Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ condemns arrest of Al-Jazeera bureau chief Al-Musalmi al-Kabbashi in Sudan

New York, November 15, 2021 – In response to news reports that Sudanese security forces yesterday arrested Al-Musalmi al-Kabbashi, the Khartoum bureau chief of the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for his release: “We strongly condemn the arrest of journalist Al-Musalmi al-Kabbashi, and call on Sudanese authorities…

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Iranian photojournalist Rahil Mousavi arrested on unspecified charges

Washington, D.C., November 11, 2021 — Iranian authorities should immediately release Arab Iranian photojournalist Rahil Mousavi, drop any charges against her, and let her work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 9, security forces with the Intelligence Ministry arrested Mousavi, a freelance photojournalist, in the southwestern city of Khorramshahr, in the…

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‘A high-profile action’: Lawyer Douglas Jacobson on what U.S. export restrictions could mean for Israel’s NSO Group

On November 3, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it had imposed export controls on the Israeli NSO Group, saying the company “developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target” journalists and others. The move represented a relatively new use for the Entity List for Malicious Cyber Activities, a…

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CPJ condemns killing of Yemeni journalist Rasha Abdullah al-Harazi in car bomb attack

New York, November 10, 2021 – All parties to the conflict in Yemen must stop attacking members of the press, and must ensure that journalist killings are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, journalist Rasha Abdullah al-Harazi was killed in a car bomb attack while…

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Iran shutters newspaper that implied supreme leader was responsible for poverty

Washington, D.C., November 8, 2021 — Iranian authorities must immediately reverse their decision to shut down the Tehran-based state-run daily newspaper Kelid, and should allow media outlets to report the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Earlier today, the Press Supervisory Board of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance indefinitely revoked…

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Palestinian security forces arrest freelance journalist Naseem Mualla

New York, November 5, 2021 — Palestinian authorities in the West Bank should immediately and unconditionally release freelance journalist Naseem Mualla and allow journalists to work without fear of detention, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Early yesterday morning, Palestinian police and intelligence officers raided Mualla’s home in the town of Beita, south of…

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US blacklisting of NSO Group a welcome first step to curb spyware abuse

Washington, D.C., November 3, 2021 ­­— The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the U.S. Department of Commerce’s addition of the Israel-based technology company NSO Group to the Entity List for Malicious Cyber Activities today. “CPJ welcomes the Department of Commerce’s decision to impose export controls on NSO Group for developing and supplying Pegasus spyware to…

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Hamas security forces arrest journalist Alaa al-Mashrawi in Gaza

New York, November 2, 2021 – Authorities with Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, should immediately release Palestinian journalist Alaa al-Mashrawi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At 4 p.m. on October 31, Hamas’ Internal Security Forces arrested al-Mashrawi, director of the local news website Al-Mashreq News and the Al-Mashreq Foundation…

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Iranian journalist Manoochehr Aghaei begins 8-month prison sentence

Washington, D.C., November 1, 2021 — Iranian authorities must release journalist Manoochehr Aghaei immediately and unconditionally, and cease jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 27, Aghaei, the editor-in-chief of the independent, social media-based news outlet MiandoabPress and a reporter for the state-run news website Young Journalists’ Club,…

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Two hands hold a phone depicting a branded table for sale and text.

Iran’s parliament moves forward with troubling bill to further restrict internet

Washington, D.C., November 1, 2021 ­­— The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today that Iran’s parliament is moving ahead with a restrictive internet bill, despite objections from citizens and international observers.   The legislation, the Cyberspace Users Rights Protection and Regulation of Key Online Services Bill, was undergoing review by a parliamentary subcommittee in…

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