Middle East & North Africa

  

Two journalists abducted and two TV channels forced off the air in Libya

New York, August 21, 2014 — Two journalists were abducted in Libya on Tuesday, and the government shut down broadcasts of two state-run television stations after one was taken over by militants and the other took an anti-government line, according to news reports.

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An Islamic State militant stands with the Islamist flag in Iraq. (AFP/Welayat Salahuddin)

James Foley’s killers pose many threats to local, international journalists

New York, August 20, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is extremely concerned for all journalists, most of them Syrians, still held captive by the Al-Qaeda splinter group Islamic State, which has repeatedly kidnapped, killed, and threatened journalists in the territories over which it holds sway. President Barack Obama confirmed today that the group is responsible…

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CPJ condemns killing of American journalist James Foley

New York, August 19, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of James Foley, a U.S. freelance journalist, who was abducted in Syria in November 2012. In a video posted online, the Al-Qaeda splinter group Islamic State claimed to have executed Foley, saying the act was retribution for U.S. military intervention in Iraq.

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Yemeni journalist shot dead in series of attacks on state-run media

New York, August 19, 2014 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a string of attacks on Yemeni journalists working for state-run outlets in the past week. At least one journalist has been killed and another survived an assassination attempt, according to the Ministry of Information and news reports.

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Osama al-Habaly's health, whereabouts, and status remain unknown. (Facebook/Freedom for Ousama Alhabaliy)

Two years and no word of Osama al-Habaly

It’s been exactly two years since citizen photojournalist Osama al-Habaly disappeared into regime custody as he crossed from Lebanon back to his home country of Syria. His friends and colleagues tell CPJ they have not heard a definitive word about him since.

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A police officer is seen in Cairo amid clashes between security forces and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. (AFP/Mohamed el-Shahed)

Reporters attacked covering first anniversary of Cairo protest killings

New York, August 15, 2014–Several journalists have been attacked and briefly detained in Egypt since Thursday while covering deadly clashes between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and security forces, according to news reports.

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AP journalist and media worker killed in Gaza

New York, August 13, 2014–Simone Camilli, a video journalist for The Associated Press, and Ali Shehda Abu Afash, a freelance translator, were killed in the northern town of Beit Lahiya today when an unexploded missile blew up, the AP reported. The explosion also injured AP photographer Hatem Moussa. Camilli, an Italian, is the first international…

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The funeral of Deniz Firat, a journalist who was killed in Iraqi Kurdistan. (Facebook/Kamal Chomani)

Kurdish reporter killed in Iraqi Kurdistan

New York, August 11, 2014–A Kurdish journalist was killed in Makhmur district, south of the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, on Friday when shrapnel from mortar shelling hit her in the chest, according to news reports. Deniz Firat, a freelance reporter, was covering clashes between Kurdish forces and insurgents with the Islamic State, an…

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Two journalists and three media workers abducted in Libya

New York, August 8, 2014–At least two journalists and three media workers affiliated with the privately owned Albarqa TV station were abducted at a checkpoint in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk on Monday, according to the station and news reports. The reports said the five were taken by a militant group affiliated with Islamists…

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Police officer convicted in death of imprisoned Iranian blogger

New York, August 7, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s conviction of a police officer in the death of Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti and calls on Iranian authorities to disclose details of the investigation and trial. The police officer was given three years in jail, two years in exile, and 74 lashes for assaulting…

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