Middle East & North Africa

Two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, press freedom inside the country has reached a breaking point. Journalists report escalating censorship, harassment, and self-censorship that, they say, now functions as “part of the war effort.” Independent reporting has sharply declined, leaving the Israeli public with a distorted view of the conflict. An October 2025 report…

Update: The total number of journalists and media workers killed in 2025 is now 127, exceeding the 2024 record. New York, December 10, 2025一With more than three weeks still to go to the end of the year, the number of journalists and media workers killed worldwide in 2025 already equals 2024’s record figures, data gathered…

Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, December 9, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately release Iraqi Kurdish reporter Omer Ahmed and his crew, who were arrested on December 3 in the city of Sardasht in West Azerbaijan province while covering a cultural festival. “The arrest of Omer Ahmed and his crew shows…

New York, December 8, 2025—Algerian authorities must cease their legal attacks on the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday, as a seven-year prison sentence was upheld against French journalist Christophe Gleizes, and convictions issued against Algerian columnist Saad Bouakba and Vision TV director Abderrahim Harraoui. On Wednesday, December 3, the Tizi Ouzou…

One year after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, whose family ruled Syria through iron and fire for five decades, journalists say they enjoy more freedom than ever but also uncertainty in the face of conflict as they wait for the introduction of new media laws.  CPJ’s interviews with 20 journalists and press groups found conditions…

Nazareth, December 3, 2025 — Foreign correspondents entering Gaza under Israeli military escort describe conditions that prevent independent reporting and reinforce longstanding Committee to Protect Journalist concerns: escorted visits are not meaningful access and cannot satisfy Israel’s obligations under international law to enable independent newsgathering. Since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023, Israel has…

Washington, D.C., December 2, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of political commentator Adel al-Nazili, who rights groups and a family member say was abducted on November 18 from his home in Al-Mokha, southwestern Yemen, by the National Resistance Forces (NRF), paramilitary forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government and…

New York, December 2, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for an urgent investigation into the killing of journalist Taj al-Sir Ahmed Suleiman, director of the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) office in Sudan’s western city of El-Fasher, after reports that fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces executed him and his brother in their home….

New York, December 2, 2025 — Since what human rights groups and UN experts agree is a genocide in Gaza began in October 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists has worked relentlessly to sustain the journalists documenting the deadliest war for the press ever recorded.  CPJ has spent more than $500,000 to provide both humanitarian…

New York, December 1, 2025—Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release veteran columnist Saad Bouakba, who was arrested on November 27 on charges of defaming the late President Ahmed Ben Bella,  and drop all charges related to his journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. Bouakba was placed in detention in the capital Algiers…