Iraqi security forces assault, detain journalists covering Baghdad protests
New York, August 31, 2022 – Iraqi authorities should stop assaulting and detaining journalists and take all necessary measures to ensure their safety while reporting on mass political protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, August 29, Iraqi security forces arrested, assaulted, or confiscated equipment from journalists with local and international outlets…
Egyptian journalist Raouf Ebeid detained since July
New York, August 25, 2022—Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Raouf Ebeid and drop the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 7, state security forces arrested Ebeid, a reporter for state-owned weekly print newspaper Rose al-Yousef, from his home in Cairo, and detained him in an unknown…
CPJ joins letters urging U.S. government to hold NSO Group accountable on spyware
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined human rights and press freedom organizations in separate actions in August urging the United States government to hold NSO Group accountable for providing Pegasus spyware to governments that have used the tool to secretly surveil journalists around the world. In a joint letter to Acting Solicitor General Brian Fletcher…
Lebanese journalist Mohamad Barakat, Al-Akhbar newspaper receive threatening messages
Beirut, August 24, 2022–Lebanese authorities should immediately investigate threatening messages received by journalist Mohamad Barakat and the Al-Akhbar newspaper, and ensure that members of the press can work without fear of harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Since August 13, Barakat, managing editor of the privately owned news website Asas Media, has received…
‘It made me more determined’: Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad won’t stop reporting after Salman Rushdie stabbing
After novelist Salman Rushdie, the target of an Iranian fatwa, was stabbed in western New York last week, Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad said she saw messages on social media saying she should be punished next. Alinejad, who has extensively covered human rights in Iran and campaigns against the country’s compulsory hijab rule, is no…
Jordanian journalist Adnan Al-Rousan arrested over critical columns posted on Facebook
Beirut, August 18, 2022 – Jordanian authorities should immediately release journalist Adnan Al-Rousan and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, August 15, seven unidentified men, including two in military uniform, arrested Al-Rousan, a prominent Jordanian columnist who writes critically about the government on Facebook, from his home in…
Tunisian journalist Salah Attia sentenced to 3 months in prison
New York, August 17, 2022 – A Tunisian military court in the capital Tunis on Tuesday, August 16, sentenced journalist Salah Attia, founder and editor-in-chief of local independent news website Al-Ray al-Jadid, to three months in prison, according to news reports and Sondes Attia, the journalist’s daughter, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. The…
Security forces in Aden detain Yemeni journalist Ahmed Maher
Update: On May 28, 2024, the Aden-based Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced journalist Ahmad Maher to four years in prison on charges of spreading false information, misleading news, and forging identity documents. Maher spent almost two years in detention before his sentencing. New York, August 16, 2022 – Yemeni forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council should immediately release freelance…
Journalist Salah Attia detained in Tunisia since June arrest
New York, August 12, 2022 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Salah Attia and ensure that journalists in the country can work without the threat of imprisonment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On June 11, plainclothes security officers arrested Attia, founder and editor-in-chief of local independent news website Al-Ray al-Jadid, from…
Iraqi Kurdish authorities detain, raid, harass journalists and media outlets covering protests
Beirut, August 9, 2022 – Iraqi Kurdistan authorities should immediately cease detaining and harassing journalists and media workers and allow them to report on political unrest freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On August 5 and August 6, Asayish security forces in several locations in Iraqi Kurdistan interfered with the work…