Two journalists arrested over criminal complaints in Iraqi Kurdistan
Beirut, October 12, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdistan authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalists Sartip Qashqayi and Ibrahim Ali and refrain from detaining and arresting journalists because of their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Sunday, October 9, officers from the Kurdistan Special Counter-Terrorism group arrested Qashqayi, the editor-in-chief of the privately…
Al Rabiaa TV headquarters stormed by protesters in Baghdad
On the night of October 4, 2022, protesters stormed the headquarters of privately owned Al Rabiaa TV in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, damaged the broadcaster’s equipment, and forced it to go off air for a day, according to statements and multiple videos by the broadcaster, news reports, the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission, and local press freedom groups. In a statement, Al Rabiaa TV said the perpetrators were “groups belonging…
Israel Defense Forces shoot, injure 2 Palestinian journalists in Nablus
New York, October 6, 2022 – Israeli authorities must conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the shooting of two Palestinian journalists and take all necessary precautions to ensure that the Israel Defense Force does not shoot at journalists doing their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, October 5, IDF soldiers…
CPJ joins call for the release of Egyptian journalist Alaa Abdelfattah, lawyer Mohamed al-Baker
CPJ has joined 46 human rights organizations and individuals in calling for Egyptian authorities to immediately release Egyptian journalist and blogger Alaa Abdelfattah and his lawyer Mohamed al-Baker after three years of imprisonment. The September 29 letter also calls on British authorities to intervene to secure the release of Abdelfattah, who obtained U.K. citizenship while…
Khashoggi’s legacy will forever haunt his killers, says CPJ’s Sherif Mansour
Washington, D.C., September 30, 2022 — The four years that have passed since Washington Post columnist and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered underscores the global failure to punish the killers of journalists around the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “Jamal Khashoggi will forever be a symbol of what it…
Names of journalists arrested in Iran’s anti-state protests
When mass protests swept Iran following the death in morality-police custody of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, CPJ began documenting the names of journalists arrested during the uprising. The crackdown led to Iran’s designation as the world’s worst jailer of journalists in CPJ’s 2022 prison census. The list published here includes names based on information…
CPJ’s Yeganeh Rezaian on mass protests and journalist arrests in Iran
When mass protests erupted in Iran more than a week ago, the government cracked down hard. While clashes between security forces and demonstrators left many dead and disruptions to internet service made information hard to obtain, CPJ learned that security forces had arrested at least 28 journalists as of September 29. (Click here for CPJ’s…
Kurdistan 24 reporter ‘wounded severely’ in Iran’s shelling in Iraqi Kurdistan
Beirut, September 28, 2022—Iran should immediately investigate whether journalists are being targeted by Iranian forces after a journalist in Iraqi Kurdistan was injured during Iranian strikes on the region, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, Soran Kamaran, a correspondent for the Kurdistan 24 broadcaster owned by Kurdish Prime Minister…
Iran arrests at least 20 journalists amid nationwide anti-government protests
Washington D.C., September 26, 2022—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to end their crackdown on journalists and release all arrested since the start of anti-government protests last week. “Iranian authorities should be ashamed of themselves for orchestrating this brutal crackdown. They have proved their failure to grasp that suppressing dissenting voices only compounds dissent,”…
Iranian security forces step up arrests of journalists amid anti-state protests
Editor’s note: This report was updated on September 29 to include news of additional arrests. See here for ongoing updates to the list of journalists arrested after that date. Washington, D.C., September 29, 2022—The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists arrested while covering mass protests around…