Middle East & North Africa
2011
The ‘new’ Syrian media law is nothing new
On August 28, President Bashar al-Assad approved a new media law that purportedly upholds freedom of expression and bans the arrest of journalists. Yet less than a week later, on Saturday, a Syrian journalist and contributor to the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat was arrested, CPJ reported. Just two days before the endorsement of the law, Syrian…
Syrian journalist arrested, held without charge
New York, September 6, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by Saturday’s arrest of a Syrian journalist without charge and the continued reports of missing journalists in Syria. Amer Matar, contributor to the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, was arrested by Syrian security forces in Damascus on Saturday, the Guardian of London reported. Matar, who is also a political…
Catching the Internet’s spies in Iran and elsewhere
In August, Google introduced a new, if rather obscure, security feature to its Chrome web browser, designed to be triggered only under extreme circumstances. If you were talking to Google’s servers using the web’s secure “https” protocol, your browser makes a number of checks to ensure that you are really talking to Google’s servers. Like…
Jailed Egyptian blogger on hunger strike
New York, August 31, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to immediately release journalist Maikel Nabil Sanad, who was tried in military court for “insulting the military” and is now serving a three-year sentence in prison. Sanad began a hunger strike in prison on August 22 and…
Sudan frees one journalist; at least 8 still held
New York, August 30, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of a jailed journalist in Sudan, but is troubled by reports of the continued detention of at least eight others without charge. President Omar al-Bashir had announced Saturday that he would free all journalists detained in Sudan.
Smashing the hand that holds the pen
Ali Ferzat likes to work through the night. His attackers knew that. Masked men grabbed Syria’s most famous cartoonist as he set out for home from his office near Damascus’ central Umayyad Square at around 5 a.m. on Thursday, and bundled him into a van. A few hours later, he lay in a bloody heap…
Omani judiciary attempts to silence newspaper before trial
New York, August 25, 2011–Charges against prominent Omani journalist and filmmaker Youssef al-Haj should be dropped immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Al-Haj’s trial over an article he wrote that allegedly accused the Ministry of Justice of corruption began on August 14 but was postponed until this Sunday. At the August 14 hearing,…
Six Libyan journalists still missing
New York, August 25, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of four Italian journalists kidnapped Wednesday, but remains concerned about the safety of at least six Libyan journalists who have been missing since the start of the uprising in February.
Masked men break hands of critical Syrian cartoonist
New York, August 25, 2011–Ali Ferzat, a famous Syrian cartoonist critical of the government, was abducted and severely beaten by masked gunmen as he left his office early on Thursday in Damascus, international media reported. The attackers stomped on his hands and said the beating was a warning, the Associated Press said. He was dumped…