Habib Ali al-Maatiq Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has decreed several laws that censor the press. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Saudi censorship blurs lines between journalism, activism

May 20, 2014 4:59 PM EDT

Since the surprise Arab uprisings of 2011, the Saudi government has worked assiduously to ensure it has all the tools of censorship it needs to control dissent. These tools–a combination of special courts, laws, and regulatory authorities–are starting to fire on all cylinders. The result has been a string of arrests and prosecutions in recent…

Saudi Arabia convicts TV presenter for critical show

February 6, 2014 4:45 PM EST

New York, February 6, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the 12-year jail term handed to the owner of a broadcaster in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The journalist has 30 days to appeal.

Saudi Web manager released after a year in prison

March 6, 2013 4:55 PM EST

News accounts reported that Jalal Mohamed al-Jamal, manager of the local news website Al-Awamia, was freed from prison on March 5, 2013. It was unclear why the journalist, who was jailed without charge for more than a year, had been released.

Three Saudis arrested for covering protests

March 16, 2012 3:14 PM EDT

New York, March 16, 2012–Three Saudi Web managers whose sites cover political unrest in the country’s highly restricted Eastern Province should be released from detention immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.