Saint Petersburg (Russia), April 23, 2026 (SPS) – The Director of the Sahara Press Service (SPS), Mr. Saleh Nafea, took part in a roundtable discussion at Saint Petersburg University on international journalism and the challenges facing the profession, as well as the pressures and threats journalists are exposed to, especially in areas of armed conflict.
The roundtable was organized as part of the media forum held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Journalism and Media at Saint Petersburg University.
The discussion, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, brought together a number of experts and senior journalists who graduated from the faculty and are currently working across various Russian media outlets, including the official TASS News Agency and RIA Novosti, in addition to the Secretary-General of the Russian Journalists’ Union and well-known television presenters from official Russian TV channels.
The session opened with a video address by Maria Zakharova, the official spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Ministry’s Information and Press Department. She extended her sincere congratulations to the faculty from which she graduated, praising its leading role in training some of Russia’s finest journalists, and wishing success to the discussions, after which participants began sharing their professional experiences with a group of graduating students.
The Director of the Sahara Press Service seized the opportunity to present a comprehensive briefing on the state of Sahrawi media, highlighting the Sahara Press Service as a model. He also spoke at length about the situation of Sahrawi journalists in the occupied territories and stressed the need for international cooperation to protect them from risks, threats, and physical assaults—particularly against Sahrawi women journalists, who face arbitrary arrest, detention, and beatings, especially while covering events and demonstrations opposing the occupation.
He further addressed in depth the media blockade and blackout imposed on the occupied territory, including restrictions on the entry of foreign correspondents and human rights activists, as well as the harassment of Sahrawi political activists and their imprisonment to prevent them from carrying out any field activities.
Following his intervention, participants expressed their admiration for the role of the Sahara Press Service and the courage and determination of journalists in the occupied territories, and their contribution to breaking the media blackout despite the risks they face.
In the same context, a documentary film about the situation of the Sahrawi people in the refugee camps was screened. It was produced by a journalism student who had recently participated in the international university conference on the Sahrawi issue held at the end of last February at Tindouf University in Algeria.
It is worth noting that the roundtable was also attended by the Polisario Front’s representative in the Russian Federation, Dr. Ali Salem Mohamed Fadel.
Related blogs
