Middle East & North Africa

  
Children play football in front of a damaged building in a rebel-held neighborhood of Daraa in southern Syria on May 7, 2018. Unknown gunmen killed journalist Ibrahim al-Munjar in Daraa on May 17. (Mohamad Abazeed/AFP)

Unknown gunmen kill Syrian journalist in eastern Daraa

Beirut, May 18, 2018–Two unknown gunmen killed Ibrahim al-Munjar, a correspondent for the Syrian news website Sy24 in the southern Syrian province of Daraa. Al-Munjar was killed in the city of Saida on May 17, according to his employer, news reports, and the Syrian Journalists Association.

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Justice Delayed

Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan) CPJ welcomes the release of Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as Shawkan, on March 4, 2019, after over five and a half years of arbitrary detention on anti-state charges. Despite walking out of jail, Shawkan is still not entirely free. For five years, the photojournalist will have to appear…

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A demonstration calling for LGBT rights in Trinidad and Tobago on April 12. Journalists covering LGBTQ issues say they often face retaliation for their work. (Reuters/Andrea de Silva)

Covering LGBTQ issues brings risk of threats and retaliation for journalists and their sources

To mark the annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, CPJ spoke with journalists and news outlets based in Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, the U.S., Uganda, and Russia, about the challenges they face reporting on LGBTQ issues.

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CPJ to release report on press freedom in Iran

New York, May 16, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its report, “On the table: Why now is the time to sway Rouhani to meet his promises for press freedom in Iran,” on May 24, 2018. CPJ will mark the launch of the report with a panel discussion in Brussels.

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The sun sets over the Gaza Strip on May 14, 2018. Seven Palestinian journalists were injured by gunfire in Gaza protests on May 14, according to reports. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)

Seven Palestinian journalists injured by gunfire in Gaza protests

Beirut, May 14, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the use of gunfire by Israeli forces against journalists covering protests today in the Gaza Strip. At least seven Palestinian journalists have been injured by Israeli gunfire while covering today’s demonstrations, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), reports shared on social media by media outlets…

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Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded photographer during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel on May 11, 2018. (AP/Adel Hana)

Palestinian journalist shot while covering Gaza protests

Beirut, May 11, 2018–Motasem Ahmed Dalloul, a reporter for the pro-Palestinian Middle East Monitor and manager of the news website Days of Palestine, was hit by a live round fired by the Israel Defense Forces while covering a protest east of Gaza City today, according to his employer and to reports shared by journalists and…

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The al-Assi river in the town of Darkush in Syria's Idlib province on July 8, 2016. A Syrian militant group detained photographers Ahmad al-Akhras and Rami al-Ruslan as they were taking pictures of a water spring east of Darkush. (Reuters/Ammar Abdullah)

Syrian militia detains photographer in western Idlib

The Syrian militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham detained Ahmad al-Akhras, a photographer for the pro-opposition Syrian news website Sy24 and correspondent for the opposition-affiliated Syrian Revolutionary Media Office in Idlib, on April 28, 2018, near the northwestern Syrian city of Darkush, according to news reports, the regional press freedom group SKeyes Center for Media and…

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Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Tahrir Square after presidential election results in Cairo, Egypt on April 2, 2018. Since Egypt's presidential elections, authorities have stepped up their campaign against critical and independent journalists and have cracked down on those conducting man-on-the-street interviews, according to CPJ research. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

CPJ alarmed by Egypt’s detention of video blogger Shadi Abu Zaid

New York, May 8, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over the detention of Shadi Abu Zaid, a video blogger who produces and anchors his own satirical news show.

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Tear gas canisters are fired by Israeli forces at Palestinian demonstrators on May 4, 2018. At least five Palestinian journalists were injured covering protests in the Gaza Strip on May 4 as the Israel Defense Forces used tear gas and fired live rounds to disperse demonstrators, according to reports. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem)

Five Palestinian journalists injured in week 6 of Gaza protests

At least five Palestinian journalists were injured on May 4, 2018, covering protests in the Gaza Strip, as the Israel Defense Forces used tear gas and fired live rounds to disperse demonstrators, according to news reports, social media posts by local journalists, and two local reporters — Moneeb Saada and Saud Abu Ramadan — with…

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Palestinians stand next to a collapsed part of the Israeli barrier near a refugee camp in East Jerusalem on April 26, 2018. Israeli internal security forces and police on April 18 posted a Defense Ministry order to the door of Elia Youth Media Foundation ordering its closure, according to media reports. (Reuters/Ammar Awad)

Israel shutters Palestinian youth media office in East Jerusalem, citing terrorism

Beirut, May 2, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the recent closure of the East Jerusalem office of the Palestinian Elia Youth Media Foundation by Israeli forces and called on authorities to allow the group to work freely.

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