Middle East & North Africa

  
Iranian documentary filmmaker Mojgan Ilanlou was recently detained in Evin Prison.

Iranian documentary filmmaker Mojgan Ilanlou detained in Evin Prison

Washington, D.C., August 21, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release documentary filmmaker Mojgan Ilanlou and cease jailing members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.  On Sunday, August 20, Illanlou responded to a summons from Tehran’s intelligence police. When she arrived at the police headquarters, authorities arrested her and transferred…

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Egyptian journalist Karim Asaad’s whereabouts unknown following arrest

New York, August 20, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release journalist Karim Asaad following his arrest on Saturday, August 19. “By arresting Karim Asaad, the Egyptian government has once again demonstrated its shameful dedication to cracking down on independent journalism and press freedom in the country,” said…

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Iranian journalist Ali Moslehi detained, transferred to Kashan Central Prison

Washington, D.C., August 16, 2023—Iranian authorities must release journalist Ali Moslehi from prison immediately and cease jailing members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.  On July 20, intelligence agents arrested Moslehi, a political columnist for the local news website KashanNews, at his home in the central city of…

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New Jordanian cybercrime law criminalizes ‘fake news’ online

Beirut, August 15, 2023—In response to Jordanian authorities passing a new cybercrime law that threatens press freedom online, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The new cybercrime law approved by Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is alarming, and could see journalists facing harsh prison terms and huge fines over…

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CPJ condemns trials of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi

Washington, D.C., July 24, 2023 –  The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the continuation of the closed-door trials of journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who were among the first journalists to report on the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. “CPJ stands in solidarity with Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe…

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Iranian journalist Seyed Mostafa Jaffari arrested on false news charges

Washington, D.C., July 24, 2023 — Iranian authorities must release journalist Seyed Mostafa Jaffari from prison immediately and stop jailing members of the press for reporting on issues of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.  On Monday, July 24, security forces arrested Jaffari in the central city of Qazvin on charges filed…

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Journalist Omed Baroshky arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan

Beirut, July 21, 2023 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately disclose the whereabouts of journalist Omed Baroshky and ensure journalists are not arrested for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the evening of Thursday, July 20, Asayish security forces raided Baroshky’s home in the northwest city of Duhok and arrested him,…

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Sherwan Sherwani

Imprisoned journalist Sherwan Sherwani given additional 4-year sentence in Iraqi Kurdistan

Beirut, July 20, 2023—Iraqi Kurdish authorities should release journalist Sherwan Sherwani at once, drop all charges against him, and allow members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Thursday, July 20, the Erbil criminal court sentenced Sherwani to an additional four years in prison over a complaint by…

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CPJ condemns Moroccan court’s rejection of appeals by jailed journalists Soulaiman Raissouni and Omar Radi

New York, July 19, 2023 – In response to news reports that the Moroccan court of cassation in Rabat on Tuesday rejected the final appeals of jailed journalists Soulaiman Raissouni and Omar Radi, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “We are deeply disappointed by the court’s decision to keep Soulaiman…

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60+ organizations urge US Congress to pursue justice for slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2023 —It has been more than a year since Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot while reporting on an Israeli military raid of a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The prevailing consensus is that an Israeli soldier was responsible for her death. Yet there has been no…

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