Paris
Christophe Deloire, head of the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has died aged 53, the group announced.
According to RSF, Deloire died of cancer.
The former newspaper and television journalist has led the watchdog since 2012 and transformed it into a “global leader in advocacy for journalism”, according to the statement.
“Journalism was the struggle of his life and he fought it out with unwavering conviction,” said Reporters Without Borders, commonly known by its French acronym RSF.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Deloir on TV X, saying he had “journalism at heart”.
De Loire said he had “worked tirelessly” for freedom of information and democratic debate.
“His universal struggle is ours,” he added.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists told X it was “deeply saddened” by Deloir's death.
Phil Chetwynd, international news director at Agence France-Presse, said Deloir was “an unyielding supporter of press freedom.”
“He had extraordinary energy and charisma and was a strong defender of our profession at a time when our work and values ​​were increasingly being questioned,” Mr Chetwynd said.
The activist group, founded in 1985 by four journalists in the southern French town of Montpellier, has become a thorn in the side of dictatorships and tyrannical regimes around the world seeking to silence the media.
