Middle East & North Africa

2022

  

Lebanese photojournalist Hasan Shaaban beaten, threatened with death

Beirut, August 4, 2022 – Lebanese authorities should immediately investigate the assault of journalist Hasan Shaaban and threats made against him, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On the evening of Wednesday, August 3, a group of men in the village of Beit Yahoun, in southern Lebanon, attacked…

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Rudaw reporter Barzan Ferman detained in northern Syria

Washington, D.C., August 3, 2022 – Authorities in northern Syria should immediately release journalist Barzan Ferman and reverse their suspension of the Rudaw Media Network’s license, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. At about noon on Tuesday, August 2, forces affiliated with the Democratic Union Party, the political party in power in the Autonomous Administration…

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Iraqi journalists injured by security forces while covering Baghdad protests

Beirut, August 2, 2022 — Iraqi authorities should allow journalists to cover protests freely and safely, and should ensure that security forces do not attack members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, July 30, three journalists with the privately owned Al-Mayadeen news broadcaster were injured while they covered protests…

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Yemeni journalist Tawfiq al-Mansouri health critical in Houthi detention

New York, August 1, 2022 – Members of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement should release journalist Tawfiq al-Mansouri immediately and ensure he receives proper medical treatment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Forces affiliated with the Ansar Allah movement, known as the Houthis, detained al-Mansouri, a graphic designer for the Al-Masdar newspaper and other outlets,…

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Iraqi Kurdish authorities arrest NRT TV crew in Sulaymaniyah

Washington, D.C., August 1, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalists Karzan Tariq and Chenar Ahmed and cease harassing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On the morning of Monday, August 1, members of the Asayish intelligence agency detained Tariq, a reporter for the local broadcaster…

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CPJ calls on US officials to act after Blinken meeting with Shireen Abu Akleh’s family

New York, July 26, 2022 – U.S. authorities must follow their meeting with family members of slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh with substantive action to investigate her death and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Tuesday, July 26, Abu Akleh’s relatives met with U.S. Secretary of…

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Israeli forces arrest Palestinian journalist Amer Abu Arafa in West Bank

New York, July 19, 2022 – Israeli authorities should release Amer Abu Arafa immediately and stop detaining and harassing Palestinian journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Before dawn on Tuesday, July 19, Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrested Abu Arafa, a correspondent for the London-based Quds Press News Agency, at his home in the…

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Fréderike Geerdink

Iraqi Kurdistan authorities deport Dutch journalist Fréderike Geerdink

On July 14, 2022, Iraqi Kurdistan authorities deported Dutch freelance journalist Fréderike Geerdink to her country, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app and also tweeted about the incident. In a July 14 tweet, Geerdink said she was detained on her way to Kobane, a Kurdish-majority town in Syria, near the…

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Journalist Ayub Ali Warty criminally charged, briefly detained in Iraqi Kurdistan

Washington, D.C., July 19, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Ayub Ali Warty, ensure he can work freely, and Iraqi authorities should reform the country’s laws to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, July 18, police arrested Warty, a reporter for the broadcaster KNN…

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CPJ says Biden’s failure to address press freedom issues on Mideast tour leaves journalists more vulnerable

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2022 — The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed dismay Monday that President Joe Biden failed to meaningfully address press freedom and journalists’ rights during his Middle East tour last week.  “The U.S. effectively shrugged its shoulders over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, did not push for the release of…

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2022