Saudi Arabia / Middle East & North Africa

  

CPJ condemns Biden administration decision that Saudi crown prince has immunity in U.S. Khashoggi lawsuit

New York, November 18, 2022 – In response to news reports that the Biden administration told a U.S. court late Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be immune in a civil lawsuit over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CPJ issued the following statement condemning the decision:  “The Biden administration’s submission that…

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Drawing of a hand holding a phone that displays an eye while spyware downloads. Audiovisual icons show the range of media spyware can access or activate.

Special report: When spyware turns phones into weapons

How zero-click surveillance threatens reporters, sources, and global press freedom By Fred Guterl Published October 13, 2022 Aida Alami has always been wary of surveillance. As a journalist from Morocco, a state with a track record of intercepting phone calls and messages of political rivals, activists, and journalists, she habitually took precautions to protect her…

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Khashoggi’s legacy will forever haunt his killers, says CPJ’s Sherif Mansour

Washington, D.C., September 30, 2022 — The four years that have passed since Washington Post columnist and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered underscores the global failure to punish the killers of journalists around the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “Jamal Khashoggi will forever be a symbol of what it…

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CPJ says Biden’s failure to address press freedom issues on Mideast tour leaves journalists more vulnerable

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2022 — The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed dismay Monday that President Joe Biden failed to meaningfully address press freedom and journalists’ rights during his Middle East tour last week.  “The U.S. effectively shrugged its shoulders over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, did not push for the release of…

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CPJ ‘appalled’ by Biden’s failure to hold Mohammed bin Salman to account over Jamal Khashoggi killing 

Washington, D.C., July 15, 2022–The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep disappointment on Friday about President Joe Biden’s comments following his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.   “The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled that President Joe Biden did not make any meaningful statement about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi…

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CPJ calls on Biden not to normalize journalist killings and imprisonment ahead of Middle East trip

New York, June 14, 2022 – In response to Tuesday’s announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia to meet with regional leaders, the Committee to Protect Journalists reiterated a call for the U.S. government to press for accountability for the killings and imprisonment of journalists. Biden…

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CPJ condemns decision to move Jamal Khashoggi murder trial from Turkey to Saudi Arabia

New York, April 7, 2022 – In response to a decision by Turkish authorities on Thursday, April 7, to transfer the trial of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “The Turkish government’s trial of Jamal Khashoggi’s suspected killers was politicized…

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CPJ monitoring Yemen ‘with concern’ after Saudi airstrikes kill dozens and shut down internet

New York, January 21, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is monitoring with concern the aftermath of a series of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes that killed at least 70 people and cut off nearly all of Yemen’s internet access after hitting a telecommunication facility in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida on Friday. “Journalists…

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In Middle East and North Africa, a drop in attacks on journalists belies dire state of press freedom

The Middle East and North Africa region has long been especially dangerous for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists’ research has found that one out of every three reporters killed worldwide in retaliation for their work since 1992 — 477 out of 1,422, or 33.5% – were located in the region. That proportion rose to…

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Number of journalists behind bars reaches global high

Editor’s note: Numbers for each prison census are adjusted yearly as CPJ learns of arrests, releases, or deaths in prison. The numbers for CPJ’s 2021 census have been revised from 293 to 302 in accordance with this policy. For the most recent data, see cpj.org/data/imprisoned/ The number of journalists jailed around the world set another record…

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