Attacks on the Press 2006: Lebanon
Israel’s summer offensive in Lebanon was filled with danger for hundreds of journalists who braved bombs and bullets to cover fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas. The offensive began after guerrillas abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed eight near the Lebanese-Israeli border. During the 34-day conflict, one journalist and a media worker were killed,…
Bomb blast damages Al-Arabiya office in Gaza
New York, January 23, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the bomb attack targeting the Gaza City office of the Dubai-based satellite news channel Al-Arabiya on Monday night. No causalities were reported, but the office was severely damaged, Al-Arabiya reported. A bomb exploded around 9 p.m. outside the entrance to Al-Arabiya’s office in the Al-Shurouq…
Al-Sharqiya ordered closed in Baghdad
JANUARY 1, 2007 Posted: January 12, 2007 Al-Sharqiya CENSORED On January 1, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior ordered the closure of the privately owned Al-Sharqiya TV’s Baghdad office for fomenting sectarian violence and reporting false news. The immediate practical effect appeared nominal because Al-Sharqiya had previously closed the Baghdad office due to security concerns.
Two Iraqi channels ordered closed in aftermath of Saddam verdict
New York, November 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the Iraq Interior Ministry’s decision on Sunday to close two Sunni-owned satellite channels indefinitely. Security forces raided Al-Zawraa TV in Baghdad and Saleheddin TV in Tikrit on grounds they were inciting violence in the hours after former leader Saddam Hussein was sentenced to…
Government suspends Al-Arabiya TV over sectarian violence claim
New York, September 7, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the decision of the Iraqi government today to close the Baghdad bureau of the Dubai-based satellite channel Al-Arabiya for one month. The station reported that police entered its Baghdad offices to halt operations after the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the suspension.
TV crews allege targeting by Israeli warplanes in the south
New York, July 27, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today over allegations by several television crews that Israeli warplanes had attacked them, effectively shutting down live television coverage from southeast Lebanon. Crews from four Arab television stations told CPJ that Israeli aircraft fired missiles within 80 yards (75 meters) of them on July…
Local journalists increasingly targeted, CPJ finds In Iraq, murder top cause of journalist deaths
New York, March 17, 2006—Murder has overtaken crossfire and other acts of war as the leading cause of work-related deaths among journalists and media support workers in Iraq, and local journalists are far and away the most vulnerable to attack, a new analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. CPJ research, compiled for…