Hussam Sarsam
Sarsam, a cameraman working with Kurdistan TV, a station affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was kidnapped and shot by suspected insurgents. Sarsam was abducted on March 13 in front of Mosul University. The following day his captors returned him to the same location, where they killed him in front of a number of pedestrians,…
Dina Mohammed Hassan
Hassan, an Iraqi reporter for the local Arabic-language television station Al-Hurriya TV, was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of her Baghdad residence in the city’s Adhamiya District. Hassan had been waiting for a company car to transport her to work, station staff told CPJ. Hassan’s colleagues told The New York Times that the…
Regional authorities in northeast Syria suspend Rudaw TV reporter’s credentials for 2 months
New York, May 11, 2020 — Authorities in northeastern Syria should reverse their suspension of reporter Vivian Fatah’s press credentials and allow all journalists to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
CPJ Safety Advisory: Iraq Safety Advisory
In wake of the January 3, 2020, U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, pro-Iranian militias have warned that “all retaliation options are on the table,” as reported by The Independent. According to CPJ research, pro-Iran militias, including those known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), have…
Warrantless searches of devices at ports unconstitutional, US court rules
On Tuesday, a U.S. federal court ruled that warrantless searches of digital devices by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are unconstitutional. Last year, CPJ’s report “Nothing to Declare” found that CBP agents’ stop and search powers risked undermining press freedom. Watch our video explainer of how searches of electronic devices at the U.S. border…
Assyrian journalist detained in Iraq for 13 days after reporting trip to Syria
Kurdish Asayish security forces detained William Bnyameen Adam, an Assyrian journalist, for 13 days after the contributor to the California-based broadcaster Assyrian National Broadcasting (ANB) returned from a two-week assignment in northern Syria, the journalist told CPJ. The journalist said that security forces confiscated his equipment, beat him, and questioned him about his reporting.
Kurdish authorities detain journalist who reported on theft verdict
New York, May 24, 2017–Authorities in northern Iraq should immediately release Aram Bakhtiar, a journalist for the independent broadcaster NRT, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Kurdish security forces arrested Bakhtiar on May 22 on accusations of defaming a judge, NRT deputy newsroom manager Soran Rashid told CPJ. The channel’s director, Awat Ali, today…