Middle East & North Africa

  
An Iraqi man reads a newspaper on October 6, 2016. In recent weeks, at least four journalists were detained in northern Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Four Iraqi journalists detained in Mosul and Erbil

Between January 16 and 22, 2019, at least four Iraqi journalists were detained in connection with their work in Mosul and Irbil, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, and the local press freedom groups Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq and the Iraqi Center for Supporting Freedom of Speech.

Read More ›

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen on a television screen at the press center during the Africa 2018 Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on December 8, 2018. An Egyptian TV presenter was sentenced to prison for an interview with a gay man on January 20, 2019. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Egyptian TV presenter sentenced to prison for interview with gay man

New York, January 24, 2019–Egyptian authorities should drop all charges against TV presenter Mohamed al-Gheiti and stop their relentless campaign against journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

A Palestinian man reads a newspaper on March 31, 2018. A reporter for the London-based Quds Press News Agency, Yousef al-Faqeeh, was recently detained in the West Bank. (Hazem Bader/AFP)

Palestinian security forces arrest journalist Yousef al-Faqeeh

Beirut, January 23, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the arrest of Palestinian journalist Yousef al-Faqeeh, a reporter for the London-based Quds Press News Agency, and called on the Palestinian Authority to release him immediately.

Read More ›

A February 2016 photo taken by Mohamed Ben Khalifa shows a member of the Libyan security forces with a document in Arabic describing weaponry found at the site of U.S. airstrikes on an Islamic State camp in Libya. Freelance photojournalist Ben Khalifa was killed during clashes on January 19. (AP/Mohamed Ben Khalifa/File)

Libyan photojournalist killed by shelling during Tripoli clashes

New York, January 23, 2019–The killing of freelancer Mohamed Ben Khalifa in Libya underscores the dangers for photojournalists working in conflict zones, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ben Khalifa, a photographer who contributed to outlets including The Associated Press, was killed during clashes south of Tripoli on January 19, according to news reports,…

Read More ›

President Omar al-Bashir waves to supporters during a rally in Khartoum on January 9. Sudanese authorities have revoked the credentials of at least six journalists working for international outlets. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

As anti-Bashir protests continue, Sudan revokes credentials of foreign press

Washington, D.C. January 22, 2019–Sudanese authorities yesterday revoked the credentials of at least six journalists working for international news outlets, including Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera, according to news reports. The outlets have been covering demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir. Bashir is due to travel to Qatar today for his first international trip since the protests began…

Read More ›

People walk past street vendors outside a mosque in Amman, Jordan, on June 6, 2018. A journalist was imprisoned over an article on a private hospital on January 2, 2019. (Reuters/Ammar Awad)

Jordanian journalist imprisoned over article on private hospital

Beirut, January 17, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the imprisonment of Nidal Salameh, a journalist for the website Gerasa News, who was convicted of violating Jordan’s Press and Publications Law and the Cybercrime Law.

Read More ›

American-born news anchor Marzieh Hashemi seen at a television studio in Tehran, Iran. She was detained in the U.S. on January 13, 2018. (Press TV via Associated Press)

CPJ concerned about US detention of Iranian TV journalist

New York, January 17, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the detention of Marzieh Hashemi, a TV anchor and documentary filmmaker for the English-language service of Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, and called on the U.S. Department of Justice to disclose the reason for her arrest.

Read More ›

An anti-government rally in Khartoum on January 13. Several journalists are detained and Sudanese authorities are censoring newspapers to try to limit coverage of the unrest. (AP)

Sudan responds to anti-Bashir coverage with censorship and arrests

“We were all journalists, so we went to work. We wrote about what happened to us that day,” Ashraf Abdelaziz, editor-in-chief of the privately owned al-Jarida daily told me over the phone this week, while recounting how he and his colleagues reported on their own arrest while still in detention.

Read More ›

Members of Libyan security forces loyal to Libyan National Army head Khalifa Haftar operate turrets mounted on pickup trucks in eastern Libya in October 2018. A photojournalist was detained on December 20, 2018, in the eastern city of Ajdabiya. (AFP/Abdullah Doma)

Local journalist detained in eastern Libya since December 20

New York, January 16, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Libyan National Army to release journalist Ismail Bouzreeba al-Zway, who was detained December 20 in the eastern Libyan city of Ajdabiya, according to news reports, local press organizations, and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.

Read More ›

A Palestinian man reads a newspaper outside his store in Gaza City. The executive director of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate was recently detained and beaten by security forces in Gaza.

Hamas forces detain and allegedly assault director of Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate

Beirut, January 16, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the detention and alleged assault of Louay al-Ghoul, the executive director of the Gaza branch of the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, a journalists’ union.

Read More ›