CPJ MENA

“Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted – this is a clear binding legal obligation,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah.“Striking reporters who are clearly marked as a press constitutes a violation of international law. The Israeli military has repeatedly failed to protect them, raising serious concerns about compliance with its legal obligations. cpj.org/2026/03/israel…

#Lebanon: CPJ calls for an investigation into the apparent targeting of Steve Sweeney, a British correspondent for Russia Today, and his camera operator Ali Rida Sbeity, who were injured when an Israeli air strike hit just feet away from where they were filming while wearing clearly marked press gear and with their equipment clearly visible in southern Lebanon. cpj.org/2026/03/israel…

#Bahrain: CPJ joined 18 organizations in urging Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to immediately release blogger Abduljalil Al-Singace, who has completed 15 years of arbitrary imprisonment. cpj.org/2026/03/cpj-pa…

“This attack is the latest in a pattern of restrictions on journalists in Jerusalem, where many reporters have been prevented from documenting events in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque”, said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Israeli authorities must end the use of violence against journalists on assignment who are clearly identifying themselves as press.” cpj.org/2026/03/at-lea…

CPJ is alarmed by reports that at least three journalists were assaulted, and two of them detained, by Israeli security forces outside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on March 17 while covering worshippers attempting to pray at the holy site that authorities have closed under emergency measures during the Iran war. cpj.org/2026/03/at-lea…

“The killing of journalist Mohamed Sherri in his central Beirut apartment is a frightening escalation in Israel’s offensive in Lebanon,” said Joud Hasan, CPJ’s Levant Program Coordinator. “There is no justification for striking a densely populated residential apartment, and such attacks demonstrate a complete disregard for civilian life and the safety of journalists.” cpj.org/2026/03/lebane…

#Lebanon: CPJ strongly condemns the killing of Mohamed Sherri, a journalist with Hezbollah-affiliated broadcaster Al-Manar TV, in an Israeli strike on a residential building he lived in with his family in the central Beirut neighborhood of Zuqaq al-Blat on the morning of March 18. cpj.org/2026/03/lebane…

“The displacement of journalists in Lebanon disruption has broader implications for press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “When journalists are forced from their homes, their ability to report safely, accurately, and consistently is severely undermined — limiting the flow of independent information from conflict zones at the time when it is most needed.” cpj.org/2026/03/im-dis…

In early March, as the Iran war spread across the Middle East and Israeli strikes rained down on Lebanon, many journalists covering the country’s growing displacement crisis found themselves living it. cpj.org/2026/03/im-dis…

Since the war started in Iran, CPJ has documented a surge in press freedom violations across the region: 📌 Key Update — March 15, 2026, Iranian authorities threatened to target satellites and infrastructure linked to @IranIntl, accusing the network of attempting to “wage psychological warfare against the Iranian people.” cpj.org/2026/03/press-…

As of today, Freelance journalist Muammar Ibrahim remains in the custody of the RSF since his arrest while fleeing El Fasher city, North Darfur, on October 26, 2025. cpj.org/2025/10/sudane…

"The Rapid Support Forces must immediately release Nyala Radio journalists Mawaheb Ibrahim, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan, and Ishraqah Abdulrahman and stop arbitrarily detaining members of the press,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. cpj.org/2026/03/rsf-pa…

#Sudan’s paramilitary group the RSF must immediately release Nyala State Radio reporters Mawaheb Ibrahim, Zahraa Muhammad Al-Hassan, and Ishraqah Abdulrahan, who have been detained in Nyala since February 28, @pressfreedom said today. cpj.org/2026/03/rsf-pa…

تقف لجنة حماية الصحفيين متضامنة مع الصحفيين والعاملين في وسائل الإعلام الذين يخاطرون بحياتهم لتغطية تصاعد العنف في الشرق الأوسط في ظل الحرب المرتبطة بإيران. الصحفيون مدنيون ولا يجب استهدافهم تحت أي ظرف. وندعو جميع أطراف هذه الحرب إلى الالتزام بالقانون الإنساني الدولي وضمان قدرة الصحفيين على العمل والتغطية بحرية وأمان، دون خوف من الاستهداف أو الاحتجاز أو المضايقة. إن وجود صحافة حرة ومستقلة أمر ضروري في أوقات الحروب. الصحافة ليست جريمة.

CPJ stands in solidarity with journalists and media workers risking their lives to report on the escalating violence in the Middle East amid the Iran war. Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. We call on all parties to this war to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure that members of the press can report freely and safely without fear of attack, detention, or harassment. A free and independent press is essential in times of war. Journalism is not a crime.

“The disappearance of Eva Maria Michelmann and Ahmed Polad in Raqqa raises serious concerns about the safety of journalists working in Syria,” said Joud Hasan, CPJ’s Levant Program Coordinator. “Syrian authorities must urgently shed light on what has happened to the journalists, including whether they have been detained, and guarantee their safety.” cpj.org/2026/03/german…

#Syria: CPJ calls on Syrian authorities to clarify the fate and whereabouts of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann and Kurdish-Turkish journalist Ahmed Polad, whom their outlets and relatives say have not been heard from since January 18, when the northeastern Syrian city of Raqqa fell to government forces in an offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. cpj.org/2026/03/german…

As the Iran war that began on February 28 escalates, CPJ continues to document its impact on the press, including killings, detentions, and questioning of journalists, damage to media offices, and sweeping restrictions on coverage across the region. Read: cpj.org/2026/03/press-…

#Palestine: “The killing of Amal Shamaly is a devastating reminder that, even during a ceasefire, Palestinian journalists are still paying the highest price for reporting from Gaza,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Israel must stop targeting the press in Gaza and elsewhere in the region and ensure that journalists can carry their work safely. Those responsible for killing journalists must be held to account.” Read the full alert here: cpj.org/2026/03/journa…