Skyline presents a new report on the situation of press freedom in Arab countries in 2022

According to reports from human rights and professional organizations, 2022 was one of the worst years for press freedom in the world. Record levels were reached that had not been seen in nearly 30 years.

In a report titled "The Continuous Decline of Press Freedom," which sheds the light on the situation of press freedom in the Arab countries in 2022. Skyline notes that 2022 saw notable violations that took on a more extreme character, resulting in the murder of journalists and the arrest of a large number of them, persecution, threats, and intimidation. Skyline further emphasizes that the Middle East region, where most violations of these practices were recorded, especially the Arab countries, ranked very low in the indicators of press freedom.

This deteriorating reality prompted United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to say that "journalists and media professionals face an increasing politicization of their work and a daily growing threat to their freedom to carry out their work smoothly."

The director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, said in her statements in recent months that "more than five out of six people in the world live in a country where press freedom has declined in the last five years."

In its latest report, the International Human Rights Foundation "Skyline" attempts to shed light on the increasing violations of press freedom and its continuous decline. This decline has led to the deaths of dozens of journalists, in addition to the arrest of hundreds and the closure of offices and revocation of licenses and other matters in many of the countries listed in the report.

Skyline concludes that Arab countries top the list of countries where press freedom is most violated and attributes these violations to the political and security conditions that prevail in countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, and others.  

Skyline ends its report by calling all States and parties to respect the right and freedom to practice journalism without restriction or persecution. It points out that the silence of the international community and its negative role in the face of these violations encourages these parties to continue their violations, even though they seriously violate the rules of international law.

 

 

Full Report