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
Jihadist group in Idlib bans pro-opposition news channel Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has banned the pro-opposition Orient News channel from media coverage in Idlib, raising fears about the state of press freedom in Syria’s Idlib. Syria
Turkey plans further clampdown on independent media Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP says it won't allow "fifth column" activity from independent media organizations. Turkey
Morocco sentences journalist Omar Radi in trial slammed by rights groups The court on Monday sentenced Omar Radi to six years in prison on espionage and rape charges he denies. Morocco
Moroccan journalist's jailing draws rebuke from US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States is "disappointed" by a Moroccan court's five-year sentence of journalist Soulaiman Raissouni. Morocco
Reports highlight crackdowns on press in Kurdistan Region The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government has rejected the charges, citing the independence of courts and media partnerships. News Brief
Egypt to launch regional news channel Egypt is planning on launching a regional news channel, including joint projects and productions with Saudi Arabia. Egypt
Israel says Hamas used AP, Al Jazeera building in Gaza to jam Iron Dome Israel will help rebuild AP offices in Gaza, said its UN ambassador. Palestine
Egypt releases journalist Khaled Dawoud from prison Khaled Dawoud was arrested as part of a sweeping crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019. Egypt
Is Turkey going to crack down Muslim Brotherhood aligned TV in gesture to Egypt? The Turkish government has advised Brotherhood aligned stations against insulting Egyptian officials. Egypt
Erbil court convicts journalists, activists of spying, organizing armed groups Five defendants, including journalists and activists, were sentenced to prison in Erbil in a decision that international rights groups say is an attack on press freedoms. Iraq
Prominent Turkish lawyer defiant after jail sentence over media trial Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights lawyer, was among four defendants sentenced to prison on terror-linked charges Monday in a newspaper trial that raised concerns over media freedom in Turkey. Turkey
Activists fear Iraqi cybercrime law could limit press freedoms The Iraqi cybercrime bill makes a reappearance amid widespread objections by civilians and activists who label it as repressive of freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Iraqi Constitution. Iraq
