Middle East & North Africa

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Bahrain’s Shura Council to reject the government’s proposed amendments to the Law on Press, Printing, and Publishing (Decree-Law No. 47 of 2002) in a joint statement led by CPJ, Access Now, and seven other press freedom and human rights groups.  The statement warned that the Bahraini government’s…

In a joint statement, led by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 25 press freedom and human rights organizations called on the Egyptian government to end its transnational repression campaign against exiled journalists, including investigative reporter Basma Mostafa, who currently lives in Germany. The statement also urged German authorities to ensure her safety and uphold international…

New York, June 23, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by Israeli authorities’ orders that international media obtain prior approval from the military censor before broadcasting news from combat zones or missile impact areas in the country.  Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced Friday that broadcasting from those locations…

CPJ wrote an open letter on Wednesday, June 18, urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas to propose a suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. On May 20, the European Union committed to reviewing the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which sets out the EU’s…

Paris, June 17, 2025—Iran’s conflict with Israel has intensified media censorship in the Islamic Republic, with Iranian journalists warned not to comment online and a task force set up to prosecute those sharing “fake” news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday, calling for press freedom to be respected. Two Iranian journalists, who spoke to…

Nazareth, June 17, 2025—Palestinian journalists in Israel covering the conflict with Iran that began June 13 have been accused of “working for the enemy,” barred from reporting sites, physically assaulted, and subjected to racial slurs. The attacks and restrictions against the Palestinian journalists are part of a broader pattern of obstruction and hostility toward the…

Paris, June 17, 2025—One journalist and one media worker with Iran’s state-owned broadcaster have died from their injuries following Monday’s Israeli strike on the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in the capital Tehran, according to news reports. Nima Rajabpour, a 50-year-old news editor died after undergoing surgery for shrapnel in his back and thigh,…

Beirut, June 16, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is distressed by news reports that Austin Tice was executed in 2013 on the orders of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after more than 12 years of uncertainty over the American journalist’s fate. “Reports that journalist Austin Tice was executed in 2013 are horrifying and demand immediate…

Washington, D.C., June 14, 2025 — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior announced the Saturday execution of prominent Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser, who had been detained for seven years on charges of treason, foreign collaboration, funding terrorism, and endangering national security and unity.  Saudi authorities arrested al-Jasser in 2018 and seized his devices, believing that he…

Paris, June 9, 2025—Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, who is serving a 10-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison, launched a hunger strike on June 7 to protest the seizure of his essential documents, including his birth certificate, which he needs to manage his legal affairs and protect his assets abroad. Valizadeh, a former Radio Farda reporter, returned to…