Middle East & North Africa

  
Case
The office of Lebanese journalist Shuaib Zakaria is seen after being shot 30 times by unidentified attackers on March 19, 2020. (Shuaib Zakaria)

Unidentified attackers shoot at office of Lebanese journalist Shuaib Zakaria

In the evening of March 29, 2020, unidentified assailants fired dozens of bullets at the house and office of Shuaib Zakaria, a reporter for local broadcaster Radio Delta North and the news website Madinati, in the village of Fnaidek, in the northern Lebanese governorate of Akkar, according Zakaria, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app,…

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Alerts
A man reads newspapers in Tehran, Iran, on January 4, 2020. The country recently banned all newspaper printing and distribution, citing fears of spreading COVID-19. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Iran bans printing of all newspapers, citing spread of coronavirus

Washington, D.C., March 31, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over Iranian authorities’ decision to suspend all newspaper printing and distribution in the country, where newsgathering and distribution is already tightly restricted.

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Alerts
A police officer is seen in Algiers, Algeria, on March 19, 2020. Algerian authorities recently imprisoned journalist and RSF correspondent Khaled Drareni. (AP/Toufik Doudou)

Journalist and RSF correspondent Khaled Drareni imprisoned in Algeria

New York, March 27, 2020 — Algerian authorities should drop all charges against journalist Khaled Drareni and release him from prison immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alerts
Security forces are seen in Sulaimaniya, Iraqi Kurdistan, on March 14. 2020. Unidentified individuals recently tortured and robbed journalist Adnan Rashidi in Iraqi Kurdistan. (Reuters/Ako Rasheed)

Journalist Adnan Rashidi tortured, robbed in Iraqi Kurdistan

New York, March 26, 2020 — Authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the torture and robbery of journalist Adnan Rashidi and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Case
Members of a civil defense team disinfect the homes of people infected with coronavirus in Kirkuk, Iraq, on February 26, 2020. Security officers in Kurkuk recently confiscated the belongings of journalist Azad Shakur for allegedly violating a COVID-19 curfew. (Reuters/Ako Rasheed)

Iraqi security forces seize journalist’s belongings for allegedly violating COVID-19 curfew

On March 24, 2020, Iraqi National Security Forces officers stopped Azad Shakur, a reporter for the Iraqi Kurdish broadcaster Gali Kurdistan, and seized his belongings for allegedly violating a lockdown imposed to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus, according to Shakur, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a report by the…

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Features & Analysis
Government Technology Agency staff demonstrate Singapore's new contact-tracing smartphone app called TraceTogether, as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus on March 20, 2020. Bill Marczak, an expert in cellphone surveillance technology, told CPJ about the implications for journalists as governments ramp up their capacity to monitor citizens in a time of crisis. (AFP/Catherine Lai)

Expert Bill Marczak: What journalists should know about coronavirus cellphone tracking

Governments all over the world have been considering cellphone surveillance to help track and contain the spread of the coronavirus.

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Statements
A police officer is seen at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, on March 19, 2020. Egypt recently expelled Guardian reporter Ruth Michaelson over her reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Egypt expels Guardian reporter Ruth Michaelson over COVID-19 coverage

New York, March 26, 2020 — In response to Egypt’s expulsion of Ruth Michaelson, a reporter for The Guardian, the Committee to Protect Journalists released the following statement:

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Case
A man reads a newspaper at a stall near the Medina of Rabat, Morocco, on March 16, 2017. Morocco, Yemen, Oman, and Jordan recently ordered newspapers to cease production, citing fears of spreading the COVID-19 virus. (AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Jordan, Oman, Morocco, and Yemen suspend newspaper production, citing COVID-19 fears

Beginning on March 17, 2020, authorities in Jordan, Oman, Morocco, and Yemen issued decrees suspending newspaper printing and distribution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to news reports and government statements.

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Case
A member of the Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas is seen in the southern Gaza Strip on June 23, 2019. Journalist Yasser Abu Athara was recently assaulted by security forces while covering a protest related to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Gaza police assault journalist Yasser Abu Athara while covering COVID-19 protest

On March 15, 2020, Hamas-controlled security forces in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah assaulted Yasser Abu Athara, a camera operator for the Kan’an News Agency news website, while he was covering a protest against local authorities’ decision to turn two schools into quarantine centers for people infected with COVID-19, according to news reports,…

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Features & Analysis
An Iranian woman wearing a protective face mask chooses traditional items ahead of Nowruz, the national New Year celebration, at the Tajrish Bazaar in the capital Tehran on March 19, 2020, despite the heavy death toll due the novel coronavirus in the country. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government has covered up crucial information and threatened journalists. (AFP/Stringer)

Amid coronavirus pandemic, Iran covers up crucial information and threatens journalists

In recent months, the stability of the Iranian government has been threatened by widespread protests in late 2019 and the shooting down of a Ukrainian civilian aircraft in January 2020 amid heightened tensions with the U.S. The latest threat is the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Iran harder than any country except China or Italy.…

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