Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ, 192 partner organizations urge UN Secretary General to take action to secure release of jailed journalists amid COVID-19

The #FreeThePress campaign, made up of 193 press freedom and human rights organizations and the more than 11,337 concerned citizens who signed the petition, urges the UN secretary general to take immediate action to secure the release of journalists jailed around the world whose lives are risk due to the spread of COVID-19.

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Tehran, Iran, is seen on April 3, 2020. Iranian authorities recently arrested two journalists for allegedly sharing a political cartoon. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Iran arrests 2 journalists for allegedly sharing cartoon mocking government’s COVID-19 response

Washington, D.C., April 27, 2020 — Iranian authorities should immediately drop their investigations into journalists Masoud Heydari and Hamid Haghjoo, and let them work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A security officer is seen in Najaf, Iraq, on February 24, 2020. Najaf-based reporter Ali al-Haj was recently threatened over his reporting. (Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani)

Iraqi reporter Ali al-Haj threatened over reporting

On April 16, 2020, a person who described themselves as the Sheikh of the Al-Mayah tribe texted Ali al-Haj, a reporter for the Iraqi broadcaster Al-Sharqiyya in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, demanding he stop his reporting and threatened him, according to al-Haj, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app.

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Security forces are seen in Algiers, Algeria, on April 8, 2020. Algerian authorities recently blocked three news websites in the country and passed legislation criminalizing "fake news." (AP/Toufik Doudou)

Algeria blocks 3 news websites and criminalizes false news

New York, April 22, 2020 — Algerian authorities must immediately unblock the news websites Interlignes, Maghreb Emergent, and Radiom, and ensure that all media outlets can publish online freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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People walk in Tehran, Iran, on April 13, 2020. Two Iranian universities recently filed suits against journalists for their coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP/Atta Kenare)

Iranian medical schools sue journalists over coronavirus coverage

Since February 2020, two medical schools in Iran have filed criminal suits against at least two journalists over their coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, according to reports by the International Federation of Journalists and the Human Rights Activists News Agency, two exile-run outlets that cover news in Iran.

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Security forces are seen in Cairo, Egypt, on March 29, 2020. Authorities recently blocked the Darb news website throughout Egypt. (AP/Nariman El-Mofty)

Egypt blocks Darb news website

On April 9, 2020, Egyptian authorities blocked Darb, a news website owned by the opposition Socialist Popular Movement Party, according to a report by the website and news reports.

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A security officer is seen in Sulaimaniya, Iraqi Kurdistan, on March 14, 2020. Kurdish Iraqi journalist Amanj Warte recently received anonymous threats. (Reuters/Ako Rasheed)

Kurdish Iraqi journalist receives anonymous threats over coverage

Since March 19, 2020, unidentified individuals have threatened Kurdish Iraqi freelance journalist Amanj Warte, who contributes to the broadcaster KNN and the news website Sbeiy, after he published an article in Sbeiy on March 18 about alleged plans for a Turkish military outpost in Kurdish Iraqi territory, according to Warte, who spoke to CPJ via…

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Tribesmen loyal to the Houthi rebel group raise their weapons as they chant slogans during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen, on February 25, 2020. The Houthis sentenced four journalists in their custody to death on April 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

CPJ calls on Houthis to reverse death sentence against Yemeni journalists, release them from custody

New York, April 11, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm at a decision by the Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, to sentence Abdulkhaleq Amran, Akram al-Waleedi, Hareth Hameed, and Tawfiq al-Mansouri to death, and urged the Houthis to release them and all other journalists in their custody.

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A screen shot of an audio message by imprisoned Bahraini journalist Mahmoud al-Jaziri posted April 7, 2020, on a YouTube channel run by Bahraini dissidents, in which he described conditions in Jaw Prison amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bahrain puts imprisoned journalist in solitary confinement after reporting on COVID-19 danger

New York, April 10, 2020 – Bahraini authorities should immediately stop retaliating against imprisoned journalist Mahmoud al-Jaziri for reporting on conditions inside Bahraini prisons and should free all journalists imprisoned for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Jordanian soldiers are seen in Amman on March 18, 2020. The Jordanian military recently arrested two journalists over their COVID-19 coverage. (AFP/Khalil Mazraawi)

Jordan arrests 2 Roya TV journalists over COVID-19 coverage

New York, April 10, 2020 — In response to Jordanian authorities’ arrest of Fares Sayegh, general manager of the privately owned satellite station Roya TV, and Mohammad Alkhalidi, the channel’s news director, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

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