Middle East & North Africa

New York, May 22, 2026—Sudanese authorities must immediately release journalist Rashan Oshi and stop using imprisonment to silence reporting on corruption and other matters of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On May 18, 2026, authorities arrested Oshi, a program host for local private television channel AlBalad TV, in Port Sudan after…

Beirut, May 21, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by the video showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting those detained aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla at Ashdod Port in Israel, which included at least 14 international journalists, while they were handcuffed and held in stress positions on the…

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are warning that the Iranian government is using an ongoing 83-day nationwide internet blackout to hide a severe crackdown on independent media. According to the monitor NetBlocks, the 12-week shutdown is the longest and most severe ever recorded in the country, effectively turning Iran…

Beirut, May 19, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release all journalists and media workers detained after Israeli forces intercepted vessels from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, and to disclose the location and legal status of those being held. According to organizers, on May 18, Israeli forces began intercepting…

Washington, D.C., May 6, 2026 — Since the Iran war started late February, the Committee to Protect Journalists has documented a crackdown on the press across the Gulf, and tracked unpublicized cases of arrests, intimidation, legal and financial actions against journalists and their media outlets. The escalation represents a significant and underreported threat to press…

New York, May 12, 2026 — For years, Tunisia was viewed as one of the few post-Arab Spring success stories for press freedom in the region. In the decade following the 2011 revolution, journalists gained greater space to investigate corruption, criticize authorities, and report more openly than anywhere else in North Africa. Those gains, while…

New York, May 8, 2026 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Zied el-Heni and stop prosecuting journalists under repressive laws for their reporting and commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday after a Tunis court sentenced him to one year in prison. On May 7, authorities convicted El-Heni, founder of the…

To mark the upcoming fourth anniversary of the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, on May 11, 2026, the Abu Akleh family issued a public statement affirming that they “will not stop” pursuing “justice for Shireen through all available avenues.” Abu Akleh was murdered while covering an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in the…

New York, May 7, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan to immediately release journalist Adam Issac Minan, who was kidnapped by the paramilitary group on April 5, 2026, in the city of Kutum in North Darfur state, according to two local journalists, who spoke with CPJ on…

On Thursday, 61 Members of the European Parliament called on the European Union leadership to make stronger calls for foreign journalist access to Gaza. The letter, addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as EU member…