Middle East & North Africa
2011
Documenting sexual violence against journalists
The news of the sexual assault against CPJ board member and CBS correspondent Lara Logan hit us hard on Tuesday. At CPJ, we work daily to advocate on behalf of journalists under attack in all kinds of horrific situations around the world. Because of Lara’s untiring work with our Journalist Assistance program, she’s well known…
CPJ alarmed by attack on Lara Logan of CBS News
New York, February 15, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by news that CBS correspondent and CPJ board member Lara Logan was sexually assaulted and beaten in Cairo on Friday while covering rallies marking the resignation of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. “We have seen Lara’s compassion at work while helping journalists who have faced…
Syrian blogger sentenced to five years in prison
New York, February 15, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentencing of blogger Tal al-Mallohi on Monday to five years in prison on state security charges and calls on Syrian authorities to release her immediately. Al-Mallohi, 20, was detained in 2009 and held in extrajudicial detention for close to a year, according to news…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Middle East and North Africa Analysis
Suppression Under the Cover of National Security By Mohamed Abdel Dayem Relying on an extensive network of sources in the military, government, and Islamist groups, Yemeni freelance journalist Abdulelah Shaea had become a frequent and pointed critic of the administration’s counterterrorism efforts. By July, President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government had enough, dispatching security agents to…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Egypt
Top Developments • Government blocks satellite TV, news texting ahead of parliamentary vote. • Political maneuvering seen as critical editor sacked, another jailed. Key Statistic 12: Satellite television stations taken off the air one month before the election. Back in 2005, reporters exposed widespread ballot fraud and voter intimidation during the country’s first multi-party presidential…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Iran
Top Developments • Authorities sustain their crack- down on critical journalists, arresting dozens. • Journalists face harsh prison terms and mistreatment in custody. Key Statistic 34: Journalists imprisoned on December 1. Along with China, Iran is the world’s worst jailer of the press. Defying international condemnation, the government sustained its widespread crackdown on the press,…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Iraq
Top Developments • New press court, politically motivated lawsuits raise alarm. • As instability festers, five journalists, three support workers are killed. Key Statistic $1 billion Damages sought by the Kurdistan Democratic Party from a newspaper that detailed alleged political corruption. Instability festered throughout the year as political parties wrangled to form a new government…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Top Developments • In West Bank, Gaza, journalists face obstruction from all sides. • Israeli fire kills Lebanese reporter during border clash. Key Statistic 18: Journalists detained when Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound aid convoy. The press operated in a highly polarized environment as Israeli, Hamas, and Fatah officials, all intent on controlling international news…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Lebanon
Top Developments • Tensions rise, media polarized as U.N. special tribunal closes in on indictments. • Technology bill includes several provisions that could restrict press freedom. Key Statistic 0: Arrests made in the murders of two journalists and a bomb attack against a third journalist in 2005. Political tensions grew sharply in late year as…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Morocco
Top Developments • Government pressures advertisers, uses courts to punish critical media. • Authorities obstruct Spanish and other foreign reporters in Western Sahara. Key Statistic 2: Leading independent weeklies that closed under government pressure. A daily facing harassment moved online. The government continued using the judiciary to settle scores with critical journalists and pressuring private…