Middle East & North Africa

Dear Minister Jamil, The Committee to Protect Journalists brings your attention to a one-month prison sentence handed down last week by the criminal court in Sulaymaniyah in contravention of the region’s new press law.

New York, November 7, 2008–On the 21st anniversary of the coup that brought Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to power, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on the longtime leader to end his government’s repressive media tactics.

New York, November 6, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the continued imprisonment of an Egyptian blogger jailed two years ago on Friday.

New York, November 5, 2008–The Iraqi Kurdistan court of appeals should act immediately to overturn a judge’s ruling on Tuesday to impose a one-month prison term against a journalist who published critical reports about the Sulaymaniyah courthouse, CPJ said today. The journalist’s lawyer said newly adopted legislation does not appear to allow such a prison…

New York, November 4, 2008–CPJ is deeply concerned by the decisions of the Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian‎ governments to ban the new issue of L’Express magazine carrying a series of articles about Islam and Christianity.

New York, October 31, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Moroccan appeals court decision to uphold heavy damages and a fine against an editor of a leading independent daily in a defamation case, which could force the paper to close.

New York, October 30, 2008–A Jordanian editor battling a lawsuit filed by a governor will be held for 15 days while an investigation is completed, the Jordanian military court ruled on Tuesday. 

New York, October 29, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed that Algerian journalist Noureddine Boukraa has been convicted of disclosing “confidential” information after he reported that security officials may have used their positions for personal gain.

Nearly three years after gunman affiliated with al-Qaeda left him for dead on a Baghdad street, Iraqi state television cameraman Jehad Ali arrived in the United States for medical treatment to help rebuild his bullet-shattered right leg.

New York, October 23, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Tunisian government’s decision to seize the latest issue of an opposition newspaper and to summon an independent editor to appear before a public prosecutor.