Middle East & North Africa
2017
Iranian editor, social media moderator detained
Security forces arrested Morad Saghafi from his home in Tehran on March 16, 2017, according to the official ILNA news agency, but to date have not made public any charges against him or the reason for his arrest. Saghafi is the editor of Goftegoo Magazine, which focuses on culture and social sciences. In a March…
Former AFP photographer arrested in Bahrain airport
New York, March 22, 2017–Bahraini authorities should immediately release Mohammed al-Shaikh, a photographer who worked for Agence France-Presse, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Al-Shaikh was arrested at Bahrain International Airport in the capital, Manama, yesterday and was transferred to the country’s Criminal Investigation Unit, according to Bahraini journalist Nazeeha Saeed and a statement…
Security forces beat journalists covering Ramallah protest
Palestinian Authority security forces attacked journalists from media outlets including the Jordanian broadcaster Roya TV, the Palestinian broadcaster Watan TV, and the news website Palestine Today as they covered a March 12, 2017, protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to news reports.
Libyan TV channel attacked, burned
New York, March 17, 2017–Armed men attacked the Tripoli office of the Libyan TV channel Al-Nabaa and set the building on fire, according to journalists for the station, news reports, and the Libyan Center for Freedom of the Press, an advocacy group. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in Tripoli to investigate…
CPJ joins call to renew mandate of Iran human rights rapporteur
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 40 human rights groups calling on the U.N. Human Rights Council to support the resolution to renew the mandate of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A vote on the resolution is scheduled to take place during the…
Iranian journalists arrested ahead of elections
New York, March 15, 2017–Iranian authorities should immediately release Ehsan Mazandarani, Hengameh Shahidi, and all journalists jailed for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The arrests come ahead of presidential elections scheduled for May.
Syrian journalist killed by airstrike in Daraa
Washington, D.C, March 13, 2017–Yesterday’s death of freelance journalist Mohamed Abazied in an airstrike on the southwestern Syrian city of Daraa highlights the dangers that journalists and all civilians face in Syria’s long-running conflict, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Abazied was killed while reporting on Russian and Syrian military airstrikes on the city…
Iranian editor held months without access to lawyer
Iranian security forces raided the home of Tahereh Riahi, social affairs editor at Iran’s government-funded Borna News Agency, and detained her on December 27, 2016, according to media reports and human rights groups. Two months after her arrest, the journalist was still held in Evin Prison near Tehran.
CPJ safety advisory: use of chemical agents in the Mosul offensive
A dozen civilians, including women and children, have been treated for suspected exposure to a blistering chemical agent following an Islamic State (IS) attack on East Mosul, Iraq, last week, according to news reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said over the weekend that they are…