Middle East & North Africa

  

Iranian journalist Mohammad Mir-Ghasemzadeh arrested as authorities ramp up legal pressure on media

Washington, D.C., November 30, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release journalist Mohammad Mir-Ghasemzadeh and cease jailing journalists for simply doing their job, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, security agents with the Islamic Republic’s Intelligence Ministry arrested Mir-Ghasemzadeh, a local reporter in the northern city of Sowme’eh Sara in Gilan province, and took…

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CPJ joins letter on Alaa Abdelfattah to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 33 other rights organizations, has signed on to the following letter in support of a submission to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) about the case of jailed Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdelfattah. Read more about Abdelfattah and other journalists imprisoned in Egypt here. 23 November…

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Al-Jazeera journalist Wael Al Dahdouh holds the hand of his son Hamza, who also worked for Al-Jazeera and who was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza on January 7, 2024.

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…

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Al-Mayadeen TV reporter and videographer killed by Israeli strike in south Lebanon

Beirut, November 21, 2023 — CPJ is deeply saddened by the killing of Al-Mayadeen TV crew in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, and reiterates its call for the protection of media workers tirelessly covering – at exponentially heightened risk – the ongoing conflict between Israel and multiple parties. On November 21, correspondent Farah Omar and videographer…

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CPJ pays tribute to slain Palestinian press freedom defender Bilal Jadallah

Washington, D.C., November 20, 2023 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the killing of Palestinian journalist and press freedom defender Bilal Jadallah, a previous contributor to CPJ’s work, and reiterates its call for the protection of journalists working tirelessly and at enormous risk to cover the Israel-Gaza war.   On Sunday, Jadallah,…

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CPJ expresses grave concern over 4th communications blackout in Gaza

Update: Communications in Gaza were partially restored over the weekend after a limited amount of fuel was allowed into the region to power generators. Journalists are still reporting to CPJ that they are having difficulty with communications. New York, November 16, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is highly alarmed by widespread reports of a communications blackout…

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Iran arrests 2 female environmental journalists in mass raids

Washington, D.C., November 14, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release journalists Nasim Tavafzadeh and Helaleh Nategheh and stop trying to silence journalists by jailing them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, intelligence agents with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested Tavafzadeh, editor-in-chief of the local news website Moroor.org, and Nategheh, an environmental reporter…

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Iranian journalist Manijeh Moazen arrested

Washington, D.C., November 9, 2023—Iranian authorities must immediately release journalist Manijeh Moazen and cease jailing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  On November 8, Moazen, a freelance journalist and translator, was arrested from her home in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and was taken to an undisclosed location, according to news reports and a…

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CPJ condemns new prison sentence for Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama

New York, November 8, 2023 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the additional six-month prison sentence issued to Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama on Tuesday, November 7. “Imposing a new prison sentence on journalist Mustapha Bendjama just when he was due to be released shows how determined the Algerian government is to keep independent journalists…

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FAQ: How CPJ documents journalist deaths in the war

How many journalists have died since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7? Dozens have died; see an updated list here. How do these numbers compare to prior conflicts? There have been more journalists killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war than in any other similar period of conflict since CPJ started recording such deaths in…

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