Al-Jazeera’s Ghada Oueiss on hacking, harassment, and Jamal Khashoggi
In a mid-2020 Washington Post opinion piece, Lebanese Al-Jazeera broadcast journalist Ghada Oueiss described hackers stealing private photos and videos from her phone and posting them online. The leak resulted in a sharp escalation of online attacks, Oueiss told CPJ in a January 2021 call. Since the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi…
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s media faces grave threats. Here are the top press freedom trends
In early February 2011, Alaa Abdelfattah was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, documenting and participating in the nascent pro-democracy uprising that would topple the government and transform the country and the region. Today, he is in prison on anti-state and false news charges, which his family believes are partly retaliatory for his work. Abdelfattah is one of…
Egyptian journalist Aamer Abdelmonem detained on false news and terrorism charges, denied medication
New York, January 4, 2021 – Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Aamer Abdelmonem, and ensure that he receives proper medical treatment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 19, security officers arrested Abdelmonem, a freelance columnist who contributes to Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, from his home in Cairo, according to Al-Jazeera…
Photojournalist Rahmatullah Nikzad shot and killed in Afghanistan
New York, December 21, 2020 – Afghan authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Rahmatullah Nikzad and do everything in their power to ensure that members of the press can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. This evening, in the central Afghan city of Ghazni, unidentified gunmen shot Nikzad, a freelance…
Dozens of journalists newly identified as NSO Group spyware targets
New York, December 21, 2020 – NSO Group’s advanced Pegasus spyware was identified on phones of at least 36 journalists and media executives in July and August 2020, according to the University of Toronto-based Citizen Lab, which said the surveillance product was installed via a vulnerability in the iPhone messaging application. Most targets were affiliated…
Tech platforms struggle to label state-controlled media
Twitter announced last week that it would start labeling some accounts run by media outlets and their top editors as “state-affiliated,” a descriptor intended to improve transparency about the source of information being shared on the platform. Since disinformation became a flash point in the debate over content moderation on social media, distinguishing propaganda from…
Security forces and demonstrators injure journalists covering protests over Beirut port explosion
New York, August 11, 2020 — Lebanese authorities should immediately investigate recent attacks on journalists by demonstrators and security forces, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 4, an explosion of stored chemicals in Beirut’s port resulted in more than…
Malaysia refuses to renew 2 Al-Jazeera reporters’ visas amid investigation
Bangkok, August 10, 2020 – Malaysian authorities should allow Al-Jazeera journalists to report from the country freely and without harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Malaysian immigration authorities recently declined to renew the visas of reporters Drew Ambrose and Jenni Henderson, both Australian nationals, according to news reports citing Giles Trendle, English managing…
Mohamed Monir’s death of COVID-19 is a warning sign for journalists held in Egypt’s prisons
“I am very sick! I need oxygen therapy. Someone help me! Someone please help me get admitted to the Moneera hospital! I am very sick! Please do something before I completely run out of breath!” The Egyptian journalist Mohamed Monir panted, short of breath, as he made a plea from his home over Facebook Live on July 7….
Malaysian police raid Al-Jazeera’s office, seize computers in escalating legal harassment
Bangkok, August 4, 2020 – Malaysian police raided Al-Jazeera’s Kuala Lumpur office and seized two computers in an ongoing criminal probe into the global broadcaster’s July 3 report on the government’s treatment of undocumented migrant workers during the COVID-19 crisis, news reports said. Six of Al-Jazeera’s Malaysia-based reporters and staff members are being investigated on criminal charges…