Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ calls for protection of journalists in Sudan’s El-Fasher, immediate release of those abducted

New York, October 30, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by reports emerging from El-Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state, which the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has captured in recent days, where journalists, media workers and other civilians are facing an unprecedented wave of violence and impunity.  Over the weekend,…

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CPJ calls for transparent US investigation into killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

New York, October 28, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists renewed its call for an independent and transparent investigation into Israel’s killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, after a news report suggested the United States watered down its conclusions in an assessment of the circumstances surrounding her death. Abu Akleh, one of the…

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Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim was detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in El-Fasher.

Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim detained by RSF in El-Fasher

New York, October 27, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that freelance Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim was detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the paramilitary group’s advance on the besieged city of El-Fasher in North Darfur, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. A video that first circulated on…

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The Israeli Supreme Court granted Israel another 30-days to respond to a petition challenging the two-year ban on entry.

CPJ calls on international community to urge Israel to end Gaza media ban after Supreme Court delay

New York, October 23, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on the international community to pressure Israel to immediately lift all restrictions preventing journalists from entering Gaza, after the Supreme Court today granted the state an additional 30 days to respond to a petition challenging the two-year ban on entry.  Israel’s request…

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A Palestinian man makes his way past destroyed buildings in Gaza City on October 12, 2025 during a ceasefire.

Ceasefire brings some calm but not safety for journalists in Gaza, West Bank

Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, October 21, 2025 — As a fragile ceasefire pushes through a second week, Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza still face immense risks. Despite a pause in large-scale fighting, attacks, detention and threats to press freedom persist. While seven journalists were released as part of the ceasefire that began on October…

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The mound of rubble at the site of the Unknown Soldier Tower, destroyed by overnight Israeli bombardment, is pictured in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City on September 15, 2025.

CPJ demands immediate end to Gaza media access ban, files legal challenge

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is renewing its urgent call for Israel to provide immediate, independent, and unrestricted international media access to Gaza. On October 5, 2025, CPJ took a decisive stand for press freedom by filing an amicus brief in support of the Foreign Press Association in Israel’s second petition to the Israeli…

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Prominent Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi, who had a large social media following, was killed by an armed group in Gaza City on October 12, 2025.

Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi killed by armed group in Gaza City

Sulaymaniyah, October 16, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the killing of Saleh Aljafarawi, a 28-year-old freelance Palestinian journalist who gained prominence on social media for his war coverage. He was shot and killed on October 12, 2025, reportedly by members of an armed Palestinian group in Gaza City, just days…

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This photo shows a boat from the Global Sumud Flotilla, one of the earlier aid convoys intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean sea off the Gaza Strip waters, being escorted towards the southern port of Ashdod on October 2, 2025.

Israel frees 14 journalists detained from Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla

Sulaymaniyah, October 14, 2025 —  Israeli authorities have released 14 journalists and others who had been detained, many of them for four days, after sailing aboard the Wijdan (Conscience), a vessel that was part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), one of several aid convoys that have attempted to break the blockade on Gaza.  The…

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Abdel Khaleq Farouk was sentenced to five years in prison on October 4.

Egypt sentences commentator Abdel Khaleq Farouk to 5 years in prison

Washington, D.C., October 9, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled by the five-year prison sentence handed down to Egyptian economic commentator Abdel Khaleq Farouk, convicted of joining a terrorist organization, spreading false information, and misusing social media over articles critical of Egypt’s economic policies. Lawyer Nabih Al-Janadi, a member of Farouk’s defense…

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UAE authorities detained South Sudanese freelance commentator Samuel Peter Oyay in Dubai on September 30.

UAE arrests South Sudanese political commentator Samuel Peter Oyay

Washington, D.C., October 7, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the United Arab Emirates to explain the detention of South Sudanese freelance commentator Samuel Peter Oyay, who was arrested at his home in Dubai on September 30, and to immediately disclose his whereabouts.  Oyay’s wife, Vivian Johnson, told the independent…

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