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
Palestinians outraged at Israeli bill to ban filming of IDF The Palestinian Ministry of Information and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate are fighting a bill under discussion in the Knesset to ban the filming and photographing of Israeli soldiers. Palestine
Detained Egyptian journalist receives UNESCO award UNESCO's decision to grant the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to detained photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan, has sparked anger among Egyptian authorities. Qatar
Iran's TV censors draw ridicule, protests The Iranian state broadcaster’s censorship style reached new heights of ridicule and criticism when it blurred an Italian soccer team's logo. Iran
Is freedom of expression at stake in Tunisia? There are growing concerns in Tunisia over the declining freedom of expression, Tunisian authorities' crackdown on bloggers and the Nidaa Tunis draft law on electronic defamation. Tunisia
Is Iranian state TV’s monopoly at risk? Iran’s state TV, which is facing a crisis over viewership since some of its best directors walked out, has found a strong rival in the home video network. Iran
More than meets the eye to sale of Turkish media giant The sale of Turkey’s biggest media group, Dogan Media Company, is likely to negatively affect the health of the country’s economy while diminishing access to accurate information from and within Turkey. Turkey
More real than the news: Turkey's satire magazine coats truth in humor Turkey's largest satirical website, which has 5.4 million followers on Twitter, maintains its tongue-in-cheek criticism against all odds. Turkey
Turkish government readies to squeeze internet service providers Ankara is tightening its grip even further over the media in Turkey with a new law increasing its censorship powers over online content, threatening both independent news outlets and domestic access to international reporting. Turkey
Egypt's cartoonists ease tensions as elections kick off Despite the government intensifying its crackdown on dissent and the media ahead of the presidential elections, a handful of Egyptian cartoonists defiantly continue to lampoon Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inevitable victory. Egypt
Iran's supreme leader criticized for saying there is ‘free speech’ in his country Iranians have criticized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for claiming that there is free speech in Iran. Iran
As elections draw near, Egypt’s media faces further restrictions Egypt’s top prosecutor has called on his staff to monitor for "fake news," warning against "forces of evil" as this month’s presidential elections approach. Egypt
Women's Taif TV blocked in Gaza two hours before launch The Palestinian Ministry of Information in the Gaza Strip blocked the launch of Taif TV two hours before it was due to go on air, in what raised concerns about freedom of the press in Gaza. Palestine
