Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) voices profound concern as Iranian authorities escalate violations against journalists and media workers, particularly with the approaching first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's tragic death. Amini, aged 22, died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested for wearing a t-shirt deemed "inappropriately" violating hijab norms.
With profound sorrow, the organization "Women Journalists Without Chains" has closely monitored the heinous assault on journalist Mujali Al-Samadi, director and proprietor of "Voice of Yemen Radio," as a group of five individuals intercepted him during his return to his residence in the Al-Safia neighborhood of Sana'a on Thursday, August 24th, 2023, in the evening.
Jordanian journalism is currently enduring a distressing ordeal characterized by mistreatment and obstacles. A striking example of this occurred on August 9, 2023, when the Court of First Instance, acting in an appellate capacity, authorized the imprisonment of Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi, a prominent journalist, for a duration of one year.
The authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan have a long-standing practice of utilizing the judiciary system to stifle critical voices, exemplified by the recent incarceration of journalist Sherwan Sherwani.
Women Journalists Without Chains has expressed its concern over the recent court ruling in Lebanon, which sentenced journalist Dima Sadek to a year-long imprisonment. This was in response to an article she wrote defending a victim of assault by supporters of a political group in 2019.
Algeria has shown a strong desire to silence the independent media, as evidenced by the recent ruling against journalist Ihsane El Kadi, who was given a seven-year prison sentence. This decision was based on his social media posts, which were deemed to be against the public interest, as well as allegations of receiving foreign funds. The press community was taken aback by this verdict.
The organization Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) is demanding the release of journalist Vida Rabbani who was recently detained by the Iranian government. Rabbani's health has reportedly worsened, resulting in her hospitalization on June 10th. WJWC's demands for Rabbani's freedom come as part of the organization's ongoing efforts to push back against Tehran's targeting of journalists who document demonstrations and expose corruption.
It seems that the Tunisian government is employing authoritarian tactics reminiscent of the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime to suppress journalists and media personnel. Many of them are presently being prosecuted in Tunisian courts for their professional activities. Such actions represent a stark deviation from the ideals of liberty.
On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, investigative journalist Saleck Zeid was taken into custody by the Mauritanian police because of his Facebook posts about recent criminal activities in the country. He remains in detention at present.
Amid ongoing clashes between different armed forces, the Rapid Support Forces attacked Sudan's public television, resulting in the arrest of a journalist and disruption of the broadcast, according to reports on April 15, 2023.
The questioning of journalists by the Tunisian government before military courts persists, even though such cases should have been handled by the civil judiciary under decrees 115 and 116 that have regulated the media sector since 2011. This situation underscores Tunisia's shift towards a disturbing climate for journalism, which has been steadily worsening over the last four years.