Middle East & North Africa

2017

  
Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Maqal newspaper, gestures in his office in Cairo, November 10, 2016. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian parliamentary leaders file criminal complaint against editor

New York, March 1, 2017–Egyptian lawmakers should immediately withdraw their criminal complaint against Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Maqal newspaper, and should stop harassing and threatening journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A guard looks through a small window in Algiers' El Harrach Prison, July 14, 2010. (Reuters/Louafi Larbi)

Algerian journalist faces treason charges

Washington, D.C., February 27, 2017–Algerian authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges against Marzoug Touati, an editor of the news website Al-Hogra, and release him without condition or delay, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Algerian security forces arrested Touati from his home in the coastal city of Béjaïa on January 18 and have…

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Iraqi Kurdish journalist killed by roadside bomb in Mosul

New York, February 25, 2017–Iraqi Kurdish reporter Shifa Zikri Ibrahim, known professionally as Shifa Gardi, was killed today by a roadside bomb while covering the Iraqi Army’s offensive against the Islamic State group in western Mosul for the Kurdish TV station Rudaw, the network said. A cameraman for the network, Younis Mustafa, was also injured…

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Workers remove broken glass from the windows of broadcaster Al-Jadeed's office in Beirut, February 15, 2017. Some 300 people attacked the building the previous night. (Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)

Mob attacks Lebanese TV station

New York, February 15, 2017–Lebanese authorities should immediately investigate yesterday’s attack on the independent TV channel Al-Jadeed, bring those responsible to justice, and take steps to ensure the safety of journalists operating in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A soldier loyal to Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar sits outside the Zueitina oil terminal, west of Benghazi, Libya, September 15, 2016. (Reuters/Esam Omran Al-Fetori)

Libyan TV journalist arrested without charge

Washington, D.C., January 25, 2017–Libyan security forces should charge or release Wiem Ben Zabia, a cameraman for the Libya Panorama Channel (LPC), the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security forces detained Ben Zabia at a checkpoint near the eastern Libyan city of Derna on January 14, according to his employer, sister, and a video…

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Protesters block a road in Bahrain on January 15 after authorities executed three men convicted of a deadly attack on police. (AP)

CPJ calls on Bahrain to allow Al-Wasat to publish freely

New York, January 17, 2017–The government of Bahrain should rescind an order suspending the online edition of Al-Wasat, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Information Affairs Ministry ordered the independent outlet yesterday to suspend its online operation indefinitely for inciting division, jeopardizing national unity, and disrupting public peace, according to the official Bahrain…

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CPJ calls for release of kidnapped South African journalist Shiraaz Mohamed

New York, January 17, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for the immediate release of Shiraaz Mohamed, a South African freelance journalist who was kidnapped in Syria last week while documenting the humanitarian relief effort in northern Syria.

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2017