RSF 2025 Press Freedom Predators – Aliyev and Erdoğan

· November 7, 2025

Press Freedom Predators: Aliyev and Erdogan

The 2025 Press Freedom Predators list serves as a counterpart to the World Press Freedom Index published annually by RSF. While the Index assesses the state of press freedom in countries, this list highlights those who trample it underfoot. These predators are divided into five categories, directly derived from the Index’s indicators: political, security, economic, legal and social. Each predator is located in accordance with the attacks carried out in 2025: those who use the state apparatus to muzzle the media; those who resort to physical violence against journalists or imprison them; those who financially cripple news media; those who manipulate the law to imprison or censor; and those who incite hatred toward the profession. Who are they? What was their hit list in 2025? And what were their deadly weapons?

RSF Names Aliyev and Erdoğan Among 2025 “Press Freedom Predators”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its 2025 “Press Freedom Predators” report, identifying a new group of world leaders accused of suppressing independent journalism and silencing dissent. The list, part of RSF’s long-standing campaign to expose those undermining media freedom, includes Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both cited for their governments’ systematic repression of free expression and the press.

The “Predators” report complements RSF’s annual World Press Freedom Index, which ranks countries according to their media environments. Both Azerbaijan and Turkey remain in the category of states facing very serious conditions for press freedom, with journalists operating under constant threat of harassment, censorship, and prosecution. RSF notes that the latest findings illustrate a continuing erosion of independent journalism under authoritarian leadership.

RSF describes Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled since 2003, as maintaining a media system under complete state control. Independent journalism has been virtually eliminated, replaced by propaganda outlets loyal to the presidency. Reporters investigating corruption or human rights violations are regularly subjected to arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and surveillance. RSF cites the persecution of media outlets such as Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Meydan TV, whose staff have faced raids, imprisonment, or forced exile. According to the report, Azerbaijan has become one of the most dangerous countries in Europe for journalists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appears in the section devoted to legal predators, those who weaponize the justice system to silence critical voices. RSF highlights the extensive use of anti-terrorism legislation, defamation suits, and digital censorship to target reporters and media outlets. Many journalists remain imprisoned or face ongoing trials, while independent newspapers and television channels have been shut down or taken over by pro-government interests. The judiciary, RSF warns, has been transformed into a mechanism of intimidation, with prolonged detentions and politically motivated prosecutions becoming standard practice.

In publishing the 2025 report, RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire urged governments and international organizations to treat these figures as threats to democracy itself. “They do not simply repress journalists,” he said. “They attack the public’s right to information — and that undermines every citizen’s freedom.”