Navid Seyed-Mohammadi
Iranian journalist Navid Seyed-Mohammadi, a Kurdish reporter for the state-run Islamic Republic Radio and Television broadcaster, was arrested in May 2020 and is serving a seven-year sentence on a charge of “espionage for hostile states” in Naqadeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan province. Intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) arrested Seyed-Mohammadi on…
Journalists attacked throughout northeastern Syria, 2 remain in detention
New York, July 23, 2021 – All parties in northern Syria must do their utmost to ensure that members of the press can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since July 16, unidentified attackers and Syrian Kurdish security forces have attacked and detained at least five members of the press throughout areas…
Iran detained at least 8 Kurdish journalists starting in mid-2020; 3 remain behind bars
Washington, D.C., May 12, 2021 — Iranian authorities must stop imprisoning and harassing Kurdish and other minority journalists, and should allow all members of the press to cover the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since May 2020, Iranian authorities have arrested dozens of activists and students in a crackdown on perceived…
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier barred from entering Turkey, deported
On March 19, 2021, police in Turkey’s Istanbul Airport barred French freelance journalist Sylvain Mercadier from entering the country, detained him overnight, and deported him back to France, according to news reports, tweets by the journalist, and Mercadier, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Officers took Mercadier into custody soon after his flight…
Kurdish Syrian journalist Fanar Mahmoud Tami abducted
New York, January 29, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed alarm over the abduction of Syrian journalist Fanar Mahmoud Tami, and called on all parties in northeast Syria to ensure his safety. In the evening of January 23, masked assailants driving a white jeep abducted Tami, a freelance journalist who publishes news…
Sherwan Amin Sherwani
Journalist Sherwan Amin Sherwani was due to be released in September 2023 after he was jailed on an anti-state conviction, but before he was freed Iraqi Kurdish authorities handed him another four-year prison sentence for allegedly falsifying documents, which was later reduced to two years on appeal. Sherwani is a freelance journalist who contributes to…
Omed Haje Baroshky
Iraqi Kurdish freelance journalist Omed Haje Baroshky is serving a three-year prison sentence for allegedly misusing communication devices, disobeying authorities, and involvement in illegal gatherings. Kurdish police arrested Kurdish Iraqi freelance reporter Omed Baroshky in the city of Duhok on September 13, 2020, after summoning him to the Nawroz Police Station. His arrest came hours…
Guhdar Zebari
Journalist Guhdar Zebari was due to be released from prison in March 2023 after serving a reduced sentence on an anti-state conviction when Kurdish authorities convicted him in two additional cases. He is now due to be released in February 2024. Zebari reports and edits for the news website Wllat Media in Akre, a northern…
TikTok ban in India and US could set a risky precedent
India recently banned the social media app TikTok, and President Donald Trump has issued an order saying the U.S. will follow suit should the app remain Chinese-owned. CPJ’s consultant technology editor, Madeline Earp, analyzed how the move could have implications for press freedom, particularly by normalizing bans with far more direct consequences for the news…
At least 400 press freedom violations reported in U.S. over 15 days of protests
Since protests against police brutality erupted across the U.S. on May 26–sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black civilian, in Minneapolis police custody–there have been over 400 U.S. incidents of press freedom violations reported to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding partner. In a new Op-Ed, CPJ Advocacy…