Al Jazeera journalists Ismail Al Ghoul and Rami Al Refee killed in Gaza
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israel to explain the killing of Al Jazeera Gaza correspondent Ismail Al Ghoul and camera operator Rami Al Refee in an Israeli airstrike west of Gaza City on Wednesday. “CPJ is dismayed by the news that Al Jazeera TV reporter Ismail Al Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al Refee…
Cyberattackers use easily available tools to target media sites, threaten press freedom
When exiled Russian news website Meduza was hit with a flood of internet traffic in mid-April, it set off alarm bells among the staff as the deluge blocked publishing for more than four hours and briefly rendered the site inaccessible for some readers. It was the largest distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) attack in…
Iraqi Kurdistan court sentences Syrian journalist to 3 years
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, July 29, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Iraqi Kurdish authorities to release Syrian journalist Sleman Ahmed after the Duhok criminal court sentenced him to three years in prison on espionage charges on Monday. “CPJ is alarmed by the sentencing of Syrian journalist Sleman Ahmed, who has been detained for nine…
Sudanese military arrests journalist after he criticized governor on water crisis, sources say
New York, July 24, 2024—Sudanese authorities must immediately and unconditionally release freelance journalist Omar Mohamed Omar, who was arrested on July 17 by the General Intelligence Service of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and allow members of the press to work safely and freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “We are alarmed by…
Turkish Kurdish photojournalist Murat Yazar detained for 8 days in Iraqi Kurdistan
Sulaymaniyah, July 23, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed that the prominent Turkish Kurdish photojournalist Murat Yazar was held in an Iraqi Kurdish security forces prison for eight days before his release on Sunday evening and calls on Iraqi Kurdish authorities to stop arresting journalists. “Iraqi Kurdish authorities have made a habit out of…
CPJ, partners call on Biden to raise press freedom issues with Netanyahu
The Committee to Protect Journalists and nine other rights groups sent a letter Monday calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on journalist killings and media access in Gaza. The letter urged Biden to ensure that Netanyahu takes steps to facilitate press freedom and journalist safety in Israel and…
Egypt arrests 2 journalists in less than a week, refuses to disclose whereabouts
Washington, D.C., July 23, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist for the independent news outlet Al-Manassa, and Khaled Mamdouh, a reporter for news website Arabic Post. “By arresting journalists Khaled Mamdouh and Ashraf Omar and subjecting them to enforced disappearance, the Egyptian regime has once…
Photos: Israel-Gaza war takes unprecedented toll on journalists
The Israel-Gaza war has been devastating for civilians, including journalists covering the conflict. While a few conflicts have taken the lives of hundreds of journalists over a period of years, no other war has taken so many journalists’ lives in such a short time span, according to CPJ data that has been gathered since 1992. Here…
Libyan TV host Ahmed al-Sanussi arrested after corruption report
New York, July 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate and safe release of Libyan television host Ahmed al-Sanussi who was arrested in the capital Tripoli on Thursday. “CPJ strongly denounces the arrest of Libyan TV host Ahmed al-Sanussi. It is unacceptable that authorities have not disclosed where he is being held…
CPJ, 4 others urge Saudi authorities to release detained podcaster, other content creators
On July 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined four human rights organizations in urging Saudi authorities to immediately release various Saudi content creators and journalists, including Palestinian journalist and podcast presenter Hatem al-Najjar, who has been detained since January of this year. Al-Najjar is the host of the popular podcast “Muraba” (Square) on Thmanyah, a…