Syria / Middle East & North Africa

  
Colvin and Ochlik. (AFP)

CPJ condemns killings of Colvin, Ochlik in Syria

New York, February 22, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killings in Syria of international journalists Marie Colvin and Rémi Ochlik, who died this morning during shelling of the besieged city of Homs.

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Police in Santiago seize a photographer during an anti-government demonstration. (Reuters/Carlos Vera)

Attacks on the Press in 2011: Abolishing Censorship

Even as trade and new systems of communication turn us into global citizens, the information we need to ensure accountability often stops at national borders. New platforms like social media are valuable tools, but the battle against censorship is hardly over. By Joel Simon

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A journalist crouches behind a cement block during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters in the West Bank. (Reuters/Mohamad Torokman)

Attacks on the Press in 2011: Evolution in Journalist Security

The danger of covering violent street protests has become a significant risk for journalists, alongside combat and targeted killings. Sexual assault, organized crime, and digital vulnerability are also hazards. The security industry is struggling to keep up. By Frank Smyth

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Photographers take cover during November protests in Tahrir Square. (AFP/Mahmud Hams)

Attacks on the Press: From Uprisings, Trends to Watch

The Middle East’s political shifts changed conditions for journalists dramatically. The emerging trends favor free expression, but are filled with ambiguity and depend on the political configurations to emerge after the revolutionary dust has settled. By Mohamed Abdel Dayem

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Attacks on the Press in 2011: Journalists In Prison

Iran is the world’s worst jailer of the press. Detentions rise in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Attacks on the Press in 2011: Journalists Killed

Murders decline, but fatalities rise during coverage of protests. Photographers and freelancers pay an especially high price. Pakistan is the world’s most dangerous nation.

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Attacks on the Press in 2011: Syria

The regime enforced an effective media blackout in March, banning international journalists from reporting or entering the country and detaining local journalists who tried to cover protests seeking an end to Bashar al-Assad’s rule. In a widespread campaign to silence media coverage, the government detained and assaulted journalists, expelled foreign journalists, and disabled mobile phones,…

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Anthony Shadid "knew the risks but chose to go because that's what reporters do," CPJ's Robert Mahoney said. (AP/Sue Ogrocki)

CPJ mourns the death of journalist Anthony Shadid

New York, February 16, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the death of New York Times foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid, a towering figure in international crisis reporting. Shadid perished following an apparent asthma attack while on assignment in Syria.

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Syria arrests 14 in attempt to block news

New York, February 16, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the arrests of 14 journalists, bloggers, and press freedom activists with the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM). The group has played a key role in getting out information about daily developments in Syria as foreign journalists are virtually banned…

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Journalist Mazhar Tayyara, also known as "Omar the Syrian," was killed early on February 4. (AFP/Youtube)

Syrian journalist killed in Homs

New York, February 8, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of Syrian journalist Mazhar Tayyara, a stringer for Agence France-Presse and other international outlets, who was killed by government forces’ fire in the city of Homs early Saturday morning.

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