Turkey sentences journalist over 4 years in jail for threatening Erdogan Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli was sentenced to over four years in prison in a trial government critics say aimed at silencing one of Turkey's most influential journalists and intended to intimidate journalists nationwide. Turkey
Sudan bans UAE's Sky News Arabia following el-Fasher coverage The ban follows a controversial Sky News Arabia report from el-Fasher, where the network’s journalist was seen engaging with an RSF member just weeks after the group captured the city amid allegations of massacres and war crimes. Sudan
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
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
Publishers, writers watch from behind bars as Cairo Book Fair wraps Egypt's restrictive cultural environment marred this year's Cairo International Book Fair with the recent arrests of publishers and closures of community libraries and bookstores. Egypt
Meet the dismissed sports host who challenged Iran’s state TV Popular sports host Adel Ferdosipour, who recently witnessed his show being taken off the air by hardliners in the state TV, has now launched a new show on the internet. Saudi Arabia
Solidarity swells in Morocco after crackdown on free expression Moroccan journalist Omar Radi has been released pending trial in March, but other YouTubers, rappers and students remain in jail for criticizing the king and the regime. Morocco
Young Middle Easterners turning on to podcasts Young people in the Middle East are turning to podcasts to generate wide-ranging and in-depth conversations on politics, events and other topics of personal interest. Palestine
Algerian cartoonist, other political detainees released to rejoin protests The Algerian government surprised lawyers and activists by suddenly releasing dozens of prisoners detained over protest activities. Algeria
Egypt reinstates Information Ministry in Cabinet reshuffle Egyptian member of parliament Osama Haikal will return as minister of state for information affairs after Egypt abolished the ministry in 2014. Egypt
Lebanon’s revolutionaries launch their own newspaper Lebanese activists and journalists printed the first issue of a newspaper dedicated to covering all aspects of the country's protests. Lebanon
Egypt tells media not to report yet on reshuffle, governors Egypt has forbidden the media from reporting on the appointment of new governors and the upcoming Cabinet overhaul until authorities issue official releases. Egypt
Egypt's Mada Masr determined to press on despite raid Lina Attalah, editor in chief of the news website Mada Masr, spoke to Al-Monitor about a harrowing police raid of the site's office and how she and the staff are determined to continue their work. Egypt
Iraq clamps down on media and broadcast networks covering protests In order to reduce coverage of the protests in Iraq, the government has shut down several TV channels and warned others. Iraq
Iran debates end of confession broadcasts An outspoken Iranian lawmaker is pushing legislation that would abolish the state broadcaster's controversial tradition of airing forced confessions. Iran
Is release of two prominent journalists a sign of normalization? The release of two well-known journalists from prison shouldn’t lead anyone to believe and hope that Turkey is becoming less autocratic. Turkey
