CPJ, partners call on Israel to protect ‘NAZA’ filmmakers’ fundamental rights
The Committee to Protect Journalists and 10 international press freedom organizations are calling on Israeli authorities to protect the safety and fundamental rights of Israeli investigative journalists and filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor following threats by senior officials and escalating intimidation targeting the journalists, their families, and media outlets that publish their work. In…
CPJ demands release of arrested Palestinian-US journalist near Bethlehem
Amman September 17, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release Palestinian-American journalist Naqaa Hamed, arrested on Tuesday at a temporary Israeli army checkpoint in the village of Tuqu, near Bethlehem. Hamed, a freelancer with the local 4D Media production company, was returning from a work assignment for Turkish…
Netanyahu escalates threats against ‘NAZA’ filmmakers with proposed citizenship law
Paris, September 17, 2026 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that his government will seek legislation to revoke the citizenship of Israelis who “defame” Israeli soldiers abroad, explicitly citing the documentary “NAZA” and its filmmakers, investigative journalist Yuval Abraham and filmmaker Rachel Szor, is a dangerous escalation in official efforts to intimidate and punish…
Imprisoned Tunisian journalist Zied el-Heni faces new terrorism charges
New York, September 16, 2026—Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release and drop all charges against journalist Zied el-Heni, who is serving a one-year prison sentence and faces two separate other criminal cases, including a new case where he is facing four terrorism-related charges that his family says could expose him to life imprisonment, the…
CPJ condemns Israeli threats against ‘NAZA’ filmmakers
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately end threats of legal action against Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham and filmmaker Rachel Szor over their documentary “NAZA,” which accuses the Israeli military of using AI-powered targeting systems in the mass killing of civilians in Gaza. Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has…
Egypt must account for Sudanese journalist Ataf Mohamed Mokhtar
Washington, D.C., September 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of prominent Sudanese journalist Ataf Mohamed Mokhtar and the reasons for his arrest. Ataf was arrested Tuesday, September 8, 2026, from his home in Cairo, with no official announcement from Egyptian authorities on the legal basis for…
Kicked, threatened, shot at: Israeli settler violence hits West Bank journalists
Palestinian freelance journalist Salman al-Khatib and his colleagues were filming Israeli demolitions of homes in the occupied West Bank late last month when a young settler approached them, blocked their cameras, shoved the journalists, and kicked Al-Khatib. After another settler arrived on the scene, located between the towns of Birzeit and Atara, north of Ramallah,…
German journalist recounts 5-month detention in Syria, urges colleague’s release
On January 18, 2026, German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and her Kurdish-Turkish colleague Ahmed Polad were detained while reporting from the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, as government forces advanced on the territory controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). After months of denying knowledge, authorities admitted holding them in custody. Michelmann, who had…
Tunisian authorities arrest journalist Mohamed Yousfi amid financial investigation
New York, September 7, 2026 —Tunisian authorities must immediately release journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a well-known critic of President Kais Saied’s government, and end its use of financial crime allegations to target members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, September 4, police from the financial crimes unit arrested Yousfi, editor-in-chief…
Journalists in Lebanon and Gaza injured amid fragile ceasefires
Amman, September 7, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the recent escalation in Israeli strikes on Gaza and Lebanon, which have injured at least four journalists, including three on Sunday, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefires in both locations. On September 6, 2026, Lebanese correspondent for the local Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV…