Iraqi security forces harass local reporter
Beirut, June 1, 2018–Iraqi authorities should stop harassing Hossam al-Kaabi, an Iraqi correspondent for the Sulaymaniyah-based independent broadcaster NRT Arabic, and allow him to work without fear of government retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Palestinian journalist assaulted while covering pro-Gaza protests in Haifa
An Israeli police officer assaulted Palestinian reporter Nahed Dirbas, a journalist for the London-based news website Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, while she was covering a protest against Israeli actions in Gaza in the Israeli city of Haifa on May 18, 2018, according to news reports, her employer, and the regional press freedom group SKeyes Center for Media…
Two Syrian journalists detained, assaulted northwest of Aleppo
Members of the General Public Security, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) security force, on May 15, 2018, assaulted and detained Wael Adel and Omar Hafez, a correspondent and cameraperson, respectively, for the Turkey-based, pro-opposition Syria TV, according to their employer, news reports, the Syrian Journalists Association, and the regional press freedom group SKeyes Center for…
Court in Algeria sentences blogger to 10 years in prison
New York, May 24, 2018–In a one-day trial today, a criminal court in Béjaïa sentenced Algerian blogger Marzoug Touati to 10 years in prison and fined him 50,000 Algerian dinar (US$427) for communicating with a foreign entity and inciting civil disobedience, Touati’s lawyer, Salah Dabouz, told CPJ. The conviction is related to Touati’s interview with…
On the table: Why now is the time to sway Rouhani to meet his promises for press freedom in Iran
President Hassan Rouhani sought re-election on the promise of a more open Iran. But little has changed for the press, as hardliners in the judiciary and other powerful institutions jail journalists, block websites, and maintain a climate of fear with harassment and surveillance. The current international focus on Iran and its economic ties with Europe…
On the table
Why now is the time to sway Rouhani to meet his promises for press freedom in Iran President Hassan Rouhani came to power in 2013 on a platform of pledges to roll back the repressive policies of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who decimated Iran’s once vibrant media. Rouhani, seeking to create space for political reform…
Egyptian authorities detain blogger Wael Abbas
New York, May 23, 2018–Egyptian authorities should release immediately Wael Abbas, a blogger who has documented Egyptian police abuse, and end their senseless campaign against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police at dawn today detained Abbas at his Cairo home and took him to an undisclosed location, according to news reports,…