Fears mount over fate of missing Turkmen dissidents in Turkey The pair vanished after being released from a Turkish deportation center, prompting concerns they were abducted or secretly returned to Turkmenistan. Turkey
Egypt holds second Senate vote as pro-Sisi parties dominate: What to know The Senate elections, dominated by pro-Sisi government parties, feature fewer party list and individual candidates compared to elections held in 2020. Egypt
Turkey’s Sozcu TV forced off air in latest crackdown on opposition: What to know As Istanbul's mayor remains jailed, pressure mounts on opposition-aligned media to soften their criticism, analysts say. Turkey
Turkey jails satirical magazine staff over alleged Prophet Muhammad cartoon Four staff members of the satirical weekly LeMan were arrested and charged with “publicly insulting religious values” amid protests against the image and government crackdown on the magazine’s social media accounts. Turkey
Feature Families of Kurdish journalists slain in suspected Turkish drone strike in Syria want their remains By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Civil society activists and journalists leave Baghdad in fear of being arrested In the wake of protests, civil society activists and journalists are leaving Baghdad after hearing the Iraqi government is preparing to arrest them. Iraq
Is Sisi shutting down internet freedom in Egypt? During the demonstrations that broke out across several governorates in Egypt, many news websites were blocked, not to mention the censorship of many social networking sites. Egypt
Cairo attempts to quell anger following spate of protests In the wake of protests, the Egyptian government OKs some small price reductions and may allow a little greater press freedom. Egypt
One year on, Turkish human rights advocates lament inaction on Khashoggi murder One year after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, advocates for human rights and press freedom highlight failures in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Saudi Arabia
Don't read too much into Turkey's gag order reversal, warn free press advocates Turkey’s highest court has struck down a reporting ban surrounding a 2013 corruption probe, but some human rights defenders warn the win for press freedom may prove minor. Turkey
Iraqi journalists blacklist politicians who attack them Some Iraq journalists are forming a list that includes all officials who attack them to prepare the ground for legal action against them. Iraq
Pro-state think tank targets foreign media in Turkey A pro-state think tank accused foreign news services of “bias,” raising fears of a renewed wave of media repression in the country. Turkey
Will government's new rules control fake news or control Egyptian media? Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation claims that its new rules for radio and television broadcasts are intended to regulate the media environment in a rational and constitutional way but others see censorship at work. Egypt
Egypt tightens control on broadcasts, foreign channels Through a series of legal restrictions, security campaigns and acquisitions, Egypt is increasing government power over foreign media broadcasting outlets. Egypt
Iranian comedian in hot water over flood jokes Comedian Mehran Modiri's mockery of government officials who have paid brief visits to Iran's flooded provinces has made him a government target, but he is likely to survive it. Iran
Palestine theater pays homage to country's pioneer journalist A new play, "The Owner of Al-Karmil," pays homage to the man who established Palestine's first major newspaper and faced strong pressures at first from the Ottoman Empire and then from Britain, which subjected his co-editor wife to administrative detention. Palestine
Are Egypt’s newspapers threatened with extinction? The Egyptian government launched a plan to reform the state press institutions suffering financial crises, to help them repay their debts. Egypt
