Undiscoverable: How Al-Jazeera’s Snapchat channel disappeared from three Gulf nations
Search for “Al-Jazeera” on Snapchat, and the first result that comes up is a ubiquitous publisher channel in the app’s famed vertical layout. That is, unless you are in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or Bahrain. Users in these counties are instead offered a list of stores and restaurants that bear a similar…
Egypt sentences photojournalist Shawkan to five years
Washington, D.C., September 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned an Egyptian court’s sentencing of photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as “Shawkan,” to five years in prison, and called on authorities to release him immediately and remove any restriction on his release on appeal.
Journalists in Yemen under attack from all sides as rival forces crack down on critics
In its report released late last month, the U.N. Human Rights Council found that all groups involved in the Yemen conflict–from the government-controlled south, with its militias propped up by the UAE-led coalition and loyal to the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, and areas held by the rebel Ansar Allah or Houthi movement–were responsible for widespread…
In Mauritania, 2 journalists jailed for a week on criminal defamation complaint
The editor-chief and the publisher, respectively, of two independent Mauritanian news websites were arrested on August 8, 2018, and held for a week on criminal defamation charges, according to news reports. They were released on bail August 15, according to the reports.
Egypt extends detention period for four journalists held as part of mass trial
New York, August 21, 2018– Egyptian national security prosecutors ordered four more journalists to be detained as part of a case in which more than a dozen journalists, along with academics and activists, are charged with belonging to a banned group and with spreading false news. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities…
Four Palestinian journalists injured by gunfire and shrapnel covering Gaza protests
At least four Palestinian journalists were injured by gunfire and shrapnel while covering protests in the Gaza Strip between July 27 and August 10, 2018, according to news reports, the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, reports, pictures, and videos shared on social media, and Gazan photojournalist Moneeb Saada.
Syrian journalist killed in airstrike in western Aleppo province
Beirut, August 13, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of Syrian cameraperson and photojournalist Ahmed Azize and urged all parties in the ongoing Syrian conflict to guarantee the safety of civilians, including journalists.