Middle East & North Africa

2019

  
Security forces are seen in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 21, 2019. The Baghdad offices of Al-Journal and 7C TV were recently raided in Baghdad following a corruption investigation. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

Armed men raid offices of Iraqi broadcaster and newspaper following corruption investigation

Beirut, July 2, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should investigate the armed raid against the Baghdad offices of Al-Journal and 7C TV and determine if the perpetrators were acting on behalf of a member of parliament, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Moroccan investigative journalist Omar Radi, who at the time worked for the website Le Desk, the website's headquarters in Casablanca, Morocco, on September 18, 2015. Radi and other independent journalists told CPJ about a climate of pervasive surveillance and harassment in the country. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

Moroccan independent journalists describe climate of pervasive surveillance, harassment

In March 2015, Hicham Mansouri emailed an anti-malware company, suspicious of possible signs that someone was able to access his device remotely, without permission. He remembers exchanging a few messages with the software company, but the correspondence was interrupted after a few days, when around 10 police officers in civilian clothes arrived at his home…

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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members are seen in northern Idlib on August 14, 2018. Militants from the group recently detained journalist Maan Bakour. (AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group detains Syrian journalist Maan Bakour in Idlib

Beirut, June 26, 2019 — The militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham should immediately release Syrian journalist Maan Bakour, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A copy of Egyptian newspaper al-Tahrir is seen in Cairo on December 3, 2012. The newspaper is facing insolvency after its website was blocked in May. (AFP/Gianluigi Guercia)

Al-Tahrir newspaper threatened by insolvency as website blocked in Egypt since May

New York, June 25, 2019 — Egyptian authorities should immediately unblock the website of al-Tahrir newspaper and ensure that media outlets can publish online freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Journalists hold press cards during a protest at the Assembly of the Representatives of the People in Tunis in April 2019. Tunisia has greater press freedom but challenges remain. (AFP/Fethi Belaid)

Upcoming elections could make or break Tunisia’s fledgling free press

Tunisia’s progression to a freer society took center stage this month, as journalists, digital rights activists, and tech companies gathered in Tunis for RightsCon and the IFJ congress. Tunisia has secured greater press freedom than many of the Arab Spring countries, but local journalists told CPJ that with elections slated for this year, challenges including…

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A damaged building is seen in Idlib, Syria, on June 14, 2019. Photojournalist Amjad Hassan Bakir was recently killed in an airstrike in Idlib. (AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

Syrian photojournalist Amjad Hassan Bakir killed in suspected regime missile strike

Beirut, June 21, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of Syrian photojournalist Amjad Hassan Bakir and urged all the parties to the ongoing Syrian conflict to guarantee the safety of civilians, including journalists.

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Kurdish security forces are seen in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, on July 23, 2018. Security forces recently harassed and attempted to arrest journalist Barzan Ali Hama. (AFP/Safin Hamed)

Security forces harass, attempt to arrest Kurdish journalist in Iraqi Kurdistan

On June 4, 2019, security forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party harassed and attempted to arrest Barzan Ali Hama, a reporter for local broadcaster Kurdistan 24, in the city of Koya, in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Hama, who spoke with CPJ, and news reports.

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People holding pictures of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a symbolic funeral prayer held in Istanbul, Turkey on November 16, 2018. (REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir)

US, UN must probe Saudi crown prince role in “extrajudicial killing” of Jamal Khashoggi, report says

Paris, June 19, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a United Nations report calling on both the head of the U.N. and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to open criminal probes into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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Demonstrators are seen in Algiers, Algeria, on May 17, 2019. Independent news websites Tout Sur l'Algérie and Algérie Part have been widely inaccessible in the country since June 12. (Reuters/Ramzi Boudina)

Two news websites inaccessible in Algeria amid protests, social media shutdowns

New York, June 17, 2019 — Independent news websites Tout Sur l’Algérie and Algérie Part have been widely inaccessible within Algeria since June 12, according to local journalists and news reports. The apparently targeted disruption took place amid anti-government protests that have been ongoing for nearly four months, and began shortly before several social media…

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A man uses his smartphone to follow election news in Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2017. Iran charged four Telegram news channel Gam reporters over labor coverage, it was reported June 11. (Reuters/TIMA)

Iran charges Telegram news channel Gam reporters over labor coverage

Washington, D.C., June 13, 2019 — Iranian authorities should immediately release three reporters for Gam (Step), a Telegram app news channel covering labor issues, and drop all charges against them and one other reporter for the channel, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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2019