Abdelkabir al-Hor
Moroccan blogger Abdelkabir al-Hor is serving a four-year sentence for “terrorism apologism.” The blogger’s brother said that he believes authorities detained al-Hor because of his coverage of the anti-corruption group Al-Hirak al-Shaaby, or the Popular Movement. The Popular Movement organized protests in the Rif area in 2016 following the death of a fishmonger, who was…
Newspapers suspended in 6 Middle Eastern countries due to COVID-19 fears
Across the Middle East this past month, printing presses have ground to a halt after governments in Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Morocco, Jordan, and Iran suspended the printing and distribution of newspapers, citing COVID-19 fears despite a lack of evidence that it can be transmitted via newsprint. As part of a series of Q&As with journalists…
Iraqi regulator suspends Reuters’ license for 3 months over COVID-19 report
New York, April 3, 2020 — Iraqi authorities should immediately reinstate the license of the Reuters news agency, and allow all media outlets to cover the COVID-19 pandemic freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Iran bans printing of all newspapers, citing spread of coronavirus
Washington, D.C., March 31, 2020 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern over Iranian authorities’ decision to suspend all newspaper printing and distribution in the country, where newsgathering and distribution is already tightly restricted.
Governments around the world crack down on journalists covering COVID-19
This week, journalists covering COVID-19 have been arrested in Venezuela and Niger, and assaulted by police in India. In Thailand, a state of emergency was declared on Thursday to contain the virus, which gives the government more control over the press. Last week, Hamas-controlled security forces assaulted a journalist covering a COVID-19 protest, and authorities…
CPJ Insider, November: Face-to-face with Pakistani border control and a northern Syria crisis
On a strange ‘stop list,’ CPJ staffer is refused entry to Pakistan The man at the Lahore airport customs point looked puzzled. Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, was holding a U.S. passport with a valid, newly issued visa to enter Pakistan. But the computer showed he was on a “stop list” from the Interior…
The worst countries in the world at prosecuting journalist murderers
CPJ released the 2019 edition of its annual Global Impunity Index this week, which lists the worst countries in the world at prosecuting murderers of journalists. Somalia tops the list for the fifth year in a row. During the 10-year period covered by the index, 318 journalists were murdered for their work worldwide. In 86%…
Q&A: Moroccan press freedom advocate and NSO Group spyware target Maati Monjib
Pegasus, the cellphone spyware tool sold by the Israeli firm NSO Group, is one of the most powerful surveillance systems governments can buy, experts say. Researchers who study it have detected “45 countries where Pegasus operators may be conducting surveillance operations,” and detailed its capabilities: whoever tricks the target into clicking on a link that…