Middle East & North Africa

New York, May 20, 2025 –The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for an investigation into the May 18 killing of Sudanese freelance photojournalist Al-Shykh Al-Samany Saadaldyn Mousa Abdulla, also known as “Sheikho,” who was killed in a suspected paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drone strike on Sunday while covering an event organized by the Sudan Shield Forces, a pro Sudanese…

New York, May 16, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately grant medical care to jailed journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek, who went on hunger strike Wednesday after she was repeatedly denied emergency medical attention for various ailments. “Denying medical care to journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek, whose health is deteriorating in prison, is inhumane and risks…

Beirut, May 16, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Jordanian authorities to lift Wednesday’s ban on a dozen online news outlets for “spreading media poison and attacking Jordan,” following the publication of allegations that the government unfairly profited from aid to Gaza. “The Jordanian Media Commission’s decision to block 12 media websites is deeply alarming,”…

New York, May 15, 2025—When Gazan journalist Tawfiq Abu Jarad received a phone call from a Hamas security agent warning him not to cover a protest, he readily complied, having been assaulted by Hamas-affiliated forces once before.     The April 27 women’s anti-war demonstration in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia was small but significant — one of…

Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia on May 13, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 16 other human rights organizations condemned the kingdom’s deteriorating press freedom, including journalists’ arrests, travel bans, surveillance, and disinformation aimed at silencing the media. The groups called on Saudi authorities to release all detained journalists, lift…

New York, May 8, 2025—As the third anniversary of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s murder nears, a documentary offering new evidence about her killing highlights the failure of American and international authorities in investigating the case and securing justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The documentary “Who Killed Shireen?”, produced by U.S.-based media…

The Committee to Protect Journalists, in partnership with the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)—an independent, nonprofit civil society organization—has submitted a report on the state of human rights in Kuwait to the United Nations Human Rights Council ahead of Kuwait’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session on May 7, 2025. The UPR, a United Nations…

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 40 other press freedom and human rights organizations have condemned the worsening repression of journalists in Yemen. Journalists continue to face grave threats in areas controlled by both the Houthis and the internationally recognized government. Violations — ranging from arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance to unfair trials — are…

New York, May 6, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for an investigation into the May 2 killing of Sudanese journalist Hassan Fadl Al-Mawla Mousa, who was shot dead as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the desert town of Al-Nuhud in the south-central province of West Kordofan. Fadl Al-Mawla was a…

Paris, May 6, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the intensifying crackdown on press freedom in Iran, including the recent conviction of six media directors and founders, and urges the Iranian authorities to immediately cease their systematic persecution of journalists and media organizations. “These systematic attacks are clear examples of censorship, media repression, and obstruction…