This report examines the threats faced by journalists in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and proposes measures to strengthen their protection. For the Maharat Foundation, safeguarding journalists is central to its mission of defending freedom of expression, ensuring accountability, and creating a safe environment for independent media. The findings draw on desk research on international legal frameworks, monitoring mechanisms, and cross-regional advocacy efforts, as well as on the outcomes of a fellowship program organized by Maharat in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited from September 2024 to March 2025. The program brought together journalists from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, who documented their experiences covering conflict, produced stories, and exchanged insights on how war affects press freedom and journalist safety.

Key threats identified include direct targeting in conflict zones, restrictive legal frameworks, insufficient safety equipment and institutional support, psychological trauma, online censorship, and the effects of democratic backsliding on international norms. Journalists in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria faced killings, injuries, harassment, and systemic barriers to independent reporting, often without accountability or protection, while those in Jordan, Egypt, and Libya reported restrictive laws used to suppress dissent.

Journalists in the MENA region are protected under international frameworks, including humanitarian and human rights law, UN resolutions, and the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists. Implementation is monitored through UN human rights mechanisms, UNESCO reporting, investigative bodies, and civil society documentation. Good practices and tools from Europe and Africa, such as the Media Freedom Rapid Response, the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Digital Platform for the Safety of Journalists in Africa, provide models that could be adapted to strengthen protections and monitoring in the MENA context.

The report concludes with targeted recommendations for MENA states, other states, local and regional civil society organizations, journalists, media organizations, and international organizations. The recommendations emphasize legal reform and accountability, the establishment and strengthening of national safety mechanisms, enhanced digital security and psychological support and coordinated collaboration between local civil society and international organizations to ensure journalists can work safely, independently, and effectively.

Read the full report here:

Assessing Threats and Strengthening Protections for Journalists in the Middle East and North Africa