Middle East & North Africa

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Middle East & North Africa

8216 articles

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces kill 3 state TV journalists and their driver in drone strike

CPJ condemns the targeted attack in Khartoum, urging all parties in Sudan’s war to ensure journalist safety and respect press freedom.

Emirati authorities continue their systematic and totalitarian repression

Prominent Sudanese activist Mohammed Farouk Suleiman was detained in January without charges – further intensifying a broader crackdown that dismisses fair trial appeals and targets dissenting voices.

MADA condemns Israel’s targeting of four Palestinian journalists in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike killed four journalists in Beit Lahia, Gaza, prompting renewed calls for accountability and stronger protections for Palestinian media workers.

Jordanian publisher arrested under cybercrime law after former Prime Minister complains

Omar Al Zayood’s arrest, following a complaint from former PM Bisher al-Khasawneh, highlights concerns over Jordan’s use of the cybercrime law to target journalists and stifle press freedom.

“Nightmares”: Syrian journalist Tal al-Mallohi on surviving 15 years in Assad’s jails

After 15 years in Assad’s prisons, journalist Tal al-Mallohi opens up about the trauma, resilience, and her hopes for Syria’s future.

Syria: Authorities threaten social media users and confiscate Starlink devices

Amid promises to improve internet access, Syrian authorities are tightening control – threatening social media users and cutting off thousands from satellite internet.

Authoritarian repression and escalation of the political crisis after the 2024 Tunisian presidential elections

Authorities are openly consolidating power, restricting media freedom, and stifling civil society, including by targeting journalists and bloggers.

Unprecedented surge in hate speech against Palestinians on digital platforms

The 2024 Racism and Incitement Index from 7amleh reveals a sharp rise in online hate speech against Palestinians by Israeli social media users, as online platforms fail to control inciting and violent content.

Hanin Gebran, released from al-Assad’s jails in Syria: “The conditions in which journalists were held were horrible, and much worse for a woman”

Syrian journalist Hanin Gebran details the horrific conditions she endured in Assad’s prisons, shedding light on the gendered violence and torture faced by women journalists under the regime.

Lebanese women journalists face escalating cyber violence

A Maharat Foundation report examines the rise in targeted online attacks against women field reporters, how they navigate these threats, and the urgent need for legal and policy reforms.

Bahraini children torn from classrooms, thrown into prisons

An ADHRB report reveals Bahrain’s ongoing persecution of minors for political dissent, detailing coerced confessions, prolonged detentions, and inhumane prison conditions.

Supreme Court upholds sentences of those convicted in UAE84 case, including GCHR’s Board member Ahmed Mansoor

GCHR denounces the ruling as a tactic to imprison critics indefinitely, calling for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained and urgent reforms to ensure fair trial standards.

Abusive conspiracy trial opens in Tunis

Tunisian authorities are prosecuting 40 political opponents and activists on unfounded conspiracy charges, with key defendants denied fair trial rights and held in abusive pretrial detention.

Bahrain must immediately free detained human rights defender Ali AlHajee

IFEX joins human rights organisations calling for the immediate release of the detained Bahraini human rights defender and former political prisoner.

“Media21” outlet shuttered, 4 journalists arrested in Iraq

CPJ urges authorities to release journalist Bashdar Bazyani and allow “Media21” to resume operations, calling the arrests and shutdown a direct attack on press freedom.

Algeria: Joint open letter to member and observer states of the UN Human Rights Council

Rights groups warn that Algeria’s repression of civic space, marked by a brutal crackdown on free expression, is steadily eroding human rights and they call on UNHRC members to act.