Middle East & North Africa

Paris, June 9, 2025—Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, who is serving a 10-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison, launched a hunger strike on June 7 to protest the seizure of his essential documents, including his birth certificate, which he needs to manage his legal affairs and protect his assets abroad. Valizadeh, a former Radio Farda reporter, returned to…

Update: Journalist Omar Faiad was deported to France on June 10, 2025. Details of his deportation and the imprisonment of both journalists are included in this updated alert. New York, June 9, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately and unconditionally release two French journalists held among the crew of the…

New York, June 5, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces Israel’s strike on a hospital courtyard in central Gaza on Thursday, which killed three journalists and critically injured three others, and calls for international action to stop Israel targeting journalists based on unsubstantiated terrorism claims. “These are not isolated incidents, but systematic attacks by Israel…

Paris, June 5, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a new wave of harassment by Iranian authorities targeting the Iranian families of BBC journalists as part of a broader campaign of repression beyond the Islamic Republic’s borders.  BBC Persian journalists in London told The Guardian and CPJ that their families back in Iran have faced…

Washington, D.C., June 5, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday condemned the issuance of arrest warrants for three Yemeni journalists and the nine-hour detention of two others, who were forced to delete a Facebook post about an assault.  The security directorate in eastern Hadramout Governorate issued the three arrest warrants against Sabri bin Mukhshen, Abduljabar Bajabeer, and Muzahim Bajaber based…

New York, June 12, 2025—More than 200 global leaders of news and press freedom organizations called on world leaders, governments, and international institutions on Thursday to act immediately to ensure  journalists from outside Gaza are given immediate, independent access to the territory, in a letter coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters…

Washington, D.C., June 2, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Houthi rebels’ abduction of at least four Yemeni journalists and media workers  in the western port city of Hodeidah, and the sentencing of journalist Mohamed Al-Miyahi to 1½ years in jail for criticizing the group’s leader. Local press freedom groups said those abducted between May…

Washington, D.C., May 29, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to end the prosecution of journalist Rasha Qandeel, who was summoned May 25, interrogated, and charged with “spreading and broadcasting false news inside and outside the country” after her reports on Egypt’s social, political, and economic developments for the independent platform Sotour. The Supreme State…

New York, May 28, 2025— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Sudanese authorities to immediately release journalist and blogger Abduljalil Mohamed Abduljalil, who was arrested on Sunday by security forces affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and to stop arbitrarily arresting journalists for their reporting. “The abduction-like arrest of blogger and veteran journalist Abduljalil Mohamed Abduljalil…

New York, May 28, 2025—After 19 months of war and Israel’s 11-week total blockade on food, water, fuel, cooking gas, medical supplies, and emergency aid into Gaza, hunger and famine threaten not just lives, but the media’s very ability to bear witness, six journalists told CPJ this month.  Starvation, dizziness, brain fog, and sickness all…