CPJ calls for Morocco to release journalist Taoufik Bouachrine 5 years after his arrest
CPJ has joined 41 other rights groups urging Moroccan authorities to immediately release journalist Taoufik Bouachrine, former editor-in-chief of local independent newspaper Akhbar al-Youm, on the fifth anniversary of his arrest in 2018. Bouachrine is serving a 15-year prison sentence on sexual assault charges that were brought in retaliation for his reporting. The joint statement…
Iran’s seizure of detained journalists’ devices raises fears of fresh arrests, convictions
Five months after the death of a young woman in morality police custody sparked widespread protests, Iranian authorities are charging journalists who covered the uprising with anti-state crimes. In many of these cases, authorities have powerful tools at their disposal to aid in convictions: journalists’ phones and laptops. CPJ counted at least 95 journalists arrested since the start of the protests….
Tunisian authorities arrest Mosaique FM director Noureddine Boutar
New York, February 14, 2023 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Noureddine Boutar and allow journalists and media workers to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 13, police raided and searched the home of Boutar, the director of the local independent radio station and news website…
Iranian authorities arrest Kurdish journalist Siamand Mohtadi
Washington, D.C., February 13, 2023 – Iranian authorities must drop any charges against freelance Kurdish journalist Siamand Mohtadi and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Saturday, February 11, authorities arrested Mohtadi after raiding his home in the Kurdish city of Bukan, in West Azerbaijan province, and took him to an…
Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama arrested
New York, February 8, 2023 – In response to news reports that Algerian police arrested journalist Mustapha Bendjama on Wednesday, February 8, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The recent arrest of Algerian journalist and press freedom advocate Mustapha Bendjama from his place of work is shocking, and authorities must free him…
Journalist Elnaz Mohammadi arrested at Evin Prison in Iran
Washington, D.C., February 6, 2023 – Iranian authorities must drop any charges against journalist Elnaz Mohammadi and release her immediately and unconditionally, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On February 5, authorities arrested Mohammadi, head of the social issues desk at the state-run Hammihan newspaper, after she responded to a summons to answer questions…
Iraqi border guards briefly detain 3 Shar Press journalists
On January 30, 2023, Iraqi border guards in Halabja province, near the border with Iran, detained a three-person video crew from the independent Shar Press media agency for about three hours, according to a report by the agency and Shar Press correspondent Hawraz Ahmed, who spoke to CPJ by phone. The team, which consisted of…
Egyptian journalist Ahmed Montasir detained since October
New York, January 25, 2023 – Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ahmed Montasir and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On October 9, 2022, authorities in Cairo arrested Montasir, a freelance reporter who contributes to the independent news websites Ida2at and Al-Manassa, according to the independent…
Lebanese broadcaster LBCI bombed following comedy segment
Beirut, January 23, 2023 — Lebanese authorities must thoroughly investigate the recent bombing of the privately owned news and entertainment broadcaster LBCI and ensure perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At about 9 p.m. on Sunday, January 22, two unidentified attackers on a motorcycle threw a bomb at LBCI’s…