Middle East & North Africa

  
Iraqi security forces are seen in Baghdad on November 23, 2019. Security forces recently raided and shuttered broadcaster Dijlah TV. (Reuters/Thaier al-Sudani)

Iraqi security forces shutter Baghdad office of Dijlah TV broadcaster

Beirut, November 27, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should allow Amman-based broadcaster Dijlah TV to reopen, and should cease forcing news outlets off the air for their coverage, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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People walk past a building that was burned during recent protests in Shahriar, Iran, on November 20, 2019. Journalist Mohammad Mosaed was recently arrested after tweeting during an internet shutdown imposed amid the protests. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian authorities arrest journalist Mohammad Mosaed for tweets amid internet shutdown

Washington, D.C., November 25, 2019 — Iranian authorities should immediately release journalist Mohammad Mosaed and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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People watch television in Najaf, Iraq, on October 31, 2019. Iraq's media regulator recently ordered the closure of 12 broadcast outlets throughout the country. (AFP/Haidar Hamdani)

Iraq media regulator orders closure of 12 broadcast news outlets

Beirut, November 25, 2019 — Iraq’s media regulator should reverse its decision to order the closure of 12 broadcasters over a licensing dispute and should allow media outlets to freely cover protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A view of Giza Pyramids, taken from Cairo Tower on October 23, 2019. Security officers raided the Cairo offices of Mada Masr on November 24 and detained three staff. (AFP/Mohamed el-Shahed)

Egypt raids critical news outlet, detains staff

November 24, 2019—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemned today’s raid on the office of independent Egyptian news website Mada Masr by Egyptian authorities, which included the arrests of three staffers. CPJ called on the government of Egypt to end its campaign of intimidation against the outlet and to release all Mada staff.

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Israeli police are seen in Jerusalem's Old City on May 31, 2019. Israeli police recently raided the offices of Palestine TV and a local production company in Jerusalem. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli forces raid Palestine TV and production company, order 6-month closure

Beirut, November 21, 2019 — Israeli authorities should allow Palestine TV and the Al-Arz Media Services Company to reopen their offices and resume their work, and cease conducting raids of media organizations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Smoke rises during a protest in Isfahan, Iran, on November 16, 2019. Iranian authorities have cut internet access nationwide amid the protests. (AP Photo)

Iranian government cuts internet access nationwide amid protests

Washington, D.C., November 20, 2019 — Iranian authorities should immediately restore internet access throughout the country and allow information to flow freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A demonstrator distributes a newspaper in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 17, 2019. A journalist was recently abducted and a broadcaster's office attacked amid the demonstrations. (Reuters/Thaier al-Sudani)

Journalist temporarily abducted, TV office attacked amid protests in Iraq

Beirut, November 20, 2019 — Iraqi authorities should conduct swift and transparent investigations into the temporary abduction of journalist Mohammad Qahtan al-Shamari and the attack on the Al-Arabi TV offices in Baghdad, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Palestinian photographer Moath Amarneh is seen after being hit with shrapnel from a rubber bullet fired by Israeli security forces in Surif, the West Bank, on November 15, 2019. (AFP/Hazem Bader)

Palestinian photographer Moath Amarneh injured by Israeli forces

Beirut, November 18, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned Israeli security forces’ injuring of Palestinian photographer Moath Amarneh and called on Israeli authorities to immediately open an investigation into the incident and hold those responsible into account.

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A Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighter stands in a street in the border town of Tal Abyad, in Syria, on October 27, 2019. Military action in Syria has increased risks for journalists. (Reuters/Khalil Ashawi)

CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Rojava and northern Syria

Following Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria in October, dozens of local and international journalists have reported on developments from the region. The military action has increased risks for journalists, with at least three killed during Turkish airstrikes last month, according to CPJ research.

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The city of Zakho in Iraq, in October 2017. Kurdish security forces detained a journalist for nearly two weeks in Zakho and Duhok, after he returned from a reporting trip to Syria. (Reuters/Ari Jalal)

Assyrian journalist detained in Iraq for 13 days after reporting trip to Syria

Kurdish Asayish security forces detained William Bnyameen Adam, an Assyrian journalist, for 13 days after the contributor to the California-based broadcaster Assyrian National Broadcasting (ANB) returned from a two-week assignment in northern Syria, the journalist told CPJ. The journalist said that security forces confiscated his equipment, beat him, and questioned him about his reporting.

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