RSF Names Taliban Leader and Trump Among Global Press Freedom Restrictors
DID Press: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has included Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and US President Donald Trump on its 2026 list of those restricting press freedom, criticising the suppression of independent media in Afghanistan and limits on journalists’ access to government institutions in the United States.
RSF released its annual report, titled The List of Press Freedom Predators, on Monday, marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
The report identifies 33 individuals and entities across five categories: political, security, judicial, economic and social. According to RSF, they restrict the work of independent media through violence, legal and economic pressure, and the manipulation of information.
Hibatullah and Trump in the Political Category
The political category includes eight leaders and officials, among them Hibatullah Akhundzada, Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
RSF criticised the Taliban’s policies toward independent media and said the Trump administration had also restricted journalists’ access to government institutions and decision-making centres.
According to the report, the United States ranks 64th in the World Press Freedom Index.
Violence and Judicial and Economic Pressure
In the security category, the Israeli armed forces and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are named over the killing of journalists in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
China’s Communist Party is also included for imprisoning large numbers of journalists. RSF says China holds the world’s highest number of jailed journalists.
In the judicial category, officials and institutions from the United States, Turkey, Hong Kong, Russia, India and Kazakhstan are accused of using the justice system to restrict media activities.
The economic category includes technology companies Alphabet and Meta, alongside several business and political figures. They are accused of using financial tools to exert pressure on media organisations and editorial independence.
Attacks on Media Credibility
The social category includes figures such as Elon Musk, Argentine President Javier Milei and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
RSF accuses those listed in this category of undermining the credibility of media organisations and fuelling public distrust of journalism.
Thibaut Bruttin, RSF’s director-general, said physical, verbal, judicial and economic pressure was restricting the work of independent media and making it harder for citizens to access information.