Middle East & North Africa
2005
Imprisoned journalist on hunger strike
New York, April 19, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the health of imprisoned Tunisian journalist Hamadi Jebali. Jebali has been on a hunger strike since April 9 to protest his treatment in Sfax prison, about 142 miles (230 km) from Tunis. . According to his lawyer Noureddine B’hiri, Jebali’s health is…
Three journalists sentenced to prison
New York, April 18, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing of three Egyptian journalists to one year in prison. In a Cairo criminal court yesterday, Abdel Nasser al-Zuheiry, Alaa al-Ghatrifi, and Youssef al-Oumi, reporters for the independent daily Al Masry El Youm (The Egyptian Today) were found guilty of defaming Egypt’s Minister of…
IRAQ
APRIL 15, 2005 Updated September 29, 2005 Saman Abdullah Izzedine, Kirkuk TV KILLED—CONFIRMED Unidentified assailants gunned down Izzedine, a 33-year-old news anchor for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)-backed Kirkuk TV as he was driving on the main highway from Kirkuk to Baghdad. Kurdish journalists in Kirkuk said that Izzedine’s car was fired on by…
Two Iraqi journalists killed in Baghdad bombings
New York, April 15, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the deaths of two Al-Hurriya television journalists who were killed in suicide bombings while on their way to an assignment in Baghdad yesterday morning. The station’s Baghdad director, Nawrooz Mohamed, told CPJ today that producer Fadhil Hazem Fadhil and cameraman Ali Ibrahim Issa were killed…
IRAQ
APRIL 14, 2005 Posted: April 18, 2005 Fadhil Hazem Fadhil, Al-Hurriya Ali Ibrahim Issa, Al-Hurriya KILLED—CONFIRMED The two Al-Hurriya television journalists were killed in twin suicide bombings while on their way to an assignment. The station’s Baghdad director, Nawrooz Mohamed, told CPJ that producer Fadhil and cameraman Issa were en route to an event honoring…
Army to take no action against officer in journalist’s death
New York, April 14, 2005—The Israel Defense Forces said today that it would not take disciplinary action against an officer thought responsible for the May 2003 shooting death of British freelance cameraman and film director James Miller in the Gaza Strip. The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply disturbed by the decision, which comes one…
MOROCCO
APRIL 12, 2005 Posted: April 13, 2005 Ali Lmrabet, Demain Libere LEGAL ACTION, CENSORED The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemned a Moroccan court’s decision to ban independent journalist and former newspaper owner Ali Lmrabet from practicing journalism for ten years. The sentence came just ten days before Lmrabet was expected to receive a license…
Journalist forbidden to report for 10 years
New York, April 12, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Moroccan court’s decision today banning independent journalist and former newspaper owner Ali Lmrabet from practicing journalism for 10 years. The sentence comes just 10 days before Lmrabet was expected to receive a license to publish a new satirical weekly, Demain Libere. Lmrabet, who is…
JORDAN
APRIL 10, 2005 Posted: June 15, 2005 Al-Wihda CENSORED Publication of the weekly Al-Wihda was delayed on April 10 by security authorities until an article by journalist Muwaffaq Mahadin was removed. Mahadin told CPJ that the article was critical of how Prime Minister Adnan Badran’s government was formed, claiming that its selection was undemocratic and…