Middle East & North Africa

  
Israeli tank

Members of the European Parliament urge EU to push for foreign journalist Gaza access 

On Thursday, 61 Members of the European Parliament called on the European Union leadership to make stronger calls for foreign journalist access to Gaza. The letter, addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as EU member…

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Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, subjected to ‘grave violations’ of fundamental rights, has Kuwaiti citizenship revoked

Washington, D.C., April 29, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Kuwaiti government’s decision to revoke the citizenship of U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and his two sisters, just days after his release from two months of wrongful detention. “Stripping Shihab-Eldin of his citizenship is not just punitive, it is a dangerous escalation in the use…

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Bahraini photographer Sayed Baqer Al-Kamel was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Bahrain sentences photographer Sayed Baqer Al-Kamel to 10 years in prison

Washington, D.C., April 28, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled by the 10-year prison sentence handed down to Bahraini photographer Sayed Baqer Al-Kamel after reportedly posting a video of the aftermath of an Iranian attack on the Gulf nation.  The photojournalist was convicted on charges including allegedly promoting content deemed supportive of…

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Journalist Zied el-Heni has been placed in pretrial detention by Tunisian authorities over a social media post.

Tunisia rearrests journalist Zied el-Heni, who launches hunger strike

New York, April 28, 2026—Tunisian authorities must immediately release journalist Zied el-Heni, who has been placed in pretrial detention over a social media post last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.  El-Heni, editor-in-chief of independent news site Tunisian Press, was arrested on April 24, 2026, after complying with a summons to appear before…

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German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann (left) and Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad (right), went missing in Raqqa on January 18, 2026.

CPJ demands transparency as German reporter confirmed detained in Syria

Sulaymaniyah, April 27, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on Syrian authorities to provide immediate and transparent information on the detention of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and the continued enforced disappearance of Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad, who sources say is being held in a Syrian detention facility. Despite confirmation from Michelmann’s…

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Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin safe following detention in Kuwait

New York, April 25, 2026—Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been reunited with his family and is in a place of safety, a legal team acting for his sisters said on Saturday. The award-winning U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist was detained on March 3 in Kuwait, where he was visiting family. “We are delighted that Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been released…

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CPJ calls for urgent international investigation into Israel’s killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil

New York, April 23, 2026—Israel’s failure to allow medical crews access to injured Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in time to save her may constitute a war crime, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. Khalil, a reporter for the privately owned local daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, was on assignment documenting the aftermath of attacks in…

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Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin acquitted of all charges

Update: In an April 29, 2026, statement, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin’s attorneys clarified that the journalist was acquitted on only one of three charges. Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes a Kuwaiti court’s acquittal of U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin on all charges following nearly two months of detention.  “We are relieved…

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Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil found dead after being trapped in rubble following Israeli strike, obstruction of rescue

UPDATE: This alert has been updated throughout after the Red Cross reported that they had found the body of Amal Khalil under the rubble. Beirut, April 22, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) apparently targeted Lebanese journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj in Al Tayri, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday….

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Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

CPJ shares statement from international legal counsel acting in case of US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

On April 22, the international legal counsel acting for the sisters of U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin issued an urgent statement, saying they were “extremely concerned for Ahmed’s safety and wellbeing” in Kuwaiti detention, and demanding his release.  The international legal team has filed urgent appeals with United Nations experts, and they are engaging with U.S.,…

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