Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ calls on US officials to act after Blinken meeting with Shireen Abu Akleh’s family

New York, July 26, 2022 – U.S. authorities must follow their meeting with family members of slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh with substantive action to investigate her death and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Tuesday, July 26, Abu Akleh’s relatives met with U.S. Secretary of…

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Israeli forces arrest Palestinian journalist Amer Abu Arafa in West Bank

New York, July 19, 2022 – Israeli authorities should release Amer Abu Arafa immediately and stop detaining and harassing Palestinian journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Before dawn on Tuesday, July 19, Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrested Abu Arafa, a correspondent for the London-based Quds Press News Agency, at his home in the…

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Fréderike Geerdink

Iraqi Kurdistan authorities deport Dutch journalist Fréderike Geerdink

On July 14, 2022, Iraqi Kurdistan authorities deported Dutch freelance journalist Fréderike Geerdink to her country, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app and also tweeted about the incident. In a July 14 tweet, Geerdink said she was detained on her way to Kobane, a Kurdish-majority town in Syria, near the…

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Journalist Ayub Ali Warty criminally charged, briefly detained in Iraqi Kurdistan

Washington, D.C., July 19, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdish authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalist Ayub Ali Warty, ensure he can work freely, and Iraqi authorities should reform the country’s laws to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, July 18, police arrested Warty, a reporter for the broadcaster KNN…

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CPJ says Biden’s failure to address press freedom issues on Mideast tour leaves journalists more vulnerable

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2022 — The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed dismay Monday that President Joe Biden failed to meaningfully address press freedom and journalists’ rights during his Middle East tour last week.  “The U.S. effectively shrugged its shoulders over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, did not push for the release of…

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CPJ ‘appalled’ by Biden’s failure to hold Mohammed bin Salman to account over Jamal Khashoggi killing 

Washington, D.C., July 15, 2022–The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep disappointment on Friday about President Joe Biden’s comments following his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.   “The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled that President Joe Biden did not make any meaningful statement about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi…

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CPJ cautiously welcomes Biden pledge on investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh’s death; calls for US to address press freedom in Saudi Arabia and Egypt 

Washington, D.C., July 15, 2022 – In response to media reports that President Joe Biden will insist on “a full and transparent accounting” of the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement Friday: “While CPJ welcomes President Biden’s public call for accountability into the death of journalist Shireen Abu…

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CPJ joins call urging Egyptian government to respect human rights ahead of COP27

In a joint open letter on July 14, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 20 other civil society groups in urging German officials meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to press the Egyptian leader to reopen civic space in the country. The letter is addressed to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and State Secretary…

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CPJ calls for US to pursue accountability in Shireen Abu Akleh killing

New York, July 5, 2022 – The U.S. government should ensure that those responsible for the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akhleh are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, July 4, State Department spokesperson Ned Price released a statement saying that a U.S. forensic investigation concluded that…

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CPJ calls on Biden administration to investigate killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

CPJ calls on the Biden administration to lead a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

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