Middle East & North Africa

In a joint statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined several press freedom and human rights organizations on Thursday, urging Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release political writer Ahmed Douma. Douma was arrested on April 6 at the Supreme State Security Prosecution headquarters following a six-hour interrogation and held for nearly two months in…

New York, July 9, 2026 – Algerian authorities must immediately release freelance journalist and blogger Mourad At-Mimou and stop targeting journalists for their online commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Plainclothes police officers detained At-Mimou on July 7, while he was at a café in Tizi-Ouzou, in northern Algeria’s Kabylie region, according to…

Nazareth, Israel, July 8, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into separate attacks targeting the offices of the Israeli daily Haaretz and broadcaster Channel 12 in Tel Aviv, and to ensure the safety of journalists and media workers. On Tuesday night, a masked person shattered…

As LGBTQ+ communities celebrate Pride this June, many journalists continue to face an ugly reality: simply reporting on this community can open them up to prosecution, physical attacks, threats, arrest, exile, and even death.  Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born American who blogged about LGBTQ+ rights and free expression, was stabbed to death alongside his wife after…

Washington, D.C., June 25, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Yemen’s internationally recognized government to conduct an immediate, transparent investigation into Mohammed Aydah’s killing. Aydah, a correspondent for Saudi-owned channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, was killed on Wednesday when an explosive device detonated under the driver’s seat of his vehicle in the southern…

On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists and five other press freedom and human rights organizations sent a joint letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for an immediate change in the EU’s approach toward Tunisia due to a severe human rights decline.  The signatories urged von der Leyen to condemn…

New York, June 25, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is conducting a full review of its database of journalists killed during the Israel-Gaza War after militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published obituaries identifying as combatants individuals previously listed by CPJ as journalists. In all countries and conflicts, CPJ removes names from…

Washington, D.C., June 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of prominent journalist Haidar Qandil, who disappeared Monday after leaving his office, according to his family and several media outlets. Freelance Egyptian journalist Iman Adel said in a Facebook post that she had been in contact with…

World Refugee Day draws attention to journalists who have been forced to flee their home countries due to threats, conflict, or repression. While exile is now recognized as a growing reality for journalists worldwide, the experiences of journalists CPJ supported last year reflect the reality that relocation does not necessarily bring safety. Increasingly, journalists in…

When French journalist Alice Froussard landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport a week ago, she arrived with a valid travel authorization and plans to report from the occupied West Bank, where she had worked for years. By the next morning, Israeli authorities placed her on a flight back to Paris, denying her entry.  She…