Saudi Arabia / Middle East & North Africa

  

Saudi crown prince’s alleged hacking of Bezos raises press freedom concerns

Washington, January 22, 2020—The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined U.N. human rights experts in calling for an investigation into the alleged hacking of The Washington Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The U.N. experts called the alleged hacking “an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia.”

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A picture of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is seen in Istanbul on October 2, 2019. A Saudi court recently sentenced eight individuals in an opaque process for their alleged involvement in the killing. (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Saudi court sentences 8 for Jamal Khashoggi killing

New York, December 23, 2019 — The Saudi public prosecutor’s office announced today that a court had sentenced five people to death and three to jail terms for their roles in the October 2018 killing of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, which took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to…

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Flowers cover the coffin of Mexican journalist Jorge Celestino Ruiz Vazquez, who was killed in Veracruz in August. Ruiz is one of at least five journalists murdered in retaliation for their work in Mexico in 2019. (Reuters/Oscar Martinez)

Number of journalists killed falls sharply as reprisal murders hit record low

As wars subsided and a record low number of journalists were murdered in reprisal for reporting, the total number of journalists killed because of their work fell sharply in 2019. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

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A June 5, 2019, photo shows a "media interview area" for reporters set up near the Idkah mosque on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, when Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan, in Kashgar, in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. China was the world’s leading jailer of journalists in 2019, with at least 48 in prison. (AFP/Greg Baker)

China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt are world’s worst jailers of journalists

For the fourth consecutive year, at least 250 journalists are imprisoned globally as authoritarians like Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi show no signs of letting up on the critical media. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

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Street art depicting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 23, 2019. Saudi security forces have recently arrested several journalists. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Several journalists arrested in crackdown in Saudi Arabia

New York, November 27, 2019 – The Saudi Arabian government must immediately end its arrest campaigns against journalists and free all those who have been jailed for their writing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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10 Most Censored Countries

Repressive governments use sophisticated digital censorship and surveillance alongside more traditional methods to silence independent media. A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Published September 10, 2019 Eritrea is the world’s most censored country, according to a list compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The list is based on CPJ’s research into the…

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People holding pictures of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a symbolic funeral prayer held in Istanbul, Turkey on November 16, 2018. (REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir)

US, UN must probe Saudi crown prince role in “extrajudicial killing” of Jamal Khashoggi, report says

Paris, June 19, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a United Nations report calling on both the head of the U.N. and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to open criminal probes into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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People are seen at the General Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 24, 2018. Jordanian journalist Abdulrahman Farhana was detained by Saudi authorities in February. (Reuters/Faisal Al Nasser)

Jordanian journalist Abdulrahman Farhana detained by Saudi authorities

New York, April 25, 2019 — Saudi authorities should immediately release Jordanian journalist Abdulrahman Farhana as well as the other journalists swept up in their campaign against dissent, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh is seen on October 16, 2018. Saudi Arabia recently arrested another three bloggers amid a larger crackdown. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

Saudi Arabia detains 3 more bloggers

New York, April 18, 2019 — Saudi authorities must immediately stop persecuting journalists and release those swept up in their recent detention campaign, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A cameraman gets into position as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 16, 2018. At least four journalists were recently arrested in Saudi Arabia, and their whereabouts are unknown. (AP/Leah Millis)

At least four more journalists arrested in Saudi crackdown

New York, April 8, 2019 — Saudi Arabian authorities must immediately release journalists Thumar al-Marzouqi, Bader al-Ibrahim, Mohammed al-Sadiq, and Abdullah al-Duhailan and stop their brazen campaign against the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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