Iranian journalist Nada Sabouri begins 3.5-year jail term in 2014 protest case
Washington, D.C., September 2, 2020 — Iranian authorities should release journalist Nada Sabouri immediately and cease arbitrarily jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 7, Sabouri, a freelance sports reporter, began a 3.5-year jail term at Tehran’s Evin prison, five years after she was originally sentenced, according to…
Mohammad Mosaed, CPJ 2020 awardee, sentenced to more than 4 years in jail in Iran
Washington, D.C., September 2, 2020 – Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, a two-year ban on journalism activities, and a two-year ban on using all communications devices by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, according to a tweet from Mosaed earlier today. Mosaed, who will be honored with…
Egypt files new charges against 3 journalists held in pretrial detention since 2019
New York, September 2, 2020 – Since August 24, the Egyptian state prosecutor’s office has filed additional charges against imprisoned journalists Mohamed Salah, Solafa Magdy, and Esraa Abdelfattah, for actions they allegedly committed while in pretrial detention, according to local news reports. On August 24, the prosecutor’s office charged Salah with membership in a terrorist…
Baghdad court issues arrest warrant for owner of Iraqi broadcaster Dijlah TV
New York, September 1, 2020 — Iraqi authorities should immediately drop the arrest warrant for Jamal Karbouli, the Iraqi owner of Amman-based Dijlah TV, and allow Dijlah TV to operate freely and without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Dijlah TV has an office in Baghdad and broadcasts in Iraq. Baghdad’s…
Libyan radio journalist Sami al-Sharif detained while covering protests
Washington D.C., August 27, 2020 – Libyan authorities should immediately release journalist Sami al-Sharif and ensure that the press can cover protests without fear of attack or harassment from demonstrators or security forces, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 23, men in military uniforms affiliated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord…
Kuwaiti authorities detain blogger Mohamed al-Ajmi for ‘insulting religion’ in tweets
On August 23, 2020, the Kuwaiti public prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of Mohamed al-Ajmi, a blogger and member of the Kuwaiti freedom of expression group the National Committee for Monitoring Violations, and held him until August 25, according to news reports, social media posts by the journalist, and a report by the Arabic Network…
Jordanian security forces arrest cartoonist Emad Hajjaj over criticism of Israel-UAE deal
New York, August 27, 2020 — Jordanian authorities should immediately release cartoonist Emad Hajjaj, drop all charges against him, and let him work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a police patrol arrested Hajjaj, a cartoonist for the Qatari-funded news website Al-Araby al-Jadeed, on the Jordan Valley road while the cartoonist was…
Two Iranian journalists convicted on false news charges and ordered to pay cash fines
On August 13, 2020, Aman Mohammad Khojmali, a freelance journalist from the ethnic Turkman minority, was convicted of spreading false news and was ordered to pay a cash fine by Branch 102 of the Judiciary in an appeals court hearing in Gonbad-e-Kavus, a city in the northeast of Iran, according to news reports. The fine was 20 million rials (US$476);…
With colleagues sentenced to prison, Algerian journalists fear their new president’s attitude toward the press
Two weeks after the imprisonment of a high-profile Algerian journalist, a former reporter has been sentenced to prison for his online commentary, cementing fears that Algeria’s new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is on track to match his predecessor’s record of enacting restrictive policies toward the press even as he has promised democratic reforms. On August 24,…