Yemen / Middle East & North Africa

  
A protester shot by government forces is carried from the scene.(AP/Muhammed Muheisen)

In Yemen, a journalist fatally shot, another injured

New York, March 18, 2011–One journalist was fatally shot and another wounded in Sana’s today when Yemeni security forces used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators from a central protest area, killing dozens of people. The death of photographer Jamal al-Sharaabi is the first confirmed media fatality in Yemen since political unrest began in January, the…

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Police break up a protest camp in Manama's Pearl Square. (AFP/Joseph Eid)

Bahrain expels CNN reporter, detains WSJ correspondent

New York, March 17, 2011–Bahraini authorities expelled a CNN reporter and briefly detained another international reporter on Wednesday amid an intensified crackdown on political unrest. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Bahraini government’s ongoing obstruction of news media and calls for authorities to allow journalists to cover this story of international import. Elsewhere in…

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An anti-government protest in Sana'a. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

As unrest bubbles, Bahrain and Yemen obstruct press

New York, March 14, 2011–Authorities in Yemen and Bahrain are continuing to obstruct news coverage of ongoing political unrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today as it called on the two government to allow journalists to work without reprisal. In Yemen, at least six international journalists were expelled since Saturday, according to news reports…

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Libyan uprising activists set up a media center headquarters in Benghazi that provides technical support to journalists, documents collected media material, and communicates with foreign media. (AP/Nasser Nasser)

CPJ condemns attacks on press in Libya, Yemen, and Egypt

New York, March 9, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by an attack on the Ouzo Hotel in the rebel-held city of Benghazi in eastern Libya on Tuesday. Unknown assailants threw an explosive device into the hotel, which has been the primary residence for journalists in the city, in the early morning hours, according…

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Atta (Reuters)

Yemeni Journalists Syndicate stormed; Baghdad apologizes

New York, February 28, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the ongoing attempts of governments in the Middle East to censor news coverage of protests. In Yemen, men stormed the Journalists’ Syndicate on Saturday, and in Iraq, journalists demanded apologies from the military after a crackdown on the press on Friday, and Baghdad…

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Military forces rounded up journalists in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, seen here today. (AP/Karim Kadim)

Iraq cracks down on media; violations in Yemen, Libya

New York, February 25, 2011–The Committee to protect Journalists documented additional attacks today in Iraq, Yemen, and Libya as journalists tried to cover anti-government protests. Iraqi authorities cracked down on media: Security forces stormed a satellite TV office, detained dozens of journalists, and confiscated equipment, according to local journalists and news reports. In Yemen, at…

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Protesters chant anti-government slogans in the main square of Tobruk, Libya, today. (Reuters/Asmaa Waguih)

Reporter missing in Libya; attacks continue in Yemen, Iraq

New York, February 22, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the ongoing deterioration of conditions for the media in the Middle East, including the disappearance of Atef al-Atrash, a critical Libyan journalist, since anti-Qaddafi demonstrations began February 17. The Internet has been intermittently down since Saturday in the country, according to international news…

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Journalists targeted in Bahrain, Yemen, and Libya

New York, February 18, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities today in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya to cease their attempts to prevent media from reporting on anti-government demonstrations. Bahraini authorities used live ammunition–including fire from a helicopter–against peaceful protesters and journalists, according to news reports. Pro-government thugs attacked at least two journalists in Yemen, and…

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Bahraini anti-government protesters take a rest from demonstrations in central Manama, Bahrain. (Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed)

Attacks on media continue in Bahrain, Yemen, and Iraq

New York, February 17, 2011–Authorities in Bahrain and Yemen have escalated their physical attack on the press in order to censor coverage of spreading anti-government protests, the Committee to protect Journalists said today. Also, in Iraq, at least two journalists were attacked by guards for the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s building, local journalists told CPJ. 

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Libyan pro-government supporters hold posters of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi during a demonstration in Tripoli. (Reuters/Ismail Zitouny)

Attacks on media continue across Middle East

New York, February 16, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the continued assaults on journalists covering anti-government demonstrations in the Middle East. In recent days, journalists have been obstructed, assaulted, or detained in Libya, Bahrain, Iran, and Yemen. Authorities have also slowed down Internet connection and blocked websites, according to local journalists.

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