Egypt / Middle East & North Africa

  
Egyptian photojournalist Mohammed Elshamy was forced to leave his home country for fear of arrest. Elshamy is showcasing his work as part of CPJ's Lens in Exile Instagram series. (Andrei Pungovschi)

Lens in Exile: CPJ Instagram takeover to put focus on photojournalists

To highlight the work of journalists living in exile, CPJ is collaborating with a group of photojournalists, who will take over our Instagram account to share their work, often from the very assignments that forced them to flee. As CPJ’s Journalist Assistance Program Coordinator and someone with a background in photography, it is project that…

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (left), King Salman of Saudi Arabia (center), and U.S. President Donald Trump inaugurate the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 21, 2017. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

Calls to shutter Qatari media show contempt for press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to drop demands that Qatari-funded media be closed as a condition for the lifting of the partial blockade they have imposed on Qatar.

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In this file photo, Egyptians access the internet at a community center in Cairo, February 9, 2013. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian human rights group reports 64 websites blocked

Egyptian authorities blocked access to at least 64 websites, including dozens of news websites, between May 24 and June 12, 2017, according to Egyptian human rights group the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression and news reports. The number was substantially higher than the 21 websites security officials on May 24 told Egypt’s official…

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An Egyptian uses his phone to record the aftermath of a deadly explosion outside a police headquarters in December 2013. Journalists who use smartphones and messaging apps in their reporting say they are wary of surveillance and trolling under Egypt's press crackdown continues. (AP/Ahmed Ashraf)

How surveillance, trolls, and fear of arrest affect Egypt’s journalists

As Egypt’s crackdown on the press extends to social media and other communication platforms, many journalists say phishing attempts, trolling, software to monitor social media posts, and a draft law that would require registration for social media users are making them think twice before covering sensitive issues.

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CPJ joins call for Egypt to stop blocking access to news websites

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 20 human rights and press freedom organizations in calling on Egyptian authorities to stop blocking access to Mada Masr and the 22 other news websites. The letter, sent May 26, says the blocking of the sites violates international standards.

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A screen shot shows an error message internet users receive when trying to access the news website Mada Masr. (Mada Masr)

Egypt blocks access to 21 news websites

New York, May 26, 2017–Egyptian authorities should immediately stop blocking access to news websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Egyptian government on May 24 ordered internet service providers to block access to 21 news websites, alleging that they supported terrorism or reported “false news,” the government’s official Middle East News Agency reported.

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Egyptian journalist sentenced to 15 years in prison for role in Al-Jazeera documentary

Egyptian police arrested Khaled Abdel Wahab Radwan from his home on March 7, 2014, according to the Arab Network for Human Rights Information and news reports.

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In Egypt retrial, 2 journalists acquitted, 3 others’ sentences reduced

New York, May 8, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed the verdict by the Giza Criminal Court acquitting Egyptian journalists Hany Salah-el-Deen and Mosad Al-Barbary, and called on authorities to immediately free Abdullah al-Fakharany, Samhi Mustafa, and Mohamed al-Adly, whose sentences were reduced to five years from 25 years. The rulings came in a…

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An undated family photo shows Mohamed al-Fakharany, front right, and his brother, Abdullah, left. A verdict is due in Abdullah al-Fakharany's case in May. The journalist has been imprisoned since 2013. (Al-Fakharany family)

Families of jailed journalists in Egypt await outcome of latest trials

Every two weeks Mohamed al-Fakharany prepares to visit his brother, Abdullah al-Fakharany, in prison. He packs food, clothes, books, and, most importantly, written responses to his older brother’s letters. Mohamed al-Fakharany, who told CPJ that he has never missed a visit, was only 11 when his brother– the executive director of opposition news outlet Rassd–was…

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Ahmed Farouk is jailed pending trial on suspicion that he played a role in leaking audio recordings purportedly featuring Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, shown here in an August 6, 2015, ceremony inaugurating improvements to the Suez Canal, to a pro-opposition satellite TV station. (Reuters/Amr Dalsh)

Egyptian video journalist jailed pending trial for purported leaks

Ahmed Farouk was arrested at Cairo International Airport on October 31, 2016, when he tried to board a flight to Guangzhou, China, the Swiss Organization for the Protection of Human Rights reported.

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