There's an old saying that "the truth will set you free." But for journalists in the Middle East and North Africa, telling the truth can come at a high cost.

In a notable step, the Egyptian government has granted freedom to Hisham Abdel Aziz, a prominent journalist affiliated with Al-Jazeera Mubasher, much to the elation of Women Journalists Without Chains.

To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2023, Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has released its annual report on press freedom violations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, investigative journalist Saleck Zeid was taken into custody by the Mauritanian police because of his Facebook posts about recent criminal activities in the country. He remains in detention at present.

Amid ongoing clashes between different armed forces, the Rapid Support Forces attacked Sudan's public television, resulting in the arrest of a journalist and disruption of the broadcast, according to reports on April 15, 2023.

As French philosopher and writer Albert Camus once said, 'A free press can be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom a press will never be anything but bad.' Egypt is currently experiencing a severe crackdown on press freedom,

Women Journalists Without Chains has recently released a report that assessed the condition of freedom of expression and press freedom in Egypt. The report paints a grim picture of Egypt's deeply rooted environment of oppression under the control of military and security leaders.