Analyses and data track press freedom conditions throughout the region. Mohamed Abdel Dayem examines five trends to watch from the Arab uprisings. María Salazar and Sheryl Mendez describe the fear and uncertainty facing doens of Iranian exiled journalists. And Robert Mahoney details Turkey’s assault on free expression.

Middle East & North Africa

This is the story of Iranian journalist Javad Moghimi Parsa. TIME magazine published one of the photos he took during his off-duty coverage of the unrest which came after the 2009 elections. Called a spy, he fled into exile. [View a larger version of the video here.]


Analysis

Fear, Uncertainty for Iranian Exiles

Dozens of journalists who have fled Iran to avoid prison face a tense and lengthy process toward resettlement and an uncertain financial and professional future. Most of all, they fear that the Iranian government will catch up with them.
>> فارسي
 
Analysis

From Uprisings, Trends to Watch

Emerging trends favor free expression, but they are filled with ambiguity. Much depends on the political configurations to rise from the revolutionary dust.

Analysis

Turkey Uses the Law to Repress

Turkish authorities are waging a war on free expression by subjecting journalists to endless court proceedings and severe legal consequences.
>> Türkçe

Analysis
Sexual violence against journalists is discussed more openly, but few concrete changes have been made in training.


Middle East & North Africa


Deaths by Type in 2011


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13Dangerous Assignment
5Combat/Crossfire
1Murder

Regional Data

19

Journalists Killed in 2011

144

Journalists In Exile 2001-11



271

Journalists Killed Since 1992

77

Imprisoned on December 1, 2011



174

Unsolved Journalist Murders Since 1992

5

Missing as of December 31, 2011


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Bahrain

2 Journalists died in state custody, both amid allegations of abusive treatment.

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Egypt

160 Attacks on the press during the country’s 18-day uprising.

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Iran

42 Imprisoned in December 2011, the highest figure in the world.
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Iraq

5 Killed in 2011, one of the highest death tolls in the world.

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Israel and the
Occupied
Palestinian
Territory

5 Detentions of journalists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
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Jordan

70 Attacks on the press during an intense five-month period of political unrest.

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Libya

101 Attacks on journalists during the country’s eight-month revolution.
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Morocco

2 Imprisoned in December 2011 as authorities persisted in using judicial retaliation.

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Saudi Arabia

5th Worst nation for bloggers due to restrictive laws and pervasive blocking.
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Sudan

19 Confiscations of newspaper editions. Authorities practiced widespread censorship.

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Syria

8 Imprisoned in December 2011 as the regime used detentions to silence news coverage.
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Tunisia

0 Imprisoned in December 2011 as the new government turned away from retaliatory detentions.

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Yemen

8 International journalists expelled in March as the regime sought to block global coverage.

Country reports in this chapter were researched and written by Dahlia El-Zein, research associate for CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program, with reporting from CPJ Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem.


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