Journalists in Trouble is a monthly report of incidents targeting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists and their work, and developments affecting press freedom in our coverage region. Subscribe for exclusive updates.   

IRAN: U.S. Senators Support Reza Valizadeh on Second Anniversary of Arrest 

In a bipartisan letter on September 22, U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, Marsha Blackburn, Jacky Rosen, and Dave McCormick called on the Trump administration to make the release of U.S. citizen and former RFE/RL journalist Reza Valizadeh an “urgent priority.” The letter came as Reza marked his second year behind bars. 

Reza was arrested on September 22, 2024, while visiting family in Iran. In December 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “collaborating with a hostile government.” The charge stems from his reporting for RFE/RL’s Persian-language service, known locally as Radio Farda. 

PBS News Hour reported on the anniversary of Reza’s wrongful detention. Reza’s lawyer, Ryan Fayhee, told PBS that he was “deeply concerned” about Reza’s detention conditions and health, which has significantly deteriorated while in custody. 

Reza is currently held in Tehran’s notoriously harsh Evin Prison, where he is forced to endure overcrowded and unhygienic conditions. He has stated that he is denied access to basic medical care, such as an inhaler to treat his asthma. 

RFE/RL’s Acting President and CEO Lisa Curtis released a statement to mark the anniversary.  

“We continue to call for the immediate release of our former @RFERL colleague Reza by Iranian authorities. For two years, they have punished him, an American citizen, holding him hostage in unimaginable conditions.” 

Following the release of U.S. citizen Kamran Hekmati, Reza became the only American known to still be held in an Iranian prison. The U.S. State Department has designated Reza as wrongfully detained and considers Iran a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.” 

You can keep up with Reza’s case by visiting this website or by following this X account.  

AZERBAIJAN: Bipartisan Letter Calls for Farid Mehralizada’s Release 

In a bipartisan letter on September 26, U.S. Sens. Peter Welch, Thom Tillis, and Tim Kaine urged the Trump administration to prioritize the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. The letter named RFE/RL’s Farid Mehralizada and Voice of America’s Ulviyya Ali among eight emblematic cases the administration should prioritize. 

November 16 will mark Farid’s 900^th day of unjust imprisonment. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in June 2025 on baseless charges intended to punish him for his independent journalism. While in prison, Farid missed the birth of his only child. 

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, RFE/RL’s Acting President and CEO Lisa Curtis called on Azerbaijani authorities to release Farid and allow him to return to his family. 

TAKE ACTION: You can write a letter of support to Farid by following the link here. 

RUSSIA: Nika Novak Marks 1000^th Day in Prison 

On September 20, RFE/RL journalist Nika Novak marked her 1000^th day behind bars in Russia. Nika was sentenced to four years in prison on November 26, 2024, on politically motivated charges of “collaboration with a foreign organization on a confidential basis.”  

In May, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued its opinion finding Nika’s detention to be arbitrary and calling for her release. 

TAKE ACTION: RFE/RL encourages supporters to write to Nika by following the link here.  

UKRAINE: RFE/RL Reports from the Ground Moments after Russian Strike 

On September 28, a Russian drone struck Dobrobut Medical Center in central Kyiv, causing severe damage and injuring civilians. The strike took place just 150 meters from RFE/RL’s Kyiv Bureau. RFE/RL staff were unharmed. 

RFE/RL war correspondent Maryan Kushnir was in the area tracking the movement of Russian drones and witnessed the strike up close: “I ran to the scene immediately, but they had already started evacuating everyone from Dobrobut. There was debris all over the street in the center of Kyiv… I was running on adrenaline… and naturally, I started filming…” Kushnir wrote in a Facebook post. You can watch his video report here. 

In Case You Missed It:  

• RFE/RL’s Acting President and CEO Lisa Curtis moderated a panel examining five years of the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan. The panel featured former US national security adviser General H.R. McMaster, ex-Afghan Ambassador to Norway Shukria Barakzai, and regional expert Ahmad Khalid Majidyar. You can watch the video here. 

• Formerly imprisoned RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva spoke at the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom on the rise of legal harassment of female journalists. Alsu, who was wrongfully detained in Russia for more than nine months, urged everyone to keep saying the names of those imprisoned for their journalism, such as RFE/RL’s Nika Novak in Russia.  

My name is Nathan Shoemaker, Advocacy Officer here at RFE/RL and the author of Journalists in Trouble. Thank you for reading and subscribing to our newsletter and for standing with persecuted journalists.       

If you are interested in amplifying the stories of our imprisoned journalists, you can reach us by emailing advocacy@rferl.org.