Middle East & North Africa documents by Year:
Al-Rasheed TV CEO Nizar Thanoun shot and killed in Baghdad
February 12, 2020 12:15 PM ET
Beirut, February 12, 2020 -- Iraqi authorities should conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the killing of Al-Rasheed TV chief executive officer Nizar Thanoun and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Iranian intelligence agents raid homes of 4 journalists, confiscate equipment
February 5, 2020 12:27 PM ET
Washington, D.C., February 5, 2020 -- Iranian authorities should cease raiding journalists’ homes and should return all material confiscated in recent raids, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Five Syrian journalists injured while covering clashes in Aleppo and Idlib
February 4, 2020 1:05 PM ET
Five Syrian journalists embedded with forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad were injured in two incidents, on January 29 and February 2, 2020, in the northwestern Syrian governorates of Idlib and Aleppo, according to news reports and reports by their employers....
Iran finds 3 editors guilty of defamation and spreading false news
February 3, 2020 4:11 PM ET
Washington, D.C., February 3, 2020 – Iranian authorities should immediately drop the false news and defamation charges against the editors of three news outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Israeli security forces arrest 1 Palestinian journalist, and injure another covering protests
February 3, 2020 3:45 PM ET
Beirut, February 3, 2020 -- Israeli authorities should reveal the reason for journalist Mohammad Malhem’s arrest or release him immediately, and should investigate the injuries sustained by journalist Abdul Mohsen Shalaldeh and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
Dijlah TV broadcaster suspended for 1 month in Jordan, offices raided in Iraq
January 28, 2020 1:15 PM ET
Beirut, January 28, 2020 -- Jordanian authorities should immediately lift the suspension of Dijlah TV and allow the station to broadcast freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering protests in Lebanon
January 22, 2020 3:20 PM ET
Protests in Lebanon have become more violent in recent weeks, with approximately 500 protesters and members of the security forces injured, according to reports. Lebanese authorities have used water cannon, batons, rubber bullets and, on occasion, fired teargas directly at protesters, according to reports. Protesters have thrown projectiles including...
Saudi crown prince’s alleged hacking of Bezos raises press freedom concerns
January 22, 2020 10:56 AM ET
Washington, January 22, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined U.N. human rights experts in calling for an investigation into the alleged hacking of The Washington Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The U.N. experts called the alleged hacking “an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's...
Qatar changes penal code to include ‘false news’ law
January 21, 2020 3:09 PM ET
New York, January 21, 2020—Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani amended Article 136 of the country’s penal code to make the publication or sharing of “false news” punishable by up to five years in prison or a 100,000 Qatari riyal fine (US$27,473), according to the Beirut-based Gulf Center for...
Lebanese authorities detain US freelancer Nicholas Frakes for 2 days
January 21, 2020 1:50 PM ET
At about 8:30 p.m. on January 19, 2020, Lebanese security forces arrested Nicholas Frakes, a U.S. national and freelance reporter, while he was covering protests in downtown Beirut, according to news reports and a friend of the journalist, who spoke to CPJ....