Syria / Middle East & North Africa

  
Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are seen on the border between Hama and Idlib provinces, in Syria, on July 11, 2019. Militants from the group recently abducted journalist Ahmed Rahal in Idlib. (AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

Syrian reporter Ahmed Rahal abducted by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group in Idlib

Beirut, September 12, 2019 — The militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham should immediately release Syrian reporter Ahmed Rahal and stop detaining journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants are seen in outside the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya, Syria, on July 18, 2018. Militants from the group recently detained journalist Jumaa Haj Hamdou. (RT/Khalil Ashawi)

Militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham detains Syrian reporter Jumaa Haj Hamdou in Aleppo

In the afternoon of July 24, 2019, at least 10 members of the Al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham detained Jumaa Haj Hamdou, a reporter for the Syrian pro-civil rights opposition news website Zaman al-Wasl, at his home in Abian, a village in western Aleppo governorate under control of the militant group, according to the France-based…

Read More ›

Soldiers are seen in Deraa, Syria, on July 7, 2018. Journalist Alaa Nayef al-Khader al-Khalidi died in a Syrian military prison, his family was recently told. (Reuters/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrian journalist Alaa Nayef al-Khader al-Khalidi died under state torture, official tells family

Beirut, July 22, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Syrian authorities to immediately account for all journalists who they have arrested during the years-long civil war, including those who have died in state custody. Most recently, the family of Alaa Nayef al-Khader al-Khalidi say they learned that the freelance photojournalist allegedly…

Read More ›

A checkpoint held by Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad is pictured in Aleppo, Syria, on February 10, 2018. Security forces recently arrested pro-Assad journalist Rabea Kalawandi in Aleppo. (Reuters/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrian security forces arrest pro-Assad reporter Rabea Kalawandi

Beirut, July 10, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed concern about the arrest of Syrian journalist Rabea Kalawandi, a reporter for Iranian state-run broadcaster Al-Alam TV, and called on Syrian authorities to reveal the reason for his arrest or release him immediately.

Read More ›

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members are seen in northern Idlib on August 14, 2018. Militants from the group recently detained journalist Maan Bakour. (AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group detains Syrian journalist Maan Bakour in Idlib

Beirut, June 26, 2019 — The militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham should immediately release Syrian journalist Maan Bakour, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

A damaged building is seen in Idlib, Syria, on June 14, 2019. Photojournalist Amjad Hassan Bakir was recently killed in an airstrike in Idlib. (AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

Syrian photojournalist Amjad Hassan Bakir killed in suspected regime missile strike

Beirut, June 21, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of Syrian photojournalist Amjad Hassan Bakir and urged all the parties to the ongoing Syrian conflict to guarantee the safety of civilians, including journalists.

Read More ›

Members of the Asayish are seen in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, on September 8, 2018. Asayish forces recently detained journalist Mohammad Tawfiq al-Saghir near Qamishli. (AFP/Delil Souleiman)

Kurdish security forces detain reporter Mohammad Tawfiq al-Saghir in northern Syria

New York, June 6, 2019 — Kurdish security forces in the northern Syrian city of al-Hasakah should immediately release journalist Mohammad Tawfiq al-Saghir, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

A damaged building is seen in Idlib, Syria, on May 25, 2019. Several journalists were recently injured by government forces in Idlib and Hama. (Reuters/Khalil Ashawi)

Journalists injured, fired upon while covering clashes in northern Syria

Beirut, May 29, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Syrian authorities to respect the civilian status of journalists covering airstrikes and clashes in the northwestern part of the country.

Read More ›

British photojournalist Paul Conroy, pictured on his way to a hospital in the U.K. in 2012, after surviving a bombing in Homs, Syria. The attack and Conroy's escape from Syria are featured in the documentary, Under the Wire. (The Sunday Times/Ray Wells)

‘We face a different danger,’ war photographer Paul Conroy says

In a Q&A with CPJ, British war photographer Paul Conroy discusses his last assignment with Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin in Syria, in 2012, and the dangers for photojournalists, especially when covering conflict.

Read More ›

On International Women’s Day, CPJ highlights jailed female journalists

On International Women’s Day, CPJ has highlighted the cases of female journalists jailed around the world in retaliation for their work. At least 33 of the 251 journalists in jail at the time of CPJ’s prison census are women. At least one of those–Turkish reporter and artist Zehra Dogan–was released in February after serving a…

Read More ›