Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has named Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev an enemy of press freedom.

RSF included Aliyev and Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgia's Georgian Dream party, on its list of press freedom predators.

The announcement came on November 2, the World Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. RSF profiled 34 individuals and groups who attacked journalists and free information in 2025.

The organization stated that those on the list share a hatred for press freedom. Their methods differ, but their goal is the same: to silence independent media and suppress the public's right to information. These methods include murder, imprisonment, blackmail, propaganda, and online troll armies, according to RSF.

The RSF list includes Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Each of them has been known for persecuting journalists and media this year.

The Israeli army, Myanmar's State Peace and Security Council, and the military junta of Burkina Faso are also on the list.

RSF noted that those who target press freedom in 2025 are increasingly using technology. For example, Elon Musk uses social media to go after journalists.

RSF accuses Aliyev of taking control of Azerbaijan's media and silencing independent voices, creating a media desert.

Since November 2023, over 30 journalists and activists in Azerbaijan have been arrested on smuggling charges. They deny the charges, claiming they are politically motivated and tied to their work. Many have since had their charges increased.

Local human rights groups say there are over 390 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. Government officials claim that no one is imprisoned for their work or political views, stating that those on the lists are being held responsible for their actions.

International human rights organizations are calling on the government to stop persecuting free voices and release those wrongly held.

RSF says Aliyev and Ivanishvili are press freedom predators for restricting press freedom in their countries.

RSF notes that the 34 individuals and groups on the list use different methods to silence independent media and limit public access to information. These methods include murder, arrest, defamation, propaganda, and troll armies.

RSF says that least 26 journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan recently, and Abzas Media employees have received long prison sentences.

The agency says the pressure on the media began with a raid on Abzas Media and the arrest of its director, Ulvi Hasanli, and editor-in-chief, Sevinj Vagifgizi. Later, journalists from Meydan TV, Toplum TV, and Kanal 13 were also detained.

Azerbaijan ranks 167th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2025 Press Freedom Index.

RSF says Ivanishvili still has key influence in Georgia, even after stepping down from politics.

The organization says his business gives him power over Georgia's media. Several TV channels, like Imedi TV and Rustavi 2, share views that benefit his Georgian Dream party.

RSF says that because of his power, media freedom in Georgia has weakened, and smear campaigns, pressure, and attacks against journalists have increased.

The organization also mentioned the two-year prison sentence of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli and Georgia's failure to respect press freedom, which is blocking its path to joining the European Union.

Georgia ranks 114th in RSF’s 2025 Press Freedom Index.

According to RSF, Ivanishvili's actions in Georgia have turned freedom of speech into a tool of economic power, while independent media has been silenced or pushed aside.

Other figures on the press freedom predators list include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Israeli military, and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

RSF says the list is designed to show the public who is suppressing freedom of speech and to bring attention to the fight against it.

RSF says that press workers were the goal of various predatory actions in 2025.

Some press freedom predators limit the spread of correct information, others kill or imprison journalists, while others control media funding or silence journalists through statements and lawsuits.