Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ joins letter on Alaa Abdelfattah to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 33 other rights organizations, has signed on to the following letter in support of a submission to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) about the case of jailed Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdelfattah. Read more about Abdelfattah and other journalists imprisoned in Egypt here. 23 November…

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Al-Mayadeen TV reporter and videographer killed by Israeli strike in south Lebanon

Beirut, November 21, 2023 — CPJ is deeply saddened by the killing of Al-Mayadeen TV crew in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, and reiterates its call for the protection of media workers tirelessly covering – at exponentially heightened risk – the ongoing conflict between Israel and multiple parties. On November 21, correspondent Farah Omar and videographer…

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CPJ pays tribute to slain Palestinian press freedom defender Bilal Jadallah

Washington, D.C., November 20, 2023 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the killing of Palestinian journalist and press freedom defender Bilal Jadallah, a previous contributor to CPJ’s work, and reiterates its call for the protection of journalists working tirelessly and at enormous risk to cover the Israel-Gaza war.   On Sunday, Jadallah,…

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CPJ expresses grave concern over 4th communications blackout in Gaza

Update: Communications in Gaza were partially restored over the weekend after a limited amount of fuel was allowed into the region to power generators. Journalists are still reporting to CPJ that they are having difficulty with communications. New York, November 16, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is highly alarmed by widespread reports of a communications blackout…

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Iran arrests 2 female environmental journalists in mass raids

Washington, D.C., November 14, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release journalists Nasim Tavafzadeh and Helaleh Nategheh and stop trying to silence journalists by jailing them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, intelligence agents with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested Tavafzadeh, editor-in-chief of the local news website Moroor.org, and Nategheh, an environmental reporter…

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Iranian journalist Manijeh Moazen arrested

Washington, D.C., November 9, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release journalist Manijeh Moazen and cease jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  On November 8, Moazen, a freelance journalist and translator, was arrested from her home in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and was taken to an undisclosed location, according to news reports and a…

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CPJ condemns new prison sentence for Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama

New York, November 8, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the additional six-month prison sentence issued to Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama on Tuesday, November 7. “Imposing a new prison sentence on journalist Mustapha Bendjama just when he was due to be released shows how determined the Algerian government is to keep independent journalists…

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Iranian journalist Negar Ostad Agha detained reporting on girl’s funeral

Washington, D.C., November 6, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release female journalist Negar Ostad Agha and cease jailing members of the press for reporting the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.  On October 29, Ostad Agha, a journalist and senior editor at Etemad Online, was arrested in a cemetery in Iran’s capital, Tehran, while…

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CPJ condemns strike on AFP bureau in Gaza

New York, November 3, 2023— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the November 2 strike on a building housing the Gaza City bureau of international news agency Agence France-Presse and calls on authorities to release any available information about the attack. “Journalists and media offices must be respected and protected,” said CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg….

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Sleman Mohammed Ahmed

Syrian journalist missing after arrest on Iraqi Kurdistan border

Beirut, November 1, 2023—Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately reveal the whereabouts of Syrian journalist Sleman Mohammed Ahmed, unconditionally release him, and stop harassing journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On October 25, Ahmed—an Arabic editor for the local news website RojNews—was arrested by Iraqi Kurdish authorities at the northern Faysh Khabur border and…

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