni Lallican, a French photojournalist, who was killed on 3 October 2025 in a Russian drone strike. Russia has made press freedom a target.

During the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, France, alongside 21 other countries, demanded the protection of journalists and media professionals in Gaza, in accordance with international humanitarian law. France called on the Israeli authorities to allow independent foreign media access to Gaza. In southern Lebanon, four journalists have died since March in strikes carried out by the Israeli army. The deliberate targeting of journalists, where established, constitutes a war crime. France supports the Lebanese authorities in their efforts to fully investigate these tragedies and ensure that justice is served.

France is mobilizing the international community in support of an honest, free and regulated information space. The Partnership for Information and Democracy, launched with Reporters Without Borders, is supported by 57 countries. In October 2025, at the Paris Peace Forum, 34 States committed to multilateral action to safeguard information integrity and media independence. France has renewed its support for the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM). It supports the international rollout of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), a certification framework promoting media outlets that meet standards of ethics and independence.

In the face of restrictions on freedom of expression and press freedom in many countries around the world, and the spread of disinformation and increasing manipulation of information, France reaffirms that the freedom to inform and to be informed is essential to democracy. The release of arbitrarily detained journalists and media professionals is imperative.

France continues to engage with the Algerian authorities to secure the release of Christophe Gleizes and his return to France.