Middle East & North Africa

Washington, D.C., October 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release the six detained journalists working for investigative media platform Matsadaash, “Don’t Believe It”, reveal their whereabouts, ensure they have prompt access to lawyers and families, and drop any charges stemming solely from their legitimate journalistic work. The crackdown began…

New York, October 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Moroccan authorities to immediately end the unlawful surveillance of journalists, and hold those responsible to account. This demand follows a newly published Amnesty International report documenting the use of spyware and other surveillance methods by Morocco’s intelligence services to monitor journalists, human rights defenders, and…

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined partner organizations on Wednesday in condemning the arrest in recent days of six journalists working for independent Egyptian investigative journalism platform Matsda2sh, and calling for their immediate release. Between Monday, September 28, 2026, and Tuesday, September 29, Egyptian security forces raided homes and arrested Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Abdallah…

New York, September 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to overturn the convictions of two journalists sentenced on September 27, drop a new prosecution against a magazine editor, and immediately release veteran photojournalist Majid Saeedi, whose whereabouts remain unknown nearly three weeks after his arrest. “The latest convictions and prosecutions show…

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined partner organizations on Saturday in condemning the prolonged pre-trial detention of Egyptian journalist Hamdi al-Zaeem, and calling on Egyptian authorities to immediately release him. Al-Zaeem was first arrested on September 26, 2016, then released conditionally on June 23, 2018. He was re-arrested in January 2021 and accused of spreading…

CPJ joined civil society organizations in a letter to the U.S. Senate on September 23, urging senators to co-sponsor and vote “yes” on Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s Section 502B(c) privileged resolution requiring the U.S. State Department to report to Congress on escalating human rights violations in the West Bank, including the killings of U.S. citizens….

New York, September 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday demanded that Tunisian authorities hold accountable those responsible for detaining and allegedly mistreating three local journalists from the independent news website Nawaat.  “Tunisian security forces’ alleged use of deception to lure journalists into detention, attempts to access their phones without a judicial warrant, and threats…

New York, September 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published today the findings of a comprehensive review of its documentation of journalists and media workers killed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory between October 2023 and August 2026.  As a result of new information obtained through the review, CPJ removed 22 individuals previously…

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 10 international press freedom organizations are calling on Israeli authorities to protect the safety and fundamental rights of Israeli investigative journalists and filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor following threats by senior officials and escalating intimidation targeting the journalists, their families, and media outlets that publish their work. In…

Amman September 17, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release Palestinian-American journalist Naqaa Hamed, arrested on Tuesday at a temporary Israeli army checkpoint in the village of Tuqu, near Bethlehem.  Hamed, a freelancer with the local 4D Media production company, was returning from a work assignment for Turkish…