Middle East & North Africa

  
Sonia Dahmani is seen in court on November 11, 2025.

CPJ calls on Tunisian authorities to end harassment of jailed commentator Sonia Dahmani

New York, November 12, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release political commentator Sonia Dahmani, ensure she receives urgent medical care, and end her judicial harassment.  On November 11, the Tunis Court of First Instance postponed Dahmani’s criminal hearing, regarding her media comments on prison conditions in Tunisia,…

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The father of podcast host Seif al-Islam Eid (seen here) was arrested in Egypt in a case of transnational repression.

CPJ, partners condemn arrest of exiled Egyptian podcast host Seif al-Islam Eid’s father

In a joint statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 18 human rights and press freedom organizations called on Egyptian authorities to immediately release the father of exiled Egyptian podcast host Seif al-Islam Eid, who was arrested on October 22, 2025, and to cease targeting the family members of exiled journalists and human rights defenders….

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President Trump visits Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)

CPJ, partners call on US to prioritize rights during Saudi crown prince’s visit

Ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s planned visit to Washington on November 18, 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 10 other human rights and press freedom organizations released a joint statement calling on the U.S. government, including Congress, to address Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses. The statement noted that this will be…

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Parviz Sedaghat, a prominent economist and editor, was arrested by Iranian authorities in November.

Iranian authorities arrest economist and editor Parviz Sedaghat amid crackdown

Paris, November 7, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iranian authorities to immediately release editor and economist Parviz Sedaghat and halt their escalating campaign against journalists, academics, and writers commenting on social and economic injustices. Sedaghat, editor-in-chief of Naghde Eqtesad Siyasi (Political Economy Critique), an independent platform that publishes critical essays on the economy…

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The Dome of the Rock is seen behind Israeli security forces after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at al-Aqsa Mosque over visits by Jews to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City in 2021.

Palestinian journalists targeted with Ramadan bans, arrests at Al-Aqsa holy site

Nazareth, November 4, 2025—Israeli police banned at least 10 Palestinian journalists from Jerusalem’s disputed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during Ramadan this year, CPJ has found, in what many view as a deliberate effort to censor coverage of the holy site. Intimidatory tactics against the press have increased in the two years since the start of the…

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The RSF advanced into El Fasher in late October after besieging the city for 18 months.

As Sudan’s El-Fasher falls, the world loses sight of its journalists

New York, October 31, 2025 — As paramilitary forces seized control of Sudan’s El-Fasher in late October, its journalists have become both witnesses and victims of the unfolding horrors.  The Committee to Protect Journalists has received reports from several rights groups that 13 journalists and media workers in the North Darfur capital — among the…

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CPJ calls for protection of journalists in Sudan’s El-Fasher, immediate release of those abducted

New York, October 30, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by reports emerging from El-Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state, which the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has captured in recent days, where journalists, media workers and other civilians are facing an unprecedented wave of violence and impunity.  Over the weekend,…

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CPJ calls for transparent US investigation into killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

New York, October 28, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists renewed its call for an independent and transparent investigation into Israel’s killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, after a news report suggested the United States watered down its conclusions in an assessment of the circumstances surrounding her death. Abu Akleh, one of the…

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Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim was detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in El-Fasher.

Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim detained by RSF in El-Fasher

New York, October 27, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that freelance Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim was detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the paramilitary group’s advance on the besieged city of El-Fasher in North Darfur, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. A video that first circulated on…

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The Israeli Supreme Court granted Israel another 30-days to respond to a petition challenging the two-year ban on entry.

CPJ calls on international community to urge Israel to end Gaza media ban after Supreme Court delay

New York, October 23, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on the international community to pressure Israel to immediately lift all restrictions preventing journalists from entering Gaza, after the Supreme Court today granted the state an additional 30 days to respond to a petition challenging the two-year ban on entry.  Israel’s request…

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