Christophe Deloire, head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a Paris-based press freedom group, died on Saturday aged 53, the organisation said.

Deloire died as a result of cancer, Reporters Without Borders said in a statement to AFP.

A former newspaper and television reporter, he had been at the helm of the media watchdog since 2012, transforming RSF "into a global champion for the defence of journalism," the statement said.

"Journalism was his life's struggle, which he waged with unshakeable conviction," said Reporters Without Borders, which is widely known by its French initials RSF.

The activist group, launched in 1985 in the southern French town of Montpellier by four journalists, has become a thorn in the side of autocratic and despotic regimes around the world which would prefer to muzzle the media.

The group has had no fear of angering powerful figures, labelling leaders such as Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "predators" of press freedom.

It has repeatedly condemned press freedom restrictions in Russia since Putin launched the war against Ukraine in 2022.

The group also launched a package of satellite news channels catering to Russia, much of it produced by exiled Russian journalists.