Cairo June 18, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continuing harassments of Maspero’s media-professionals by the administration against the backdrop of the editing policies and the guests in their shows. This comes after the legal affairs in the Radio and TV Union, since few days, had suspended the radio announcer in greater Cairo broadcast “Bahaa El-Malky” from work and referring him to the investigations because of hosting a leader in “Rebellion”.

El-Malky hosted the member of the central committee in “Rebellion” movement in the program “good evening Cairo”, which is broadcasted via Greater Cairo broadcast, to speak about June 30 scenarios and the situation of the movement and the dissents before and after this day in addition to know their opinions in the decisions adopted by the president Mohamed Morsi before this day. El-Malky intended to host Assem Abdelmaged, the leader in the Islamic Group to attend the program against Rebellion host but he refused.

Then the announcer received reproaches by the Head of the Broadcast Department, who described “rebellion” as illegal and inciting movement and after that it was decided to suspend him from working in the open air periods and sending him to investigation.

ANHRI said that “this isn’t the first time that Maspero’ administration use the sword of work suspension, investigations and administrative penalties against the staff, but it is a methodology adopted after the revolution of January 25th, it is absurd that the biggest institution in country continue using this methodology and ignore all of our continued calls to stop silencing the voices of the media-professionals”.

ANHRI added that “the state-owned media-outlets aren’t for somebody only but they are owned by the Egyptian people and from his money. It isn’t right that anybody, regardless of how important is his position, to use such media-outlets to serve his ideas of political trend, including the ruling party. Such media-outlets must stop misleading the public opinion and play their real role in raising the awareness of the people and offer the different views to them without any problems to the staff”.

ANHRI demands from the Egyptian authorities to immediately halt using the Ministry of Information as a tool to control the state-owned media-outlets and halt making such outlets to serve whoever control the power. ANHRI also demands from the authorities to halt silencing the voices of the staff and lifting the work suspension and the administrative penalties which the media-professionals were exposed to because of their program editing policies and the opinions of their guests.

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continues violations committed by the Saudi regime against who show solidarity with the detainees and who demand the release of the detainees who languishing in the jails of the regime that represses all freedoms in addition to the continues targeting of the families of the detainees during their protests that demand the release of their relatives.

Several Saudi areas witnessed, on Thursday June 11, several protests for the relatives of the detainees titled “the freedom sit-in”, demanding the release of their relatives who are languishing in the prisons for periods that exceed 10 years. In Riyadh and in front of the Human Rights building, tens of women participated in a protest to show solidarity with the detainees and demanded to release them, then the security forces have arrested many of them and sent them to the investigation department and then to “El-Melz prison”, while the city of Bridah a protest of women and children in front of the Major Court and they have carried banners that include the names of the detainees, meanwhile, the security forces blocked the roads leading to the sit-in and arrested the women.

The information spread regarding imprisoning the children and women detained in incommunicado detention in addition to the intransigence and banning them from communication with their relatives or lawyers and prevent them from the medications.

The regime arrested many protesters, most of them are women, in addition to 11 children and three men, before three women were released on Saturday June 15, 2013.

ANHRI said: “arresting tens of women and children against the backdrop of their exercising their legitimate right in peaceful demonstration to demand for the release of their relatives who are detained since years in the prisons of the regime without trials or clear violations, is a continuation of the violations committed by the regime against the families of the detainees in an attempt to intimidate them in order not to demand the release of their relatives again or spotting the light on their cases and expose the violations committed by the regime against them”.

ANHRI declared that the arrest of the women and the children isn’t the first event to be committed by the regime as they were arrested more than one time during the previous months and judgments were issued against them as what happened with Bahiah El-Roushady with suspension of the sentence issued against her.

ANHRI demands the immediate release of all the detainees, guarantee their safety and not to prosecute them.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=72848

http://www.anhri.net/?p=75321

http://www.anhri.net/?p=75878

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77841

Also available in : العربية

The number of violations monitored by “MADA” against journalists and the media, which were committed by different Palestinian sides since the beginning of the division, reached beyond 500 violations, a large number by all standards, and indicates the extent of the negative effects of the split, which led to the promotion of self-censorship among journalists, and media outlets, which also led to the low level of Palestinian media professionalism. It is unfortunate that some media outlets have contributed in fueling the division even before it occurred, and then strengthened it, a fact that was demonstrated clearly in MADA Center study on “the role of media in promoting the division”.

Despite the improvement in the status of media freedoms in the past year and in the first months of the current year, the serious violations against journalists during the past month does not promise serious breakthroughs in the status of media freedoms, especially with the stalled efforts to implement a reconciliation.
The large number of Palestinian violations does not make us forget that the main violator and the most dangerous on media freedoms in Palestine “the Israeli occupation and its settlers”, which committed more than 800 violations during the same period, including the killing of eight journalists.

On this painful anniversary, MADA’s team would like to renew their demands to end the division and its negative impact on the media, not to push journalists and the media in this division, to stop the arrests of journalists, and the censorship of social media, and we demand the implementation of the resolutions by the Freedom Commission, in particular to allow newspapers to circulate in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, we also call on media outlets to promote a culture of dialogue and civil peace.

Cairo June 16, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), expresses its severe denunciation regarding the fate of Iraqi journalists who were arrested by personnel affiliated to the Ministry of Defense without legal grounds.

Two journalists who works for ANB, the Iraqi news agency; Mohamed Foud Tawfik the photographer in the Agency and his assistant Afdal Gomaa after they were lured to the headquarter of the Ministry of Defense in the fourth of June and until now they weren’t release without legal grounds or justifications for the detention.

The journalists found an agenda belongs to the Minister of Defense “Sadoon El-Delmi” who had lost it during a political meeting in the house of “Ammar El-Hakim” the president of the Islamic Supreme Council at the beginning of June. The journalists submitted the Agenda to “Abdulqader El-Saadi” the Director of Information of the Ministry of Culture, which is headed by “El-Delmi” and the news spread regarding the arrest of the El-Saadi too but ANHRI couldn’t verify the news.

ANHRI said: “arresting two of the journalists by personnel affiliated to the Ministry of Defense without legal grounds is a serious violation to the press freedoms and a persistence in the violations committed by the authorities against the journalists against the background of performing their job, the most recently was an assault by one of the soldiers affiliated to the Brigade no. 54 affiliated to the operations headquarter of Baghdad in 15 of May”.

ANHRI declared that arresting the journalists falls in the frame of the arbitrary arrest of the journalist due to the allegations that the Minister of the Defense fears that such information could be used although the journalists adhered to the code of ethics of the press and surrendered the agenda to him.

ANHRI demands the authorities to reveal the fate of the journalists who were held in custody and immediately release them and guarantee their safety in addition to bring the responsible for their arbitrary custody to a prompt trial.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77212

http://www.anhri.net/?p=71813

Also available in : العربية

Cairo on June 16, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the unjust prison sentence issued by the First Instance Court in the province of Ben Arous, in the north east of Tunisia, regarding convicting the Tunisian rapper “Alaa El-Yakoubi” known as “Weld El-Kanz”. The court had sentenced him to two years in the prison against the background of his famous song that criticized the security services “Policemen are Dogs”.

He was sentenced in absentia for two years along with other four artists in March 21, 2013, so his defense, including the lawyer of ANHRI in Tunisia, had appealed the sentence and El-Kanz appeared, who was released at this time, before the court to review the appeal, and in last Thursday the court issued the decision of upholding the conviction of the rapper and sentenced him to two years in the prison.

On April, 2013, the court decided to suspend the case against the four artists who were convicted in absentia with El-Kanz as the evidences proved that they didn’t involved in the production of the song “Policemen are Dogs”. Then El-Kanz decided to surrender himself to justice and appeal the sentence issued in absentia and the case was deliberated until the decision of upholding the conviction against him was issued.

After the issuance of the sentence, the lawyers, bloggers and singers who attended the hearing to be in solidarity with the rapper, were assaulted by the security services using severe beatings and forced them to evict the court hall, including the defense of the singer, bloggers and and prominent activists.

The defense of the defendant appealed the sentence and a hearing date is expected to determined in the coming few days. One of the lawyers visited the rapper in the prison and found him in a very bad condition and don’t eat or drink, it is likely that he intends to start a huger strike.

ANHRI said that “the unjust sentence is a painful blow to the freedom of expression in Tunisia after the revolution, it was worthy that the authorities and the security services should have protected the artistic freedom and ensure it for all the citizens and accept the criticism instead of prosecuting a singer because of a song, in which he expressed his opinions peacefully.

ANHRI added that “we are waiting for the authorities to end this case forever and release the rapper, who is in custody now against the background of sentencing him to three years in the prison in particularly, that it is a very black point in the file of the human rights and freedoms in Tunisian.

The link of the song “El-Kanz”, the reason behind sentencing him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWEiwYg7jiE&feature=player_embedded

 Also available in : العربية

Menshyat Misdemeanor Appeal Court sentenced the activist Hassan Mostafa to one year imprisonment with labor in the case no. 2132 of 2013. It is worthy to note that the Public Prosecution pressed the charges of assaulting a public officer during a protest organized by a group of activists in front of Alexandria court in order to be in solidarity with the detainees in the events that took place in the area surrounding Menshyat Court after one of the hearings of the trials of the defendants in the case of killing and injuring demonstrators in the Friday of Anger. Menshyat Misdemeanor Court had sentenced him to two years with labor in the 12th of last March.

Also confirms the Conference,, who organized by the National Coalition for the freedom of the media the participation of representatives to the press and by experts and academics from an eight-nation an Arab, said that the complexities of stages the transitional, which pass out of these revolutions, among them the an interception the regime’s institutions the old and the some groups of Islam the Political of the course of the change’s Revolutionary, is the One the most important the causes that led to find the process of democratization and public freedoms at the core of freedom of the press, as well as a potential threat to the establishment of the state of citizenship and the rule of law and social justice in these countries.

The participants at the conference see that these complexities and associated acute political confrontation or armed clashes and bloody in some cases, did not succeed in breaking the will of the people, which shook her shackles of humiliation and enslavement. Similarly, the authoritarian Arab regimes sought, supported by the U.S. administration and its allies, to bury the reform movements and political and social modernization in the bud will not succeed, because demands of t the peoples don’t die , even if we assume them to stay while trapped in the breasts.

The certificates and interventions, which witnessed the conference on the situation of the Arab press in general, and during transitions in the countries of Arab Spring in particular, confirm significant decline in the indices of press freedom in the vast majority of Arab countries, but it also indicates that the data and interactions of these stages enhances the possibility of the dawn of freedom Arab press, and open the way for the re-establishment of the system on the basis of media independence and pluralism and self-regulation of the profession.

In this context, the Conference confirms the adoption of the positions and orientations of the following:

First: The changing legislative and institutional framework for the work of the Arab press and the development of rules established for the freedom of the press and independence of all sources of government control, party and economic, is no longer a requirement of political elites and cultural only after that rose up the Arab peoples to claim its right to inform convey the truth transparently and impartially.

Second: The role of journalists and the media and professional organizations and trade union should not be separated from their role in the defense of their fellow citizens’ right to know, and to address all violations and pressures aimed their efforts for the performance of this role.

Third: The setback dropped the transitional authorities in the countries of the spring for the fulfillment of the objectives of their revolutions, first and foremost goal of freedom, which includes all the implications and areas, including freedom of the press and circulation of information, imposes on the children of the profession and concerned with the Media establishment widest possible coalition with the various forces and institutions, revolutionary and national action on the to devote the concepts of the freedom of the press and standards relating thereto, and as well as the to seek to achieve tangible transformations in the   structure of  the system media the menu, and push it in the direction of AUTONOMY, pluralism, AND commitment to   professional standards and moral values.

Fourth: to emphasize the importance of continuous coordination and communication between the various categories of Arab journalists and media professionals, and the development of institutional forms to accomplish this goal, and to ensure constant communication and the exchange of views and experiences to address common challenges.

Fifth: emphasis on supporting and developing the popular press sites and electronic and social networks, and the development of technical capabilities as well as its commitment to professional standards.

Sixth: support and development organizations and civil society networks on freedom of expression and of the press and to monitor violations against journalists and media professionals, as well as the development of forms of cooperation between them and the journalists and media communities in various Arab countries.

Seventh: direct tribute and solidarity to the people of the brotherly Syrian in their struggle feat in order to exercise their right to self-determination of his own free will, stand up and stop tribute to the martyrs Syrian Revolution righteous and the martyrs of the Arab revolutions all who have made the most expensive sacrifices can be made by the people in order to defeat the dictatorship and the triumph of freedom.

Eighth: The Conference appreciates the sacrifices made by Arab journalists and media during the performance of their duty National Vocational and in their own countries, and especially noteworthy martyrs of the Arab press and prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders of the Arab masses in the knowledge and access to the truth.

Ninth: The Conference recommends launching a social networking carries the name “Coalition Arab media freedom”, and includes representatives of the press and independent media in various Arab countries, that is participating in the work of the Conference nucleus of this site, in preparation for the study of the possibility of this coalition in the organization Arab civilian pay all efforts to liberate the Arab press and media, and work on independence from sources of domination and monopoly.

Cairo June 12, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces today sentencing the Syrian journalist Belal Ahmed for 15 years imprisonment by a Military Court against the background of his work and reporting the news that took place in Mo’damiyah El-Sham in 2011.

The Syrian Field Military Court in the hearing held since few days, had sentenced “Belal” the Syrian journalist and the director in the channel “Palestine Today” for 15 years against the background of reporting the news that took place in Mo’damiyah El-Sham.

The Syrian authorities had arrested “Belal”; known for reporting the news in Mo’damiyah El-Sham and known for his activity on Facebook in the 13th of September 2011, while he was finishing some documents in the Department of Immigration and Passports getting ready to travel to Beirut in a work mission.

Activities have told ANHRI that during the period of detention, the journalist suffered all types of the violations and torture whether physical or physiological.

ANHRI said: “the sentence issued against Belal against the background of performing his job and exercising his role in reporting the events and violations committed against the people, who aspire for freedom and democracy and fallen between illegitimate regime and armed groups that aren’t less dangerous than the current regime, is a serious setback in the press and media freedoms that seriously declined recently.

ANHRI demands from the regime to immediately release the journalist, ensure his physical safety and to stop prosecuting him.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77389

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77139

Also available in : العربية

Cairo on June 11, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), expresses its deep annoyance regarding the violations committed against the activists, journalists, media-professionals and intellectuals in the Palestinian territories by the Israeli Occupation Forces and the Palestinian authorities.

On 9th of June, the Occupation forces have prevented the Jordanian journalist “Waleed Hosni”, the journalist in Alarabalyawm Jordanian newspaper while he was accompanying the parliamentary and media delegate during its visit to the occupied territories. At the beginning the occupation forces prevented the delegate from entering and after four hours it allowed its entry but without the media delegate which included four members. Due to the Parliamentary delegate refusal to enter the occupied territories without the media delegate, then four media-professionals were allowed to enter and Waleed Hosni was denied an entry without authorization. He was denied an entry without announcing the reasons.

It is worthy to note that Waleed Hosni had revealed that there was a visit paid by a German Parliamentary delegate, in May 2013, to the Zionist Entity.

In the 8th of June, 8 persons had attacked the blogger and the youth activist “Banat” during his participation in the National Conference IV to boycott Israel, which was held in Bethlehem as he intervened and criticized the policy of the Palestinian National Authority in the security coordination and naturalization with Israel. This led the Palestinian Minister of Economy “Jawad Nagy”, who was on the panel, to ask him to be silent and when the blogger refused and continued his intervention, the Minister replied with “enough barking”. This arouse the fury of the attendees who made the Minister leave the conference and after the activist went to his car, 8 persons beat him, among them the one of the company of the Minister and elements counted on Fatah Movement.

ANHRI said: “assaulting Banat by persons who are counted on the National Palestinian authority against the background of expressing his opinion in the policies of the national authority in dealing with the occupied Zionist territory which proves, beyond the reason of doubt, the deterioration of the freedom situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially, the freedom of expression which is repressed by the occupation forces and the Palestinian authorities”.

ANHRI demands the Palestinian authorities to immediately investigate the assault against the activist whatever their position or post in the occupied Palestinian territories.

ANHRI demands the world society to exert more efforts to force the zionist entity to respect the freedom of expression in the occupied Palestinian territories.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=78222

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77978

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77394

Also available in : العربية

Cairo on June 11, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces today the continuing prosecutions of the activists, bloggers and intellectuals by the authorities on broaden charges, that aren’t used but by dictatorships, the recent sentence was issued of imprisoning a blogger for 11 years against the background of posts that Kuwait allegedly said that they include an insult to the Emir and the religion.

In the hearing held on Monday, 10th of May, the Kuwaiti Criminal Court sentenced “Houda El-Ajmay” for 11 years on three charges; posts on twitter, although that she has denied that she doesn’t have an account on twitter or she is the owner of the account that authorities alleged that it hers on twitter.

The Court sentenced her for five years on charges of inciting to overthrow the regime in addition to imprisoning her for five years on charges of challenging the rights of the Emir, challenging his rights, insulting him and insulting the post of the Emir. In addition to one year of imprisonment on charges of insulting the religion (insulting and undermining a religious doctrine which is Shiite’s doctrine).

Since 2012, the authorities prosecuted hundreds of bloggers, activists and intellectuals on charges of insulting the Emir and insulting the post of the Emir and other broaden charges that contradict with the freedom of expression. Several unfair sentences were issued against activists and the bloggers and they were sent to jail. Moreover, there are tens of them who are waiting for their turn to trial, that almost end by convicting them.

Since April 2012 until June 2013, the Kuwaiti Courts had issued twenty sentences against the bloggers, activists and intellectuals ranged between three months to 11 years on charges of insulting the Emir, the post of the Emir and the religions, starting by the sentence issued during April 2012 against the writer “Mohamed El-Melify, Msallam Al-barrak, Rashed Al-Anzi, Hamed El-Khaldy, Rashed El-Hajari, Bader El-Rashidy, Bader El-Wasamy, Saaed El-Asfour, Mohamed El-Wesahi, Saqar El-Hashash, Naser El-Dehany, Lourance El-Rashidy, Hamed El-Teky, Mohamed Eid El-Mekhial, Mohamed El-Jowaihal, Gamal El-Dawyi, Aid El-Haraby, Sarah El-Dress, Abdulaziz El-Metary and the recently the decision issued against the blogger “Houda Al-Ajmay”.

ANHRI said: “the sentence issued by the Criminal Court against Al-Ajmy proves beyond the reason of doubts the huge setback that took place in the file of the freedom of expression in Kuwait and the repressive procedures that are adopted by the authorities to muzzle the voices such as the prohibition of the peaceful assemblies and demonstrations and the activation of the law on publication and publishing especially the two articles 20 and 21″.

ANHRI asserted on its demands from the authority to review the its laws that restrict the freedoms and the revoking all the broaden and elastic articles that allow the authorities to prosecute the activists, bloggers and intellectuals and sending them to jail based upon legal articles that aren’t used but by dictatorships, in particularly, the periods in which the ability of regime tumbling in addressing the demands of the people who are ambitious to freedoms and democracy.

ANHRI demands from the authorities to drop all the charges pressed on the bloggers, intellectuals and the activists against the background of expressing their opinions in a peaceful way and immediately releasing them.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=74402

http://www.anhri.net/?p=73694

http://www.anhri.net/?p=73378

http://www.anhri.net/?p=72618

http://www.anhri.net/?p=72185

http://www.anhri.net/?p=69541

 Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said that the first library established by ANHRI titled “Khatwah Library” in Dar El-Salam District in Cairo. It has received more than 10.000 visitors during a year since the official inauguration in May 2012. It turned to be a complete culture and social center, as it began to provide cultural, educational and arts’ services to the visitors; children, male and female youth and the people of Dar El-Salam. It is a popular neighborhood deemed to among the highest population in Egypt.

As a result of the success of this initiative, in which writers, authors and political figures have participated in its inauguration such as “the writer and scenarist “Belal Fadl, prominent author “Ibrahim Abdelmeeged”, “Ziad El-Elimay” the member of the people’s assembly and Shora Council Member “Sayed Abdelrady” in addition to other figures and youth of Dar El-Salam, the writer Belal Fadl had announced a monthly award of 500 EGP for a year titled “Book Juice” for the best presentation to be made by young man or women of a book.

In addition to the enormous number of the citizens who benefited from Khatwah library, whether by reading, borrowing, culture seminar and cinema shows, the library has held about 40 cultural and artistic evenings and seminars. A play team composed from children and performed before the district people, English language course through volunteers to the children and the youth of Dar El-Salam, which proves not only the need to such cultural and educational services but also that these districts are full of talents and the creative capacities of the citizens and they are just only waiting for the opportunity to contribute in building their societies by these capabilities.

In addition to that and as a result of the success of Khatwah Public Library in Dar El-Salam, ANHRI, inaugurated three other libraries titled “Karama Public Libraries”; public Library in Zagazig in Sharkia Governorate, Tura El-Balad in Boluaq-Dakrour in Giza, which began the work already and receiving tens of the visitors and the beneficiaries on daily basis, whether children, young men or young women or citizens to be benefited from the reading or participation in the cultural and social activities.

Starting by June 15, 2013, the competition of “Book Juice”; sponsored by the writer Belal Fadl to visitors of the Khatwah Library in Dar El-Salam, will began. Every-month a winner will be selected to receive the award and a certificate of merit to encourage the young men and women on reading and creative mind …

Related Links:

Press Release Regarding the Khatwah Inauguration:

http://www.anhri.net/?p=53329

Khtawah on ANHRI’s Website:

http://elkarama.anhri.net/?page_id=37

Khatawah Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/khatwa.book

Also available in : العربية

Cairo, June 10, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces arresting “Abdulrahan Raya” a video engineer, without specific charges or clear grounds by the Syrian Security Forces. ANHRI also denounces the continuation of the violations suffered by the journalists and the media-professionals in Syria, whether by a regime that lost its legitimacy or armed groups that commit crimes that could be described as crimes against humanity.

On the six of June, the Security Services Apparatus arrested the Syrian video engineer “Raya”, specialized in the Television systems. He was among the team of founders of “Orient TV Channel” that closeup to the Syrian opposition and support the revolution. The channel is aired from the Dubai Media City in UAE. “Raya” was arrested from his house in Baghdad st., in Damascus, he is one of the most important video engineers in Syria, then he was taken to his house in Mazera’h district. The house subjected to rigorous inspection and the security services confiscated all the money that was found in the house and also books to the writer “Sayed Qotob”; his books are banned from selling in Syria, and until now the reasons of the arrest aren’t known yet.

In continuation of the violations suffered by the journalists and the media-professionals in Syrian territories, the media-activist “Mohamed Zain”, 22 years old, was killed on June 6 during covering the clashes between the regime and the free army in the district of Khan El-Assel in Aleppo that witnesses fierce battles, while the reporter of (Orient News), Mohamed Mo’az in rural Damascus in eastern Gotoha district that witnesses violent clashes between the regime and the free army.

ANHRI said: “arresting the video engineer “Raya” by the regime is a continuation of the repression and the arrests policy that is committed by the regime against the opposition and the people of conscience and opinion along with shedding the blood of his people that aspire for freedom and democracy”.

ANHRI added that the violations committed by the armed groups which call themselves the free army, aren’t less horrible than the violations committed by the Syrian regime that lost its legitimacy. As these groups commit several violations and massacres against the innocents from their oppositions.

ANHRI declared that the regime and the free army agreed on one thing which is represented in harassing the journalists and the media-professionals who oppose each party in addition to abuse them whether bشy arresting, kidnapping or targeting them during covering the events.

ANHRI demands the regime to immediately release “Raya”, guarantee his safety and providing the suitable climate for the journalists and the media-professionals to perform their work.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77389

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77139

Also available in : العربية

The book, which includes works from a group of talented Egyptian and European writers, reviews the latest trends and intellectual debates about human rights and religion in light of the universality of human rights. It also tries to bridge what is often perceived as a rift between the universality of human rights and cultural and religious particularities. The book addresses both Arab and European perspectives on human rights and examines how political changes, religious voices, and cultural developments have affected concept of human rights.

The book focuses on two key issues – women’s rights and the rights of religious minorities – as models to explain the ways in which culture impacts understandings of human rights.  It also examines the crisis confronting freedom of religion and minority rights in Egyptian society, as well as the problems of how minorities are represented in the media in Europe.

One of the most important topics discussed in this book is how women’s rights are dealt with in the political, religious, and cultural discourses in Egypt, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with the empowerment of women in Denmark.

Cairo June 9, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces today the sentence issued against the Bahriani school teacher Khadijah Saaed of imprisoning her for six months on charges related to freedom of expression.

A Bahraini court issued in the third of June 2013, a sentence to upheld imprisoning the school teacher “Khadijah Saaed”, 51 years old, for six months on charges of participation in the teachers, incitement to hatred and the use of the car horn in away that offends driving.

She was arrested during the National Safety Period, on April 14, 2011, on charges of assembly or incitement to hate the regime. She was sentenced by the National Safety Court for three years imprisonment before reducing the sentence to be six months after being retried before the civilian court in execution to one of the recommendations of the fact-finding report that is known in the media by Bassiouni’s report. The court has upheld the sentence issued against her since a few days ago, which make the retired school teacher exposed to arrest at any time.

It is worthy to be noted that she was exposed during the period of arrest to the various types of physical and physiological torture and she still suffers from some side effects of partially losing hearing.

ANHRI said: “upholding the sentence issued against her increases the number of the women languishing in the Bahraini prisons reaches 10 women against the background of expressing their opinions in a peaceful way, the matter that proves that the regime didn’t execute one of the most important recommendations issued in the report of the fact-finding, which recommended the regime to drop all the charges related to the freedom of expression”.

ANHRI demands from the regime to immediately release the female prisoners against the background of expressing their views peacefully and dropping all the charges related to the freedom of expression.

For more information

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12690 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12680 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12680#comments Sun, 09 Jun 2013 10:30:50 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12680 Cairo June 9, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces today arresting an Egyptian journalist by the security services. He works for UAE Al-khaleej newspaper without clear reasons and isolating him from the outside world to be the second journalist arrested in the UAE after the arrest of Dr. Ahmed Gahfar “the journalist in Al-Ittihad newspaper who was arrested at the end of December 2012.

The Security Services in Dubai airport had prevented the Egyptian journalist “Mohamed Aly Mosua”, journalist at Al-Khaleej newspaper, from leaving the country in the second of June and confiscated his passport and giving him a document that proves that his passport was confiscated upon a request from the state security apparatus. Then two days after he was summoned to the Preventive Security Apparatus in Sharjah and then he was transfered to Duabi. Since then the whereabouts or the charges aren’t known yet.

In a related context, the sources stated to ANHRI that some UAE figures (some of them among those in the UAE94 case) were brought in investigation with some of the Egyptians who belong to MB and until now the reasons of the investigation aren’t known yet or it just an attempt to bring new made up cases against the Egyptian detainees or not.

ANHRI said: “the continuation of the arbitrary arrests to the UAE and Egyptian citizens by the state security apparatus without clear and definite charges in the light of the silence of the rulers of UAE rises the concern regarding the fate of these citizens in the light of unfair trials similar to the trial of the 94 detainees that lacked the guarantees of the fair trial”.

ANHRI warned the authorities from using torture to force the detainees to confess of things they didn’t do or know about. As some of the detainees stated that during the trial of the UAE94 they were subjected to different types of torture in addition to torturing the activist Mohamed El-Zomer to force him to confess of information that convict the detainees”.

ANHRI added that the arrest of the Egyptian journalist is a new evidence regarding the setback of the freedoms file in UAE in the light of the silence of all parties and states concerned with human rights and democracy.

ANHRI demands all the international and regional organizations to press the authorities to improve their freedom file and to respect the freedom of expression.

ANHRI demands the authorities to reveal the fate of the Egyptian journalist, announce the charges pressed on him and immediately release him.

ANHRI demands the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to quickly move to release the Egyptian journalist and all the detainees in UAE in addition not to slacken in the rights of the Egyptians abroad.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77914

http://www.anhri.net/?p=66926

http://www.anhri.net/?p=66814

Also available in : العربية

Cairo June 9, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces investigation the Palestinian activist and the blogger “Abeer Qebti” by the Israeli police against the backdrop of an article in which she refused the conscription of the Christian Arabs in the Israeli army and criticized the participants in the meeting.

Abeer had appeared before the Central Investigation Unit in Akka in Monday the 3rd of June 2013, after she had received a call from one of the investigators in the second of June. The investigation continued for hours and it was about the articles she wrote in her own blog, especially, he article related to the plan of conscripting the Christian youth in the Israeli army, which was titled “it won’t pass: an old-new Israeli plan to conscript the Christian Palestinians”. The meeting held in Nazareth Illit during October 2012, addressed conscripting the Christian Palestinians in the army, she criticized the participants and this plan.

The Investigation Unit deemed the article include incitement to terror and violence therefore, it has pressed the charges of incitement to violence and terror. The Israeli police forces exercised a lot of pressures and threatens that reached threatening her to be jailed for six months due to her refusal to give them a DNA sample, which, which pushed the Investigation Unit to record another case against her as she refused to give the DNA sample. Then she was released on conditions; paying a finical bail in case of contacting “Ihab Shelian” the affairs consultant of the Christian sect in the Israeli police and “Gebraeel Nadaf” who called for the meeting to encourage the conscription of the Christian youth and her commitment to appear before the investigation whenever she is subpoenaed.

ANHRI said: “investigating the blogger and the activists Abeer is a continuation in the Israeli Occupation Forces repressive policy against the activists and bloggers who expose the violations of the occupation forces against the Palestinian people who are ambitious to freedom and its continued presistence to silence the voices of the dissents against the repressive policies of the occupation forces”.

ANHRI stated that the article that was written by the blogger and the activist Abeer is an opinion article and she was expressing her criticism regarding the Occupation Army policies in addition to her refusal to the conscription of the Arabs in the Israeli army.

ANHRI demand from all the international and local organizations concerned with freedoms and democracy to exert more efforts to force the occupation forces to respect freedom of expression in the Palestinian occupation territories.

Tunisia June, 8, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), said that in the frame of its serious and continues sought to provide the largest possible support for the freedom of expression in the Arab world and to work on creating a free climate for media-professionals and online activists, therefore, it has developed its work inside the Tunisian territories by establishing office in early May 2013, which had already began to provide the legal aid to the victims of the freedom of expression before the Tunisian courts.

The office of Tunisia began to provide the legal aid to the victims of the freedom of expression in several cases since last May and among these important cases, the case of “Attounissia”; in which the two journalists “Sofian El-Shwarby, Lesaad Ben Ashour, Mohamed Medlah and the TV Satellite Channel “Attounissia” against the background of a Pictorial Reporting press report that was broadcasted by the channel in May 16.

The press report addressed arms smuggling inside the Tunisian territories and broadcasted arms smuggling operation from Algeria inside the Tunisia. The Public Prosecution pressed charges on the journalists and the smugglers who appeared in the press report of participating in publishing false news that could harm the public order and imagining that a crime is taking place. The Investigative Judge in the First Instance Court of Qebly city will hear the journalists and the representative of the channel regarding such charges and ANHRI’s lawyer in Tunisian will appear with the journalists.

The office also working on the case of the University Professor and the activist “Ragaa Ben Salama”, who was sent to investigation before the Third Investigative Judge in the First Instance Court in Tunisia on charges of pressing illegal things on a public officer related to his job against the background of statements she delivered to “Hannibal TV”. In which she said that the Constitution General Rapporteur Habib Khedher misconstrued the draft by changing the content of the chapters that were received by the Drafting Committee. Such charge is a malicious accusation that aims to muzzle the voices that criticize the authorities according to our point of view.

Moreover, Sahrah Mata’ Allah the editor of the weekly newspaper “Akherkhabar”, as she was investigated against the background of a press report that was published in February 19, 2013. It is a field press report that was conducted by the journalist in the city of “Hamam El-Ghazaz” in El-Watan El-Kabli which was titled “Families miss their sons who immigrated to Syria by the name of Jihad”, in which she addressed by studying and analysis the phenomena of Jihad in Syria, relying on the statements of some families who indicated the colluding the authorities which made some of the families of the city to file a complaint against the journalist requesting to sent her to the court against the background of the topic and we are waiting for the decision of the Public Prosecution ehither by closing the report or sending it to the court.

The office also provides the legal aid to the prominent journalist “Ziyad El-Hany” who was sent to the Investigative Judge by the Public Prosecution on charges of pressing illegal things on a public officer related to his job through the press against the background of statements he delivered to “Nessma” satellite channel, in which he referred that he obtained information stating that there is a paralleled security inside the Ministry of Interior and it is supervised by one of the officials in the Ministry. Such paralleled security groups works for Alnnahdah movement.

Furthermore, the case of the rapper “Alaa” who is known as “Weld El-Kanz” who was sentenced in absentia, on March 21, 2013, for two years of imprisonment on allegations of assaulting the good morals in his famous song “Policemen are Dogs” which criticizes the security services.

ANHRI “we try to expand providing the legal aid services for the freedom of expression in the Arab world, and we call upon all the colleagues and all of who are concerned with the freedom of expression in Tunisia to communicate with our office in case of being exposed to or monitoring any violation against the freedom of expression and the freedom of using the Internet”.

To report any of the freedom of expression, circulation of information and peaceful assembly violations in Tunisia, please contact our colleagues:

Koutheir Bouallegue/ Tunisia via email Koutheirbouallegue@anhri.net

or Karim Abdelrady/ Cairo via email: Karim@anhri.net

Also available in : العربية

Cairo June 8, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), said that the President and the Attorney General, which was appointed by the sole discretion of the president, became a burden on the rule of law and justice in a country that one of its important slogans in the revolution was freedom and human dignityy.

The President had issued a decree on November 2012 to appoint the counselor Talaa’t Ibrahim Abdullah as the Attorney General after issuing the constitutional declaration that was strongly rejected by the Egyptian opposition because it included wide and unprecedented powers for himself. The appointment of the Attorney General is a trespassing against the judiciary authority

Since he started his work and while was all the criticisms were against the method of appointment, the criticisms expanded to include his performance, in particularly as, millions of the Egyptians felt that justice in Egypt is double standard, as it continuously prosecute the revolutionaries and who call for democracy and at the same time is lenient with who is close from the ruling party and the presidency institution in addition to the continuation of the impunity policy in a form that getting back to mind the performance of the former Attorney General Abdelmegeed Mahmoud, which Egypt witnessed during his term the increasing of this phenomena and the Apparatus of State Security, of bad reputation and black record in wasting the rule of law, dominance in Egypt.

The new Attorney General instead of prevailing the values of the justice and the rule of law by resigning, he rescind his resignation, which he submitted due to the thousands of District Attorneys and the Chief of the Public Prosecutors, which established to many of the citizens the convince that the attorney general is part of the presidency organization and a member in the MB or close to them. In particularly as the huge expansion in prosecuting the journalists and the media-professionals by the charges of insulting the president, then wasting the duty of appealing against the sentence of one of the most important cases of killing the protesters in the Camels’ Battle without apologizing or resigning as a result of this mistake. The president ignore and disregard this mistake, which several people think that this isn’t just a mistake but it’s a deliberate impunity.

The Executive Director of ANHRI said that “there is nothing more dangerous to a country in which the opposition increases against an Attorney General who suppose to be away from the political conflict and to represent everybody then unfair sentences issued, in which the Attorney General was involved in it in Bahrain, it represents a big catastrophe in which Egypt lives in. The counselor Talaa’t Abdullah must leave this post and be in the favor of the judiciary independence and the rule of law instead of the intransigence and making this very sensitive post as a part of the political conflict, that no one would win in it, in particularly as the legitimate demand of the Egyptian opposition is the method of choosing the Attorney General and doesn’t include choosing a specific Attorney General, so will he answer this call and avoid any interests for the sake of the future of justice in Egypt?

ANHRI said that the severe opposition against the Attorney General to continue in his position isn’t only limited to the Egyptian opposition or some judges who are known for defending the ousted president, but it includes judges who are keen on reforming the Egyptian judiciary and its independence, in particularly as a country in which its citizens have deep doubts related to the affiliation of this or that judge to a political regime rather than their affiliation to law, justice and conscience, is a country in its way to collapse.

Joint Press Release

The undersigned Egyptian rights organizations condemn in the strongest terms the verdict issued on June 4 by the Cairo Criminal Court which convicted 43 staff members of international NGOs in the so-called “foreign funding case.” The defendants, who include nationals from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, the US, Germany, Serbia, and Norway, received prison terms ranging from one to five years and were each fined LE1,000.

The undersigned organizations assert that this unjust ruling represents a fatal blow to the objectives of the revolution and democratization and further entrenches the pillars of the new system of authoritarian rule, which is exhibiting unremitting hostility to civil society. Inspired by the former regime, the current authorities have excluded civil society, harassed human rights defenders and democracy activists, criminalized their activities, and used the media to defame civic organizations and promote views hostile to the universal values of human rights. The current authorities have further deployed the security apparatus to block civic initiatives, denied victims of abuses of their rights and legal support, and dragged the judiciary into their deceitful battle against civil society.

Throughout the last year since coming to power the regime of President Mohamed Morsi has revealed its unrelenting political agenda to sideline civil society – and to undermine organizations which defend human rights in particular – instead of allowing civil society space to play its essential role in supporting democratization. In fact, President Morsi’s policies in many areas demonstrate that democratization is not a goal for the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). This has been made crystal clear in the successive draft laws submitted by the MB, the FJP, and the presidency to organize the judiciary and govern civil society, as well as those hinted at by the MB which would restrict media freedoms.

The “foreign funding case” began in July 2011, when the prime minister formed a fact-finding committee to investigate what was called “the foreign funding that had entered Egypt following the January 25 Revolution.” This was accompanied by a concerted smear campaign against Egyptian and international civil society groups, accusing them of acting as agents for foreign powers, threatening national security, and implementing foreign agendas to create chaos – tactics taken directly from Mubarak-era policies. In fact, the smear campaign against civil society was headed by officials and ministers from the Mubarak regime who had remained in their positions after the revolution, in an attempt to seek revenge against rights organizations which had played an essential role in preparing the way for the revolution.

In a move unprecedented in Egypt’s recent history, police and army forces raided 17 offices of ten organizations, among them Egyptian organizations, in late 2011, after which 43 staff members were referred to the Cairo Criminal Court on charges of establishing and administering branches of foreign organizations and receiving foreign funding.

On February 15, 2012, 31 rights organizations issued a statement condemning the investigations into this case, which relied on intelligence gathered by Mubarak’s State Security agency. A review of the resumes of the judges who carried out the investigations may help explain the court’s verdict, which was based on the report they prepared. Both judges had served as long-time chief prosecutors in the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which was the subject of widespread criticism and whose abolition had been called for by advocates of judicial independence, advocacy groups, and various political and social forces fighting for democracy prior to the revolution. The State Security Prosecution had been involved in fabricating charges against opponents of the Mubarak regime, aided in covering up acts of torture committed by State Security Investigations against political detainees, and functioned as a tool used in collaboration with State Security by the Mubarak regime to seek revenge against its political opponents.

During the period in which investigations were being carried out, these two judges violated a number of the most essential legal principles governing the work of the judiciary – considered by the Supreme Judicial Council to be among the crimes warranting the punishment of the judge responsible – by “trying” the suspects and others who had not been charged via the media over the course of several months, setting another dangerous new precedent. However, the Supreme Judicial Council, which was headed at the time by Hossam al-Ghariani (who later became the head of the Constituent Assembly), took no measures in response to these acts by the investigating judges, even after legal complaints were filed regarding the matter.

From the very beginning (summer and fall 2011), the “foreign funding case” saw blatant interference by the executive in the court’s work, beginning with the manner in which the two investigative judges were appointed and including the pressure exerted on the judiciary to lift the travel ban on foreign staff of the involved organizations. It should be noted that some of the organizations whose staff members were given severe sentences for promoting democracy had operated in Egypt since 2005, cooperating consistently and publicly with the Egyptian government and with the full knowledge of the security apparatus. These organizations had tried repeatedly to register officially and had failed due to bureaucratic security procedures – the Egyptian Foreign Ministry did not reject their applications for permits, yet it also did not grant acknowledgement of receipt of their applications, placing these organizations in a precarious position indefinitely. The Egyptian government had sent official letters to a number of these organizations – even during the period during which investigations were being carried out and the smear campaign in the media was ongoing – inviting them to monitor the parliamentary elections which were held during the last three months of 2011.

The undersigned organizations assert that this unfair ruling comes in the context of attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated government and parliament to suppress civil society and curb its activities by judicial and legislative means. For example, the deputy justice minister for legislative matters and the head of the fact-finding committee on foreign funding stated before the Shura Council on March 24, 2013 that investigations into the “foreign funding case” had ended with the referral of 43 defendants to the criminal court. He added that investigations of Egyptian organizations were still underway, which means that we can expect a second round of attacks on civil society groups, including the summoning of their directors and staff members for questioning and possibly being referred to trial.

Moreover, on the same day that the verdict was issued by the Criminal Court in Cairo, the Committee for Human Resources Development and Local Governance in the Shura Council began debating the draft NGO law submitted by the president on Wednesday, May 29. The bill has been severely criticized by Egyptian and international organizations as well as by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The new bill, which is currently being discussed in the Shura Council, blatantly contravenes both international standards for the freedom of association and the Egyptian constitution. It would impose severe restrictions on activities of Egyptian NGOs, registration, and the operation of foreign NGOs and place civic associations under the control of various security agencies, which would be represented on the steering committee to be established by the law. This bill would make the situation of foreign NGOs even more difficult than under the Mubarak regime. This proposed bill and the recent judicial ruling are essentially two expressions of the same process of undermining civil society in Egypt.

The undersigned organizations declare their solidarity with the staff of the foreign NGOs who were convicted in a politically motivated case that exploited repressive legal statutes and implicated the judiciary. We will continue to stand up to all attempts to restrict the right to association with draconian laws that do not comply with international standards.

Finally, we note that the current authorities still have the opportunity to renounce their aspiration to restrict the activities of organizations advocating democracy and human rights by withdrawing its repressive NGO bill and using the powers granted to the president by Article 149 of the constitution – which have been used more than once to grant amnesties for detainees and prisoners affiliated with armed Islamist movements – to issue a pardon for the democracy advocates and human rights defenders convicted in this clearly political case.

Signatories:

1.     Cairo Institute for human rights studies (CIHRS).
2.     Andalus Institute for Tolerance & Anti-violence Studies (AITAS).
3.     Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).
4.     Arab organization for human rights.
5.     Arab Penal Reform Organization.
6.     Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.
7.     Center for Appropriate Communication Techniques (ACT).
8.     Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Aid.
9.     Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights.

10. Egyptian Foundation for the Advancement of Childhood Conditions.

11. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).

12. Egyptian women’s union.

13. Habi Center for Environmental Rights.

14. Hisham Mubarak Law Center.

15. Human Right association for the Assistance of Prisoners.

16. Masriyon Against Religious Discrimination.

17. Nazra for Feminist Studies.

18. New Woman Foundation.

19. The Egyptian Association For Community Participation Enhancement.

20. The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights.

The intervention condemned the human rights violations committed by the Syrian government and by some segments of the opposition which have reached the level of crimes against humanity and war crimes and which have blatantly breached international humanitarian law.  The intervention pointed to the inadequate stances of the international community regarding the situation in Syria and its failure not only to protect the Syrian population but also to establish real mechanisms for accountability for the grave crimes committed.

The intervention examined the most prominent patterns of violations committed in Syria throughout the past two years, including widespread arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killings, and serious violations against women.  The intervention further highlighted the situation of Syrian refugees.  It asserted that the inability to address the issue of impunity in Syria is one of the major factors which contribute to the repetition and increase of human rights abuses in Syria.

Finally, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network called upon the Council to refuse to become politicized in its evaluation of the situation in Syria and to fulfill its duty to defend the rights of the victims of the crisis. They called upon the Council to urge the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court in order to ensure accountability for the grave violations to human rights committed in Syria.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continuation of intimidating the journalists, muzzling their voices and penalizing them against the background of their opinions and performing their duty by the Sudanese authorities, as they have arrested the Sudanese journalist “Khaled Ahmed” who works in “alsudani newspaper” last Thursday upon his arrival to Khartoum.

There was an article published by the name of the writer “Khaled” and it was widely published by several newspapers and websites, as this article was addressing in details the operation that was executed by the revolutionary front on last Friday and targeted the chief of staff of the armed forces Lieutenant General. Essmat Abdulrahman while he was in a visit to the village of “Abu Karshola” which was denied by the armed forces. The article narrated the details of the incident and the eviction of the chief of staff in addition to what had happened inside the plane. This matter was a matter of concern to the Sudanese authorities and made it severely press the newspaper, in which Khaled works, and the journalist himself in order to deny the incident.

The journalist had actually denied the information contented in the article and after huge pressures Khaled himself denied that he wrote such article and said that his accounts on the social networks were hacked and the images and the information in these accounts were used for writing the article and to be published by his name. However, the security services have arrested him upon his arrival from his trip from Gedaref State. The Prosecution of Anti-State Crimes had investigated him on Wednesday and the journalist still in custody in order to be investigated in the report filed by the armed forces.

It is worthy to be noted that “Kahled” was arrested by the Sudanese security services during covering the demonstrations that took place in Khartoum university on December 25.

ANHRI said that “it is astonishing and doesn’t make sense that the authorities persist on targeting the journalist “Khaled Ahmed” and arresting him although he and his newspaper have denied the information that were included in the article, while it is more likely that the article is valid. However, there is no criminal activity that a writer could express his opinions and publish information, according to him it is true, to the public opinion, in particularly as the ruling authorities hide the information and makes the mission of the journalists more difficult to access information and to present it to the public opinion. The authorities should have closed the door of this case for ever after the newspaper and the journalist have denied the article, but the persistence of the authorities in arresting the writer and present him to investigation declares the authorities desire to revenge from the free writers and intimidate them in order to force them to impose self-censorship regarding the press content to be published by the them.

ANHRI added “the press freedoms in Sudan witnesses a huge crisis as the newspapers continually expose to sever harassments by the security services and expose also to suspension and confiscation due to published materials and the journalists expose to prevent from writing and detention against the background of their opinions”.

ANHRI demands the Sudanese authorities to release the journalist “Khaled Ahmed” and to suspend his mockery trial in addition to stop the severe hostility by the state against the press freedoms.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77918

Report “Pens Under Siege”: http://www.anhri.net/?p=77527
http://www.anhri.net/?p=77408

Cairo June 5, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces prosecuting alwahdawi newspaper by the Attorney General against the background of publishing an article in one of the issues asking for reasons of the slow investigation in the El-Karama case and not dealing with the corruption cases published by the newspapers which deemed to be an official report to the Attorney General.

The journalist “Mahmoud Sharaf El-Deen” the Chief Editor of alwahdawi newspaper, of the opposition Nasserite Popular Unionist Party had appeared during last week before the press and publication prosecution to investigate him in the report submitted by Dr. Aly Ahmed Al-A’oush and accusing him of targeting and insulting the person of the Attorney General against the background of what the issue published in edition no. 976 issued in May 14, 2013 regarding reminding the Attorney General of his job and draw his attention toward the slowness of the investigation bodies in the case know as “Massacre of Dignity Friday”, in addition to the Public Prosecution and the Attorney General disregarding the corruption news published in the newspaper … as what the press publishes is an official report to the Attorney General.

The Chief-Editor said that he received a call from the Attorney General, threatens of suspending the newspaper.

ANHRI said: “the step of the Attorney General of prosecuting the newspaper due to critics directed to the slowness of the investigation entities in the case of Dignity Friday Massacre and ignoring several corruption cases revealed by the media-outlets is a serious violation to the freedom of expression and the press freedom. It arouse our concerns regarding the press freedoms that witnesses severe set-back in Yemen in the light of the shameful silence of the authorities regarding many violations and abuses suffered by the journalists and media-professionals”.

ANHRI declared that the notice of the slowness and ignoring of the Public Prosecution and the Attorney General in several cases by the newspaper is a right and duty to criticize the performance of the Attorney General that his role represented to protecting and getting back the people’s rights.

ANHRI added that the course of the Yemeni revolution and specifically the case of the Dignity Friday Massacre arouse a lot of doubts regarding the rule of law, collude on justice and establish impunity.

ANHRI demands the Attorney General to waive all the reports submitted against the newspaper and respect the freedom of expression.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77215

http://www.anhri.net/?p=76857

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounced the unjust sentence issued by the Cairo Criminal Court, Thursday morning, against some of the activists and human rights organization in what is known in the media “Foreign Funding” case. This case was trumped up by the SCAF and some of the figures of Mubarak’s regime during the campaign established by SCAF against number of the civil society organizations during the transition due to publishing the violations and the crimes committed against the Egyptians who oppose the military rule.

The Ministry of the National Party, that was headed by Kamal El-Ganzouri, have waged a huge war against the civil society organizations that started from March 2011 and continued until 2012 leaded by Fayza Abu-El-Najah, the member of the Policies Committee in the dissolved National Democratic Party. The campaign was followed by trumping up cases to number of rights’ organizations then 43 responsible and employees, from different nationalities that include American, German, Serbian, Norwegian, Jordanian, Palestinian and Egyptian nationalities who work in some human rights international organizations, were brought before the Criminal Court against the background of their human rights work inside Egypt.

Despite the case witnessed from the beginning flimsy investigations and participation of some judges in defaming the organizations but we were surprised when the criminal court issued its harsh and the unjust sentence of imprisoning from one year to 5 years against the defendants in this case. The Court sentenced 27 defendants for 5 years and a fine of 1000 EGP per each and sentencing 5 other for two years with labor and a fine of 1000 EGP in addition to sentencing other 11 for one year and a fine of 1000 EGP with suspension of executing the imprisoning penalty for one year.

ANHRI said that “this case from the beginning and the campaign that preceded it was aiming to revenge from the serious civil society organizations that played the biggest role in exposing the violations of the SCAF during the transition and exposing the crimes of Mubarak’s regime against human rights; recently was forging the parliamentary elections in 2010. Despite that it was clear from the conducts of Fayaza Abu-El-Naja that found an opportunity to revenge from the organizations that took the side of the Egyptian citizen and supported its revolution to a regime that Ab-El-Naja was belonging to”.

ANHRI added “the civil society organizations in Egypt will keep perform its role independently and won’t stop confronting the continued attempts of the authorities to impose the security fist on the Human Rights Organizations and to control them whether by the new NGOs law that MB government seek to pass it or through intimidating the activists and the organizations by the criminal court which led the issuing of such harsh and default sentence despite all the violations and the flaws that took place in the investigation of this case that were sufficient to abort all the investigations”.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

Canawati’s lawyer Osama Abu Zakya reported to MADA that his client received a summon to appear before the public prosecutor at 11:30 am on Monday 3rd June 2013, he accompanied Canawati to the public prosecutors and listened to the investigation, which revolved only on the publishing of the press release of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and what was rumored of investigating Canwati on criminal charges that was untrue. Abu Zakya added: “big pressure was put on George to disclose the source of the press release”.
MADA stresses that the arrest Canawati contradicts with the statement by the president of prosecutor Dr. Ahmad Borak “We the public prosecutors have a moral obligation to respect freedom of expression and must not imprison journalists, and I hope that this becomes a legal obligation.” A statement by Dr. Borak during a round table meeting organized by MADA on “Freedom of expression and publishing crimes” recently on 25th April 2013.

To pressure a journalist to reveal the source of his information without a court order is completely contrary to Article 4 – Branch D of the Press and Publications Law, which states: “the right of the printed press and news agency, editor and journalist in keeping the sources of information or news that is obtained confidential unless the court decides otherwise during the consideration of criminal proceedings to protect the security of the State or to prevent crime or investigation to justice”.

In addition, Article 25 of the Press and Publications Law describes the procedures for publishing incorrect news “If you publish printed press news that is incorrect, or articles that contains incorrect information, then the person who relates to the news or article shall have the right to respond to the news or article and demand its correction. The chief editor of the official publication must publish a reply or a correction for free in the issue that follows the date of receiving the request, on the same space and with the same characters in which the original news or article was published in the printed press”. Radio Bethlehem Webpage published immediately a denial of the press release after confirming the lack of its credibility.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces arresting the journalist Audi Harabiat without known charges.

The Israeli Occupation Forces have stormed on the dawn of May 27, 2013 the village of Tabkah in the western Khaleel in the West Bank and arrested the photographer and the activist in the social media “Harbiat” during covering the storming operation. The occupation force accompanied by the police dogs stormed his house and inspected it accurately. In addition to kidnapping the young Mohame Zafer and injured Mohamed Mahmoud Amateer by serious injuries in the head by a gas bomb.

It is worthy to be mentioned that, almost a year ago, he had established a group under the name of “you are the voice”. This group picturing the social events and the problems that the village of Tabikah and Doura city suffer from, in particularly, the violations committed by the occupation forces against them and broadcasting it in the form of a video segments and Youtube social network.

ANHRI said: “the Occupation forces persistence targeting of the journalists and the media-activists who picturing and documenting the violations committed by the Occupation Forces against the Palestinian people is a serious violation against the press freedoms in the light of the shameful silence of the world society, which arouse the doubts related to the situation of the major countries that say that they support freedoms and democracy regarding the violations of the Zionist Entity.

ANHRI demands the international and regional organizations to practice more pressure on the Israeli occupation to force it to respect the press freedoms and the immediate release of Hariebat and guarantee his physical safety as the Occupation army is responsible for it”.

For more information

www.anhri.net/?p=77394

www.anhri.net/?p=77263

Also available in : العربية

Cairo June 4, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information(ANHRI), denounces the continuation of the violations against the media-professionals and the journalists in Lebanon, in the light of the failure of the authorities to provide the convenient circumstances to perform their job without fear in the light of a secured climate.

The Lebanon territories, recently witnessed several violations and abuses against the journalists and the media-professionals by armed men, in the light of the shameful silence by the authorities and all the parties in the Lebanon territories.

The house of the female journalist “Doma’ Alseer” the correspondent of El-Dyar, on the night of Saturday, was sieged in Hadadeen- Abu Samara area by a group of armed men chanting Takifiri (infidel) slogans against her and threatened her of burning the house that she lives in. Then three armed men get up to the stairs and forced her to apologize to who sieged the house under arms threatens against the background of writing an article in which she noted the resentment of the people from sending their young sons to Qouseer by Salfists’ groups and demanding her to publish a formal apology regarding this article, which led that her to leave her house after the army secured her way out due to fears that they could come back to her house again.

On May 28, the teamwork of “LBC International” was assaulted by a group of young people riding motorcycle in Abu-Ali Dawar in Bab El-Tebanah in Tripoli, in the North of Lebanon during preparing a video report on the circumstances after a press conference of the political responsible of the Arab Democratic Party “Refaat Eid” and they destroyed the cameras of the teamwork that is consists of the correspondent Nader Fawz and the photographer Malek Touk. They have confiscated the internal memories of the cameras and flee away before they return back again and give them their destroyed cameras and the internal memories.

ANHRI said: “the persistent violations and assaults against the media-professionals and the journalists by a group of armed men in the light of the lack of the suitable and secured climate to perform their job without fear or terrifying arouse concerns regarding the life of the journalists and warn of the serious setback that could threaten the journalist freedoms in Lebanon, in particularly, that this isn’t the first event from its kind as the teamwork of Aljazeera English was exposed to assaults during May 2013 and the camera were destroyed by armed men”.

ANHRI demands from the authorities and all the responsible parties in Lebanon must provide the required protection for the journalists and media-professionals who might put their life into risk due to transferring information from the citizen in a credible and transparent from.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12637 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12619 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12619#comments Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:36:09 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12619 Cairo June 4, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the continuing use of the administrative investigations and penalties as a baton, by the administration of the Radio and TV Union, to muzzle the voices of the media-professionals who demand the liberation of the state-owned media and the non interference in the editing policies of the programs and in selecting of the guests in addition to the equality in the salaries among the various TV sectors.

The Staff of the regional channels in Maspero organizing a protest on a continuing basis on Saturday and Wednesday to assure their adherence to their demands in addition to the continuing demand of liberating the media, stopping its Ikhwanization and achieveing the social justice in the pay in the different sectors inside Maspero. Therefore, the administration decided to refer Essam Saaid, the senior editor, to investigation, a long with other 7 of who participated in the protests on charges of chanting insulting slogans to the media-leaders but after organizing a mass protest; the administration rescind its decision.

The Director and the Editor “Shareef Mohamed”, in “Al-Qhyirah” channel, was summoned for investigation against the background of show titled “will remain in the heart of millions” on “Al-Qhyirah” channel “third channel”. The show about the late president Gamal Abdulnasser and after an article was published in an online newspaper that demands investigating the fact, TV administration summoned the media-professional for investigation but due to the severe pressure on the administration which was practiced by the media-professionals who solidarity with Shreef and to assure their demands related to justice in salaries and liberating the media and the administration suspended the investigation.

Essam Saaid was also punished by deducting 3 days of his salary against the background of chanting slogans against corruption in the main hall of the Radio and TV Union building!!

ANHRI said that “it is a shame for the biggest media organization in the state to hostile the freedom of expression and to continue using the administrative penalties as a mean to repress the freedom of expression inside Maspero, until it became like a methodology adopted by the administration of the radio and TV union”.

While ANHRI expresses its full solidarity with the legitimate demands of the media-professionals, it demands from the administration to stop the attempts to terrorize and silence their voices by using the administrative investigations and penalties”.

For more information

Maspero at the Reign of the First Elected President

http://www.anhri.net/?p=74883

Additional Information:

http://www.anhri.net/?p=70269

http://www.anhri.net/?p=49366

Also available in : العربية

Joint Statement

The undersigned organizations condemn the verdict by Bandar Assiut II court of Misdemeanor on the 1st of June 2013 in case no. 2939/2013 against Coptic Lawyer “Romani Murad Saad” sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and a 500 EGP fine as well as ordering him to pay a sum of 10 thousand EGP as temporary civil compensation to the civil claimants who accused him of deliberate insult to the Muslim religion.

The case began towards the end of May 2012 during a heated facebook discussion between Romani Murad Saad and a number of Islamist lawyers on a page titled “Union of Assiut young lawyers” over the second phase of the recent presidential elections. Romani expressed his dissatisfaction with the results of the first round of the elections resulting in a rerun between candidates Mohamed Morsi and Ahmed Shafik and his wish to boycott the second round of elections, upon which he was subject to fierce opposition and accusation of being a supporter of Mubarak, selling out on the blood of martyrs in addition to other attacks by Islamist lawyers.

Following that discussion some of those lawyers filed a complaint against him on the beginning of July of the same year accusing him of insulting Islam during a discussion between them, addressing some religious issues, inside the library of the Assiut branch of the Bar Association. The prosecution listened to the two complaining lawyers, upon which it requested more information by the criminal investigation and the truth about the complaint.

The results of the investigations did not confirm the truth of the allegations, upon which the prosecution ordered further investigations by the directorate of criminal research, which equally concluded to have found no evidence of the allegations.

The undersigned organizations express their complete refusal of this kind of cases which target freedom of opinion and expression, as well as condemn the ease by which investigation bodies condemn citizens of such accusations, and bring them to trial in the absence of serious evidence, which in turn encourages like minded complainants to silence differing voices or voices that are considered unacceptable by them.

The organizations also express their deep concern regarding the increase in the number of cases of defamation of religion against Copts, which strongly indicate that such cases have become a weapon for religious discrimination, oppression of religious minorities and oppression of right to expression of belief.

Finally the undersigned organizations hold Egyptian authorities responsible for such violations by ignoring demands by human rights organizations regarding amendment of legislative provisions regulating such crimes as stated in articles 98, 160 and 161 of the penal code, all of which are directly related to the violation of freedom of expression of belief and the continued use of which results in those vague and ungrounded accusations, paid for by years in prison.

The signed organizations

1- Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.

2- El Nadeem Centre for psychological rehabilitation of victims of violence.

3- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

4- Hisham Mubarak Law Center.

5- Nazra for Feminist Studies

6- The Egyptian Foundation for the Advancement of Childhood Conditions.

7- The Human Rights Legal Assistance Group

8- Centre for Egyptian Women Legal Assistance

9- The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights

10- Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies.

11- Appropriate Communications Techniques for Development.

12- Arab Network for Human Rights Information.

13- The New Woman Foundation.

14- Habi Center for Environmental Rights

15- Support for Information Technology Center

The Arabic Network for Human Rights information (ANHRI), denounces the continuation of the Sudanese security services in sieging the opposition and independent newspapers and imposing its security fist on the newspapers that criticize the President Omar El-Bashir or his regime as Midan newspaper was suspended due to a security decision on the evening of Sunday.

Midan is the mouthpiece of the Sudanese Communist Party among the most newspapers that to be suspended, prevented and confiscated during the reign of the dictator Omar El-Bashir and the Security Services delivered an order to the printing house to suspend and after that the security services issued a decision to the disseminating company to stop dissemination of the Midan without reasons.

It is worthy to be mentioned that Midan had stopped from issuance since a year against the background of Security Services harassments and censorship over the newspaper and then came back again recently after the decision of the First Vice President of halting the censorship over the publishing!! But the fact proves that the decision is an ink on paper as the security services returned its security fist and censorship as it decided to suspend Midan newspaper.

ANHRI said that “we don’t trust at all in the decision of the dictator El-Bashir and its regime that can’t accept criticism and devotes its security services to harass the journalists and ban it. The matter that assures on the need to amend the legislations that restrict the freedoms and not to depend upon decisions issued by the executive body in addition to draft legislation that criminalize the security censorship over the newspapers and criminalize the security services interference in the work of the newspapers”.

ANHRI added that “the world and the Arab society mustn’t stand still in front of the thugs of the security services of El-Bashir and press the government to respect human rights, freedoms and amend the Sudanese legislations that restrict the press freedoms”.

Also available in : العربية

For more information

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12649 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12652 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12652#comments Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:58:32 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12652 Cairo June 3, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the trial of the activist Mohamed El-Zomor in a hearing held in camera as no one of his family didn’t known about it in addition to not notifying his lawyer to attend the hearing.

The authorities have started on Thursday May 30, 2013, the first hearing of the activist “Mohamed El-Zomer” on charges of designing and publishing videos that support the detainees in a hearing held secretly and none of his family attended and his lawyer wasn’t notified in a serious violation to his right to have lawyer appear with him. El-Zomer refused to answer the questions directed to him during the hearing to object the non attendance of his lawyer which made the court adjourn the hearing to the fifth of June.

His mother stated that during visiting him, he told her that he was tortured and beaten during the investigation and he was forced to confess of sayings and information that convict the 94 UAE detainees.

The Security services arrested during December 2013 the young guy “Mohamed Salem El-Zomer” the activist on twitter, 18 years old, and known for his support to who defend human rights and the activists in the jails of the state security.

ANHRI said: “the beginning of the trial in secret hearing and don’t enable him to have his lawyer to appear with him is a clear violation to his right to make his lawyer appear with him in all the stages of the court. It also arouse the concerns regarding the fate of the activist in the light of the lack of fair trials guarantees”.

ANHRI said that the authorities deliberation in holding the hearings to in speedy way which deemed an attempt to hide the manifestation of torture that was suffered by the activist during his arbitrary and holding him in detention”.

ANHRI demands the world society to press the authorities to force them to provided the fair trials guarantees to the activists and the detainees who are tried because only for expressing their opinions peacefully and halting the trial of the activist Mohamed El-Zomer who didn’t commit any crime but expressing his opinions peacefully and brining the responsible for torturing him, in case of such allegations were true, to the criminal court.

For more information

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12652 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12717 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12717#comments Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:18:03 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12717 Cairo June 3, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the decision issued by the Press and Publications Department to block hundreds of website based on the articles of a law that restrict the press and expression freedom on the Internet, it was enacted in 2012.

On the second of June 2013, the authorities blocked 291 news websites on allegations that these websites are unlicensed from the Press and Publications Department. This comes after a few days from government asserts that there is no governmental orientation toward blocking websites, despite the threatens, in April 2013, of the Director of the Press and Publications Department “Fayez El-Shawbakah” who said he will block the unlicensed websites, in a lecture in Petra University titled “websites and the rate of the press and publication”. As he stated in this lecture that the unlicensed websites will be blocked in application with the Press and Publication Law amended after the end of the time limit granted to the websites owners to modify their legal situation.

The Jordanian House of Representatives approved on Tuesday September 11, 2012 a law to amend the articles of the press and publication law (law no.8 of 1998) … The amendments add to the finical penalty stipulated in the original law, in case of a publication was issued without license, granting the executive authority the discretionary right to close the foundation that issue such publication in addition to prevent its issuance and confiscate its issues. The amendments include an article that “any electronic publication (website) that engages in publication of news, investigations, articles, or comments, which have to do with the internal or external affairs of the kingdom shall obtain licensing from the Press and Publications Department. The licensing shall be issued by a name of a journalist registered in the Jordanian Press Association”. The law allows the authorities the right to block any website that commit any violation stipulated in the said law by a virtue of a judicial verdict.

This law raise several reactions that refuse the articles that repress the Internet freedoms and the authorities didn’t present such law on the Jordanian Press Association before approving it which resulted in the resignation of Ms. Ikhlas El-Qady and Rakan El-Saaidah from the association membership.

ANHRI said: “the decision to block hundreds of websites issued based on the amended law on the press and publication that contains articles that extremely restrict the Internet freedom and allows, through its general, ambiguous and elastic phrases, the authorities to block and close the websites inside and outside the Kingdom in addition to prosecuting the responsible for such websites on charges that could be amounted to imprisonment according to the discretion of these authorities regarding viewing it as a violation to law, which exposes the regime opposition opinions to be banned or prosecuted on elastic charges.

ANHRI stated that the authorities must realize that the ban, blocking and imposing restrictions are repressive means that aren’t useful any more. The authority can’t ban criticizing through the Internet that is wide to include all the opinions and the authorities must find political solutions to the criticisms instead of muzzling the voices and assaulting the usage freedom.

ANHRI demands from the authorities to immediately rescind its order to block 291 websites and review the articles of the law on the press and publication and to present it to the journalists and who are concerned with the press and media freedoms.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=58375

http://www.anhri.net/?p=58902

Cairo June 3, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) expresses today its full solidarity with the demands of the artists and the intellectuals that reject the attempts of the new Minister of Culture “Alaa Abdel-Aziz” to Ikhwaniz the Ministry of Culture and to dismissing number of the leaders of the Ministry of Culture such as the Chairman of the General Egyptian Book Organization “Ahmed Megahd” and head of the Cairo Opera, Dr. Enes Abdel Dayem.

The artists, creators and intellectuals have organized in the recent few days number of the protests to dismiss the Minister of Culture due to his recent decisions that aim to, according to them, the Ikhwanization of the Ministry of Culture and the art and creativity fields in Egypt.

ANHRI also expressed its severe annoyance regarding closing the doors of the Opera in the face of the journalists and the media-professionals by the security individuals in order to prevent them from covering the protest that was organized by the Opera artists yesterday to demand the dismissal of the Ministry of Culture which is a serious assault against the press freedoms and the right of the citizens to know in addition to the right to information circulation.

ANHRI said that “the Ministry of Culture must perform its role away from the political ideas or conflicts between the various powers. The MB and the authorities must understand the necessity of the independence of the Ministry of Culture and stop the attempts of its Ikhwanization in particularly as it is totally refused that the state or any of its apparatus control the creativity and the means of educating the Egyptian people”.

ANHRI added that “the state must respond to the demands of the artists and the creators, and to choose a minister of culture from the intellectuals; to express them. The new Minister of Culture must immediately rescind his arbitrary decisions that are refused by the stakeholders and returning the head of the Opera and the Chairman of the General Egyptian Book Organization to their jobs.

Cairo June, 2, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the arrest of tens from a detainee family after releasing him as he spent 9 years in jail before releasing them, after few hours.

The Security Forces arrested on Thursday May 30, 2013, tens of the family of Shiekh Abu-Maged “Mohamed Fahad El-Roushadi”, during receiving him after releasing him from Resafah prison after being detained for 9 years.

Number of “El-Roushadi” family members went to receive and congratulate him and while they return to the house they were entirely sieged by the security forces at the pavement nearby Resafah hall in Bridah city in Qaseem. The authorities sieged them until late of Thursday and after the increasing of the number of the members of the family as a result many who came after the spread of the news of sieging their relatives, the security forces then arrested all the members of the family who were there; including children, women and old people. Then they were sent to the Sharkijah police, the fromer building of the Criminal Investigation at the sign no.5 in El-Fayzah neighborhood, before they were released at 2:00 am, after questioning them regarding the posts on twitter and interacting with the release case in addition to the reason behind slain of camel and accusing them of an attempt to organize a demonstration in a late time in the night.

ANHRI said: “the continuation of the regime to harass the families of the detainees and who are in solidarity with them in addition to arresting them is an attempt of the regime that repress all the rights to punish the families of the detainees due to their continued demands to release their relatives who lies in jail for years without pressing specific charges on them or bringing them before any courts”.

ANHRI added the arrest of the regime to the family of Abu-Maged wasn’t the first event of its kind as the regime during April arrested seven citizens who were in front of Istrahat Jedah prison to congratulate some released detainees.

ANHRI declared that the Saudi regime continues its serious violations against the regime, the activists, bloggers and the intellectuals to silence the voices that demands freedom and democracy in the light of a shameful silence by the states the connect by economic ties with the Saudi repressive regime.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=75878

http://www.anhri.net/?p=73235

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continuing targeting the journalists by armed groups from Somalia after the journalist Abdulqader Abdulrazek Gama’ was shot who works of Royal and the Future Radio as he was targeted by armed me who aimed live ammunition on him.

Abdulrazek, on Thursday night, in the southern of Mogadishu where he was surprised by number of unknown armed men who aimed live ammunition on his face without clear charges in the light of total opacity then he was sent directly to the hospital and he still under treatment until now.

It is worthy to mention that he was arrested, he and others, on the hands of who called “Militias of “Raskambnoi” and released him after they were arrested shortly.

ANHRI expressed its deep concern regarding the life of the journalists who are exposed to dangerous of the assassination in Somalia by armed groups who are affiliated to different parties as 4 journalists were killed since the begin of 2013 and until now in similar events.

ANHRI said that “the authorities must seriously investigate the fact of assassinating the journalist and reveal all the armed parties that target the journalists in Somalia until taking all the possible ways against them as it isn’t acceptable that the journalists still threatened by murdering as a result of performing their job and their keen on performing their message”.

Also available in : العربية

Martyrs in and Witnesses to the reign of SCAF

Introduction

This is the second decrementing book or the second document issued by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) that includes the names of the martyrs of the transition during the reign of SCAF in the period from February 11, 2011 and until the handover of power to the president-elect Mohamed Morsi at the end of June 2012. The first documentary book issued by ANHRI in April 2012 entitled “Light on the Road to Freedom”, which includes names of the martyrs of the revolution in the 18 days since the outbreak of the revolution and until the removal of the former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

This documentary book includes a list of 215 citizens who were killed during the 17 months of the reign of SCAF in addition to more than 7650 were injured during the same era.

In this book we have documented all the events and the facts related directly to the revolution, whether demands for continuing the revolution and achieving its demands or protesting against the violations of the SCAF starting from the unjust military trials, torture or decisions that a wide sector from the people, youth in particular, view such decisions as anti-revolution …

The legal responsibility of SCAF for this period is vivid and clear, not only for the death of Egyptian citizens, but also for the unfair trials; 12 thousands of military trials to citizens, and the facts of torture and ill-treatment in addition to the serious violations that were suffered by Egyptian women and girls, whether the so-called virginity examinations, dragging in the streets or striping, as well as the documented facts of incitement, by sound and picture, of the members of the SCAF against demonstrators and the democratic movements or the civil society organizations.

Torture and murder crimes don’t fall by obsolescence and several crimes are or were documented by several civil society organizations or activists.

But the main aim of this documentary book is to remember and not to forget the martyrs of the Egyptian revolution; who fall defending the human dignity, freedom and social justice.

This book documenting the facts, events and the cases in which the citizens were martyred in. The number of these cases is 11:

(Imbaba church, Israeli embassy; the first and the second, Abbasid; the first and the second, Mohamed Mahmoud Street, Maspero, massacre of Port Said stadium, the Council of Ministers, Suez after the massacre of Port Said and the Ministry of the Interior events).

Killing by live ammunition or by crushing; are the most methods of killing during the reign of SCAF!

The authority and the governments aren’t only responsible for the involvement of their followers in the murders but also responsible for abandoning their responsibilities in protecting the souls of the citizens, therefore, the blood of these martyrs are in the neck of the SCAF, whether such events involved officers or persons affiliated to the armed forces, police or unknown persons.

Most of the killers of the first round of the revolution during Mubarak’s reign weren’t not punished, but escaped from punishment (impunity) , as well as most of the killers are not punished in the transition during the rule of SCAF. Impunity is still the master of the situation.

Thousands of Egyptian citizens were punished, whether poor or revolutionaries by military trials; that were unreasonably broaden!!!

It was enough only to protest against the performance of one or more of the military persons to be sent for military trials and receive several years of imprisonment sentence.

The military prosecution was awake and strict against the civilians and was friendly and merciful in a degree that could be amounted to bias to the military defendants or the persons who are involved. The Public Prosecution wasn’t better, as from weak and inaccurate investigation that led to the acquittals of the defendants who were charged of killing the revolutionaries to investigations and speedy trials to who express his views and who criticized SCAF!.

The fall of new martyrs didn’t stop since the revolution and until this very moment of writing these lines. The matter didn’t change a lot from Mubarak, SCAF and even the elected president…

The Egyptian police wasn’t reformed, revolution demands weren’t achieved, defendants and the involved in murders weren’t punished. So, the thousands continue the revolution and therefore, there is a third list, we started to prepare it with the leave, accompanied by honoring SCAF and the handover of power to the elected president.

From here and again, the revolution won’t complete until the fall of the martyrs stopped, the murders are punished and achieve the demands of the revolution.

Until this moment come and with no doubt it will come,

we won’t stop documenting the list of the martyrs and we won’t stop demanding to honor and preserve their rights and the rights of the injuries

we won’t stop supporting the defendants, who demand democracy,

we won’t stop the rule of law, justice and punishment instead of impunity,

we won’t stop exposing the colluding, concealing the murderers and who are involved in the murders,

we won’t stop exposing the double standards policy between the revolution and the supporters of the authority,

we won’t stop defending the rights of the Egyptians, our rights; human dignity, social justice and freedom,

So to them, who died at the reign of Mubarak

So to them, who died at the reign of SCAF

So to them, who died at the reign of the President Morsi,

We dedicate this book for you

We are preparing the third list, the third book, Martyrs during the reign of the President Mohamed Morsi,

Gamal Eid

                                       Executive Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information

Full Version in  “word” press here

Full Version in “PDF” press here

Cairo June 1, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces today the decision issued by Omani court which sentencing the writer “Muslem Ben Masoud El-Ma’shni” for two months and fine him by 500 OR on charges of printing a book a book and began to disseminate it.

The First Instance Court in Selalah, in the hearing held on Wednesday, May 29 issued a decision to imprison the Omani writer “El-Ma’shni” against the background of publishing a book. As the court press him the charges of disseminating publications without authorization and writing books that incite to hatred and the spirit of discord between the society members. The court sentenced him for the first charge for 5 months and a fine 400 RO and for the second charge 6 months and a fine of 500 RO in addition to merge the two sentences and execute the hardest of them with reducing the penalty to only two months and a bail of 500 RO and to confiscate the publications.

El-Ma’shni was referred to the public prosecution to be investigated regarding the previous charges after he went, in March 2013, to the Ministry of Information, the supervising entity of the publication in Oman in which he requested from it to allow the dissemination of the book in Oman but the Ministry filed a complaint against him to the public prosecution that sent him to the court.

El-Me’shni had printed his book which entitled: “Zefar: February 25th diary” in the Modern Wahdeen Print house in Yemen. The Book is in three chapters and address the protests that took place in Salalah city in 2011, which has ended in a wide campaign along with the documentation of the events time line that took place with pictures.

This isn’t the first time to confine him due to his works as the authorities strive hard to erase any writings that document the Omani protests as in March 2013 banned the book “Omani spring” of Saaeid El-Hashmy, who was imprisoned against the background of accusing him of assembly before a pardon was issued, from being offered in Muscat International Book Fair before rescinding the decision.

ANHRI said: “the decision issued against the writer is a harsh sentence and a continuation in the campaign of legal harassments that are suffered by the activists, bloggers and intellectuals, since almost a year against the background of the protests that took place in Oman as a result of arresting some activists, although a pardon was issued regarding who was accused in these events, to establish the idea of the self-censorship on publication, as the authorities attempt to tell the world that they respect the freedoms and don’t impose censorships on writings but the reality is something different.

ANHRI added that the intransigence of the Omani Ministry of Information that supposedly should encourage the free expression is a conclusive evidence of the lack of desire of the authorities to document the protests that took place in 2011 and the violations committed in these protests in addition to the following events and protest.

ANHRI demands from the authorities to drop all the charges pressed on the writer and to stop prosecuting him. It also demands from the authorities to ensure his saftey and to adhere to the international charters and treaties in which Omani is a party.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77314

http://www.anhri.net/?p=75484

http://www.anhri.net/?p=73088

District Court of Tanta decided the lack of specific jurisdiction in the case no. 5975 of 2013 Misdemeanor Court Tanta I in which Ahmed Anwar is accused and sent it to the Economic Court for the jurisdiction. It is worthy to be mentioned that the Public Prosecution pressed the charges of insulting the Minister of Interior and disturbing the other by using communication devices through publishing video segment via Youtube titled “Marawa is leading a campaign to entertain the Ministry of Interior”, which is deemed according to the Ministry of Interior as

ridicule and degrading the Ministry of Interior.

Cairo May 30, 2013

Revolution’s Martyrs during the Reign of the SCAF

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), will held a press conference on 12:00 pm of the afternoon of Sunday June 2, 2013 in ANHRI’s headquarter loctaed in 2 Behlar passage, Off Kaser El-Nil st. Downtown to announce the issuance of the second documentary book which is titled “light on the path to revolution 2″: Martyrs and Witnesses To the Reign of SCAF, which documenting the revolution’s martyrs who died during the reign of the SCAF from February 11, 2011 to June 2012.

This book comes in 99 pages and document the names of the martyrs in the reign of the SCAF in addition to the events and the cases which resulted to their death, the reason of death and who are accused of killing them…

This book include 4 chapters, as follows:
First: It addresses the names of the martyrs, the reason and the place of death and the events in which they died while they were participating in.
Second: It addresses in details the events, cases, the dates, cases number and the number of martyrs and the injuries who participated in and the number of the defendants.
While the third chapter the names of the defendants and their number in every case in details.
As for the fourth chapter it addresses a general notes by ANHRI on the events and the cases.
The report also include charts related to the details of the number, the place of death and ages of the martyrs in addition to the defendants in the various events.
ANHRI said that “the number of the martyrs during the reign of the SCAF reached 215 martyrs in 11 cases or massacres that took place during its reign, The most violent was Port Said massacre. ANHRI noted that all the events that took place aftermath the ousting of the former President and led to the fall of martyrs such as Mohamed Mahmoud Street, Council of the Ministers, Israeli Embassy I and II, Abbassaid I and II, Maspero’s events and others, witnessed a speedy trials to the revolutions and sending them to trials, while we find a huge slowness in investigating the governmental parties in the complaints filed against them, in which they were accused of murdering the demonstrators. No trial was conducted to any of the SCAF members or questioning any of them, however that the blame refers to them in several cases.
A printed copy will be disseminated in the conference in Arabic and in English. The book will be also published on ANHRI’s website after the end of the conference on the following link:

http://www.anhri.net/?cat=5.

Event: Press Conference to Announce the Book “Light on the Path to Freedom 2″
Venue: ANHRI’s headquarter which is located in 2 behlar passage, Off Kaser El-Nil St., Talat Harab Sq., downtown
Time: 12 pm
Date: Sunday June 2, 2013
To review the book, Light on the road to freedom related to the 18 days of the revolution:

http://www.anhri.net/?p=52119

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the sentences issued by Kuwaiti courts against number of bloggers, activists and journalists against the background of exercising their right to peaceful expression.

The Kuwaiti Criminal Court, in the hearing held on Wednesday May 29, sentenced the blogger Sarah El-Darees to a year and 8 months with labor and a bail of 200 Dinars to suspend the sentence, after she was accused of posts insulting the Emir via twitter. The court convicted her in only 4 posts and acquitted her in 43 other posts.

The Criminal Court in May 29, 2013 fined “Scoop” channel with 3.000 Dinars against the background of convicting the channel in the case brought by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shiekh “Hamed Ben Jasem al-Thani against Talal El-Saaed who is accused of insulting him through one of the programs in the channel.

In a continuation in the series of the harsh sentences against the activists and the bloggers, the Appellate Court, in the hearing held May 27, sentenced the blogger Rashed Al-Anzi for one year and 8 moths against the background of insulting the Emir via twitter. The Kuwaiti Criminal Court had sentenced him to two years of imprisonment with labor.

The Appellate Court, in the hearing held on May 27, 2013, a nullity of the sentence issued by the Criminal Court of imprisoning the former parliament “Msallam Al-barrak” to five years with labor after being convicted of insulting the Emir and the Position of the Emir against the background of a speech delivered by him in the forum “enough absurdity”.

ANHRI said: “the persistence of Kuwait in issuing sentences against activists, bloggers and intellectuals against the background of expressing their opinions peacefully, relying on broaden laws allow such sentences, proves a day after days the setback in the file of the freedoms as Kuwait became one of the countries of the most prosecutions against the activists and the bloggers on charges of insulting the Emir and the Position of the Emir.

ANHRI demands from Kuwait to drop all the sentences issued against the bloggers, activists and the intellectuals in addition to immediately release them. ANHRI also demands to drop all the charges pressed on hundreds of activists, intellectuals and bloggers who are waiting their turn in the series of trials.

For more information

Cairo May 29, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), sent telegraphs the day before yesterday to the First Attorney-General of the State-Security Prosecutions and the Attorney-General demanding an official photocopies of the documents of the case known in the media as “Black Bloc” and also assigning an investigation judge because of there are some violations committed by the Public Prosecution, the lack of neutrality and the lack of the fair trial guarantees.

The Legal Aid Unit for the Freedom of Expression in ANHRI team had sent the first telegraph to the First Attorney-General of the State Security Prosecution, no. 3443/335, in the case no. 168 of 2013, State Security Case known as “Black Bloc”, demanding photocopying all the documents of the case relying on the provisions of the articles no. 84 and 125 of the criminal procedures law after they were banned from obtaining the documents of the case by the chief of the State Security Prosecution, although, the team have requested to obtain an official copy of it more than one time which deemed a violation to the aforementioned articles.

Regarding the second telegraph, no. 3444/335m it was sent to the Attorney-General in the same case, demanding him to assign an investigation judge in the case because of the several violations committed by the State Security Prosecution that affect the course of the investigation procedures according to the defense team which affect the defendants as the Prosecution refuses to give them an official photocopy of the documents of the case which prejudice the right of the defense and hiding the decision of imprisoning the defendants issued in April 20, 2013, which banned the defense from taking the legal ways to challenge the order of the remand issued against the defendants and sending the detainees to the headquarter of the TV and Radio Union to obtain the voice print without the consent of their lawyers or confronting them with any eviidence against them in case yet.

ANHRI said that “the State Security Prosecution said that it didn’t confront the defendants with any evidence against them until now, which assures that that there are no evidence proves the involvement of the detainees in this case. There aren’t any possessions to convict them and although that decisions to held them in custody were issued which shows the arbitrariness of the State Security Prosecution against them, the matter that make us have doubts regarding the course of the investigations due to the lack of the fair trials guarantees and conditions which requires an investigation judge to be assigned to continue the investigations in the case and achieve justice.

ANHRI added that “the defendants were arrested arbitrary and from random places and there are no evidences against them and we are waiting for the Attorney General to interfere, who proves his failure a day after day in achieving justice and responding to the lawyers request in addition to assigning an investigation judge so the arbitrariness of the state security will be stopped against the detainees”.

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12743 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12746 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12746#comments Tue, 28 May 2013 11:20:55 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12746 Cairo May 28, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces repressing a peaceful demonstration, by the Moroccan Security Services, organized by February 20 movement the day before yesterday May 26, in several Moroccan areas demanding the release of the political detainees.

February 20 movement called for peaceful demonstrations, on Sunday evening May 26, to demand to the release of the its detainees and all the political detainees in the country. Several prominent activists answered to this call but the authorities confronted such demonstrations by excessive violence which led to many injuries by the peaceful demonstrations and the arrest of others who participated in the demonstrations.

ANHRI expressed its severe annoyance regarding the serious assault against number of the prominent activists during their participation in the protest organized by the movement in Rabat, headed by the former president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights “Abdulhamid Amin” who was dragged for more than 100 meters and deputy of the Association “Abdul-Elah Ben Abdulsalam” who was beaten by the security services. The activist “Saaed Khirallah” the member of the association office of the national association of the farmers sectors, was severely beaten, many of the participants in the demonstrations were sent to receive medications in the hospitals against the background of exposure to such serious assault.

ANHRI said that “this serious assault is a painful blow to the freedom of expression and the peaceful demonstration in Morocco. It also asserts the authorities disregarding of the simple understandings of human rights and the lack of respect to the international legislation including the interior legislations. It also exposes the fake of the allegations of the authorities to respect human rights and seek to reform its file in this field”.

ANHRI added that “this is a heinous crime and we are waiting the authorities to send the involved persons for the investigation and trial in addition to not to protect them against this serious assault convicted by them and the colluding and the silence will be as a confess of the authorities that it survive by repressing the opposition and this methodology is a general policy adopted in confronting the voices that raises to defend human rights and the freedoms in Morocco.  

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12746 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12586 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12586#comments Mon, 27 May 2013 11:58:20 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12586  Cairo May 27, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the using of the security solution and violence by the security services in addressing the peaceful demonstration that was organized by number of the workers of the pre-operations contracts in Algeria, which led to several injuries among the protesters and the arrest of 50 among them.

The workers of the contract of pre-operation and the social networks who subject to the temporary policy of the contracts organized a surprised peaceful sit-in in front of the governmental palaces on yesterday Sunday 26 May, as they have gathered in front of the platform in front of the gate of the staff and the visitors entry to the headquarter of the Ministry. They have carried banners that include their demands related to resolving their professional and social situation. They have protested regarding the continuation of using the policy of the temporary contracts that wasted many of their rights and they have been on demanding the government to quickly intervene to get back their rights until the security services came in large numbers and surrounded the protesters and took the banners from their hands by violence and arrested about 50 of them. They took them to the security vehicle until they were able to disperse the peaceful sit-in.

ANHRI said that “the workers organized a peaceful sit-in on the platform against the governmental palace and they didn’t disturb the traffic or they were using their legitimate right to mass expression without escalation or harming any entity or person, but the security conduct is strange and unacceptable, even the justification adopted by the security services also not acceptable, which forms a severe assault on the right to peaceful assembly and should be addressed by all the possible means from the international and local society”.

ANHRI added that “the authorities must find political possible solutions and respond to the demands of the workers and pay attention to these demands instead of using the security method that it has adopted and it must held the security leaders involved in such assault on the right to peaceful demonstration accountable.

Also available in : العربية

Cairo May 27, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces continuing targeting the journalists and media-professionals on the Palestinian territories, whether by the authorities or the Occupation forces.

The preventive security services in Palestine, on the dawn of Tuesday May 21, arrested number of the popular youth party in Tulkarem; among them the correspondent of “all people” “Saleem El-Salaman” and the sound engineer in the radio in addition to three other youth without clear reasons after surrounding their houses in Tulkarem.

In a related context, the Israeli security forces in the crossing of Jordon River, on Wednesday May 22, 2013, have arrested the Palestinian artist “Reem Bana” once she returned from Oman after participating in the forum of who defend the media freedom in Oman and then she was released in the same day without reasons. After he attempts to know the reasons behind the arrest, she was notified by the security responsible that she is suspected of committing violations against the state security along with telling her that she will be summoned up for investigation again.

It is worth mentioning that the Palestinian territories witness recently a campaign of harassment, prosecutions and arrests against many of the journalists, media professionals and intellectuals, whether by the Israeli occupation forces, or the Palestinian Preventive Security; including the journalist Mohammed Basharat, Haroun Abuarah, Omar Abuarkoub and the political analyst Ibrahim Abrash.

ANHRI said: “the continued targeting of journalists, media-professionals and intellectuals in addition to the escalation of violations against their rights, raise concerns about press and media freedoms in the Palestinian territories”.

ANHRI renewed its demand for the Palestinian authorities to respect freedom of expression and to provide the climate for journalists and media-professionals to do their work without fear or legal prosecution”.

ANHRI called that the Palestinian authorities to immediately release the five detainees, who didn’t commit anything without expressing their peaceful political opinions.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77394

Cairo May 26, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the imprisonment sentences issued by the Bahraini courts against three of the prominent rights activists in Bahrain.

The Minor Criminal Court in the hearing of Wednesday of May 22, 2013, had issued an imprisonment sentence against the prominent rights’ activist “Zainb Al-Khwajah” for three months and a bail of 100 Dinars on charges of crowding on the background of participating in a peaceful sit-in in Abu-Soubaie’ round about to protest against the Ministry of Interior of handing over the body of one of the martyrs who died on February 14, 2013. The security forces have arrested Zainb El-Khawjah in February 27, 2013 during a sit-in in the roundabout and pressed the charges of participating in unauthorized assemblies and insulting a police officer. The same court issued a sentence against the activist “Masoumah El-Sayed” for six month imprisonment and a bail of 200 Dinars due charges of crowding.

It is worthy to be mentioned that Zainb is in jail now to spent an imprisonment term of three months on charges of entering the Pearl Roundabout. This term will end by the end of May 2013.

In a continuation of targeting the activists and prosecute them, the Bahraini court on Wednesday May 22, sentence the rights’ activist “Nagy Fateel”, the member of the board of directors of Bahraini Youth Society for Human Rights”, for six months on charges of participation in unauthorized assembly and forming a group to suspend the constitution.

He was known for documenting and publishing the violations of human rights in Bahrain, he was arrested in the second day of May after storming his house then he was isolated from the outside world in the light of news spread regarding suffering torture inside the jail until he was sentenced for six months along with 35 youth from Bani Jamerah.

He was subjected to many violations due to his rights’ activity as in 2011 he received death threats from unknown people and he was arrested several times. He was arrested in February 14, 2012 during his participation in a peaceful demonstration that was head to Pearl Roundabout. He was arrested also in October while he was attempting to enter the village of Al-Akr, which was under siege, on foot accompanied with the activist Sayed Yusuf El-Mohafza and the activist “Zainb El-Khawjah”.

ANHRI said: “the regime still continue to liquidate the popular movement that is taking place since 2011 and in its sought to liquidate any popular movement, the regime attempting to send the prominent activists and the heard voices to prisons on trumped up charges as a punishment on their peaceful activity”.

ANHRI added that “the sentences issued against the activists are a punishment to them due to their rights’ activity and participation in documenting and exposing the violations committed by the regime against the citizens. These sentences also a continuation in prosecuting the activists and the bloggers in an attempt by the regime to silence the dissents voices and black-out the brutal violations committed against the citizens in Bahrain”.

ANHRI stated that the sentenced activists didn’t commit any crime but exercising their legitimate right to free expression.

ANHRI added that “the sentence issued against Zainb brings back to mind the case of Nabeel Rajab, as only dew days before the imprisonment term ends, a new sentence was issued to imprison him. This repeated again with Zainb, which indicates the politicization of the trials to get rid of the prominent activists.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=76578

http://www.anhri.net/?p=71571

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network of Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the decision issued by the national security and intelligence services, last Friday, to suspend the issuance of the two newspapers without reasons.

The Administration of al-Intibah newspaper received a decision of notification of suspension the newspaper for a week from the security and the intelligence services while the chief-editor of al-Meghar received phone calls of suspension for three days, however, the lack of stating any reasons behind the decision but likely the reason was publishing materials in these newspapers criticizing the president which include a series of articles published by “al-Meghar” demanding finding alternative to Bashir with the necessity of the stepping down of the Minister of Defense.

ANHRI is deeply annoyed with the continuing intervention of the national security and intelligence in the work of the press and the confiscation of newspapers in addition to the non-compliance with the decision issued by the First Vice President of the Republic on 20 which halts the former control on the newspapers.

ANHRI said that the Sudan is one of the most hostile states to freedom of the press and imposes significant restrictions on the newspapers and writers, as this decision to suspend the two newspapers is one in the series of decisions issued continually; to suspend the newspapers that oppose the authorities in addition to decisions of preventing writers from writing in the newspapers because of critics to the authorities. This matter constitutes a series assault on the right to freedom of expression and must be addressed by all the international means and mechanisms and the international international community must intervene to press the Sudanese authorities in order to stop their hostility to freedom of the press”.

ANHRI added that “we were waiting from the authorities to continue the half-step forward adopted by the decision of the first vice president of stopping the former control on the newspapers, but our concern regarding the lack of the political will to complete the step was right. Therefore, there is no alternative but issuing a law stipulates the non-legitimacy of this type of control and ban the interventions of the security and intelligence intervention in the press work”.

Also available in : العربية

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12569 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12565 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12565#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 09:50:22 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12565 Cairo May 25, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), welcomes the decision issued by the Kuwaiti court of acquitting the Blogger Hamed El-Khaldi from the charges of insulting the Emir after a decision of imprisonment was issued against him by the Criminal Court ..

The Kuwaiti Court of Appeal in the hearing held in May 22, 2013, acquitted the blogger “El-Khaldi” from the charges of insulting the Emir and suspending a decision from the criminal court in March 31 which sentenced him for two years of imprisonment with labor on the background of insulting the Emir.

The Public Prosecution had pressed, against him, the charges of publicly challenge the rights and the powers of the Emir (insulting the Emir and Insulting the Position of the Emir) on the background of posts on twitter. The Public Prosecution also pressed the charges of the misuse of one of the telephone communication means by using the mobile phone via writing six posts; the subject of the first charges.

In a related context the court of appeal upheld, in the hearing of May 23, the acquittal decision issued by the criminal court in the case of the State-Security; another case in which he is accused of insulting the Emir.

The Court of Appeal in the hearing of May 22 issued a decision of suspending the appeal submitted by the blogger “Ayiad El-Harabi” against the decision issued against him, which sentencing him for two years of imprisonment of labor on charges of insulting the Emir, until a decision to be issued in the constitutional challenge submitted by the blogger El-Harabi against Article no.25 of the penal code related to insulting the Emir and suspending the execution of the sentence in addition to release the blogger on a bail of 1000 dinars along with banning him from traveling.

Also, the Criminal Court adjourned the case of the two brother “Khaled and Rashed El-Fadalah, Abdullah El-Rasam and Fahad El-Qabandi” who face charges of insulting the Emir and challenging the rights and the powers of the Emir in addition to assembly to May 29 for the final plead.

ANHRI said: “in the same time, when we welcome acquitting the bloggers from charges of insulting the Emir, we demand halting the prosecutions of the activists and the bloggers who were sent to prisons on charges of insulting the Emir in addition to respect the freedom of expression and the political criticism. As Kuwait falls in the first place of prosecuting the activists and the bloggers on the social networks in particularly insulting the Emir and the position of the Emir”.

Also available in : العربية

Cairo May 23, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces aiming live ammunition on by the teamwork of Aljazeera English by unknown armed men while they were performing media-job and covering the event in Tripoli in the North of the Capital Beirut without clear reasons.

The teamwork of the Sabah Channel, on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, while they were photographing the areas that witnessed security problems in the neighborhoods of Tripoli near Bab El-Tibanah and Mohsen Mountain and while they photographing the streets of the area, some armed men riding on motorcycle, passed from one of the streets that they were photographing and moved by his motorcycle toward the photographer and then shot the team camera fixed on the platform to photograph the area.

ANHRI expresses its deep annoyance regarding the spread of the arms in the hands of the civilians and the state inability to control the violence and to reduce it. ANHRI also expresses its concern regarding the continuation of the misuse of such arms in terrifying the citizens.

ANHRI said “we don’t know the justification of these armed men in hating the media-outlets and targeting it. Maybe the reason is their criminal acts and they were afraid that it could be transferred to the public opinion via the media-outlets and newspapers but the assured that the authorities and official parties in Lebanon bear the responsibility for protecting the journalists and media-professionals in addition to provide a security climate for them and protecting their life from dangerous”.

ANHRI added that “the authorities and the official parties must track who commit such violations and announce to the public opinion who is responsible for making them carry these weapons because its failure disarming them from the hands that misuse such weapons. The authorities and the official parties must announce the responsible for not stopping repeating these facts, make them responsible for such abuses by colluding or failure in providing secure climate to the media-outlets or the journalists”.

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces continuing targeting the journalists and media-professionals on the Palestinian territories, whether by the authorities or the Occupation forces.

The Palestinian Preventive Security Services had on Sunday May 19, arrested the journalist “Mohamed Basharat” in the Governorate of Tobas after he was summoned by one day to go to the preventive security services headquarter, as he was arrested on the background of his political opinions, then he was referred to the prosecution in the following day. The Prosecution decided to renew his confinement for 48 hours on investigations before he was released on Wednesday after his lawyer submitted a request to release him on a finical bail.

It is worthy to be mentioned that “Mohamed”, who works as correspondent for an Italian newspaper, he was freed from the prisons of the Occupation as he was arrested for a month in 2011. He was summoned and arrested by the Palestinian Security Services for (13) times and spent about 5 months in their prisons for varied times.

In continuation of the series of targeting the journalists while they are doing their work, the Occupation forces targeted the journalist, May 17, “Muaz Mesha’al” the correspondent of Andoula News Agency, with more than seven stun grenades fired directly on him which led to injuring him by burns in his right foot during covering the clashes between the Israeli troops and Young Palestinians near to the southern entery of “Selwad neighborhood” near from Ramallah after an argument with one of the Occupation officers because of covering the events.

The Israeli Occupation forces, on Wednesday May 15, 2013, arrested the photographer of “al-arabyia” channel “Tawfik Salibah” who was beaten before he was released hours later. The manager of the “Prisoners Club” in Jerusalem “Naser Qaws” was arrested by the Israeli police forces and they have also assaulted the Chinese photographer “Mo’mer Awad” and number of journalists and sprayed them with water during their existence in Bab El-amoud area to cover the attempts of the Israeli Police to repress the march that begin in the city of Jerusalem the anniversary of Nakba which the police failed to disperse it.

ANHRI said: “the continuing targeting the Palestinian authorities on the background of their opinions and work is a serious violation to the press freedoms and the freedom of expression in addition to violating the Palestinian Basic Law, which provided clearly in Article No. 19 against the freedom of expression in all forms”.

ANHRI added that the Palestinian authorities targeted the journalists and media-professionals instead of providing the suitable climate to do their work and protect them from the brutality of the Israeli entity that seek by all means to not revealing all the violations, committed by it against the Palestinian people who aspire for freedoms.

ANHRI demands that the international society and all the international organizations concerned with the press and media freedoms to press the Israeli entity to respect the press freedoms and not to target the journalists and harass them during performing their work.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

ANHRI holds the regime criminally responsible regarding the continuation of targeting the media-professionals and the journalists who cover the events in the Syrian territories and what these events included from serious violations.

The Syrian territories witnessed recently, the murder of number of journalists and media-activists during covering the killing operations between the regime and free army. As the Syrian media-activist “Mohamed Osama Khasouna”, on Monday May 20, 2013, was killed during covering regime’s bombing of “Sahari” in the City of Dara’a due to a bomb fall on the Media Center in Dara’a.

On May 4, 2012, the media-activist “Zaher Khriabah” known as “Abuhekmat” died during covering the clashes between the free army and the regime in Noui City, the capital of Dara’a, in attempt of the free regime to control the barrier of Shbrak in the city. He was arrested many times on the background of supporting the revolution while the media-activist Mohamed Abdulghani El-Khalf was killed in the second of May after being targeting him a long with a group of media-professionals during their return from the City of Saraqib in Adelb in the North of Syria by a bomb while two of the media-professionals suffered several injuries in addition to the murder of the media-activist Mohamed Rafik Atwan in the first of May during covering the clashes between the free army and the regime in Deer El-Zour in the Eastern North of Syria.

In a related context and in a persistence to the violations committed by the regime against the journalists and the media-professionals, the authorities arrested in the fifth of May the German Journalist “Armen Wirtz” in Adelb, where he was arrested them before he was sent to Lattakia prison during covering the events in Syria.

ANHRI said: “the continuation of targeting the media-professionals and the journalists is a clear violation to the press freedoms in addition to a failed attempt of the regime to blackout the violations committed by the Syrian people whether by the regime or the free army, which is categorized as crimes against humanity”.

ANHRI added that “the regime must immediately release the German journalist and guarantee his safety in addition to provide the suitable conditions for the journalists and media-professionals to perform their work”.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the decision issued by the UAE Court of Appeal to upheld the imprisonment sentence issued by the First Instance Court against Abdullah al-Hadidi for ten months…

as it decided in the hearing of Wednesday May 22, to reject the appeal submitted by the activist and the blogger “Abdullah al-Hadidi” against the sentence issued of imprisoning him by the court of the first Instance of Abu Dhabi and to upheld the conviction sentence against him.

On April 8, the First Instance Court of Abu Dhabi sentenced al-Hadidi for ten months on charges of publishing in twitter with bad intention what happened at the “public hearing” at the Federal Supreme Case No. 17 of 2013 (case known of UAE94). He was, however, found innocent from the use of force and violence with public officials officers (Rabiee Amziayan and Mustafa Fares), who works for the Department of escorts General Command of Abu Dhabi Police to carry them unlawfully to refrain from performing their work of maintaining order inside the court room during the hearing of Case No. 17 of 2013.

Al-Hadidi was sentenced according to article 1 and 64/1 from the new cyber crime law no. 5 of 2012 to be the first case that a UAE citizen to be punished by such law which restrict all the media freedoms.

ANHRI said: “the reasons and the real motives behind what made the authorities send the activist Abdullah al-Hadidi to trial and led to such harsh sentence is using his legitimate right of expression and revealing the non-availability of the fair trial condition in relation with UAE94 case and it also clears that the security solution is the only and preferable for the authorities to silence the voices and confiscate the right to free expression”.

ANHRI added that “the authorities must stop its security campaign launched against the opposition which targets to silence the dissidents and the international society must participate in urgent actions in order to expose the exercises of the authorities and press it in ordr to respect the freedom of expression and release the detainees in its prisons on the background of their political orientations”.

For More Information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=74967

http://www.anhri.net/?p=74806

Also available in : العربية

Cairo May 25, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the detention of the political analyst “Ibrahim Arbash” by the Internal Preventive Services in HAMAS and investigating him for few hours on the background of articles published to him; critics to HAMAS and Qaradawi’s visit to Gaza strip.

The Internal Preventive Services affiliated to HAMAS in Gaza, on Tuesday May 23, 2013, of detaining the political analyst and the former Minister of Culture “Ibrahim Abrash”, the professor of the Political Science in Al-Azhar University in Gaza for six successive hours of continued investigation on the background of writings critics to HAMAS movement and Qaradawi’s visit to Gaza strip.

The Political Analyst revealed in a statement regarding that the investigators requested from him to write an apology for the critic articles of HAMAS and Qaradawi’s visit to Gaza strip. But Arbash refused and added that he was informed of the necessity to appear on Sunday May 26 to complete the investigation, but he stated that he won’t go.

ANHRI said: “the arrest of Dr. Ibrahim Abrash falls in the harassments and prosecutions campagagin suffered by the journalists, the media-professionals and the intellectuals on the Palestinian territories by the security services affiliated to HAMAS as recently witnessed investigations with number of media-professionals and journalists including “Harroun Abu Arah and Omar Abu Arquob”.

ANHRI added that “the detention of the political analyst and investigating him on the background of his political opinion is a clear violation to the freedom of expression and an attempt to silence the opposition against HAMAS and criticizing its politics”.

ANHRI demands the authorities to don’t expose to the political analyst, guarantee his safety and to stop prosecuting him.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77394

http://www.anhri.net/?p=77263

To read the article caused investigating him

http://zamnpress.com/ar/content/22109

The former control, was a type of the hard security control that was imposed on the newspapers as the security men go to the publishing houses and see the newspapers before they are being printed or being sent in order to be disseminated in addition to agree to be published or to confiscate it directly. The matter that formed huge restrictions on the freedom of the press in the Sudan and caused severe material losses in particularly if the security entities issued a decision to confiscate it after being printed and before dissemination.

ANHRI said that “however the decision is a good step forward but it is not yet complete, as the former control still lifted and imposed by the authorities decisions without the existence of any legal provision to stop it”.

ANHRI demands the Sudanese authorities to prove its seriousness by lifting the control on the newspapers and drafting a law that criminalize this type of control and to execute the decisions actually.

ANHRI demands lifting the control from the newspapers that was a former decision to suspend it and also suspending all the decisions issued which prevent Sudanese journalists from writing.

ANHRI demands the authorities to amend the laws that impose restrictions and control on the newspapers in the texts of the press, criminal, national safety and other laws and Sudanese regulations that restrict the press work.

Organization: Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

Location: Cairo, Egypt

Position: Egypt Researcher

Organizational Unit: Roadmap Program

Starting Date: Immediately

Salary: The remuneration will be commensurate with the experience of the applicant and competitive rates in Egyptian NGOs

Deadline for applications: June 1, 2013

Background about CIHRS

Founded in 1993, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is an independent regional non-governmental organization which aims to promote respect for the principles of human rights and democracy in the Arab region. For this purpose, CIHRS focuses on analyzing the difficulties facing the application of international human rights law, disseminating a culture of respect for human rights in the region, and engaging in dialogue between cultures regarding the various international human rights treaties and declarations. CIHRS further seeks to attain this objective by developing, proposing, and promoting changes to policy and practice in the Arab region in order to bring them in line with international human rights standards. In addition, CIHRS conducts human rights advocacy at national, regional, and international human rights mechanisms, carries out research, and provides human rights education, both for youth and for established human rights defenders seeking ongoing professional development. CIHRS is a major publisher of information related to human rights in the Arab region, and its publications include a magazine, an academic quarterly, and scores of books dealing with various human rights-related issues.

A key component of CIHRS’ mandate is to help shape the understanding of and discourse around the most pressing human rights issues in the Arab region.  CIHRS then seeks to coordinate and mobilize the key players and NGOs across the Arab world to work together to raise public awareness about these issues and to reach solutions in line with international human rights law.

CIHRS enjoys consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC and observer status with the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights. CIHRS is also a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) and of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). CIHRS has its main offices in Cairo. CIHRS was awarded the French Republic Award for Human Rights in December 2007.

About the Roadmap Program

The Road Map Program aims at: 1)ensuring that during this crucial political period in Egypt, all members of civil society and the public at large are actively involved in the political process of shaping the future of the country and 2) that the emerging political system can guarantee the rule of law and upholds human rights.

With this goal in mind, the program targets key stakeholders to develop a unified vision regarding key policy recommendations for upholding certain rights in a manner that would ensure a democratic transition.

In order to cohesively address the dilemmas in Egypt’s political systems, and to ensure the formation of tangible recommendations and reforms, the program research the main human rights violations in Egypt whether through looking at existing practices or reviewing existing legislations or proposed ones.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Research

• Monitoring and documenting human rights abuses by collecting and analyzing information from a wide variety of sources;
• Ability to identify, research, analyze and effectively communicate important human rights developments in Egypt  in a detailed, timely, and professional manner;
• Writing and publicizing reports, briefing papers, letters, news releases, op-eds, and submissions to international bodies based on the findings of CIHRS’s research;

Advocacy

• Presenting human rights concerns to government officials, opinion leaders, inter-governmental agencies, and the media;
• Responding promptly to queries from various advocacy targets as well as the media, public, and civil society colleagues and in engaging in joint advocacy efforts with them to ensure that CIHRS’s work complements  their own work;

• Developing and implementing local, regional, and international advocacy strategies to promote reform of abusive laws, policies, and practices in Egypt;

·         Representing CIHRS in meetings and conferences both inside and outside of the country

• Carrying out any other duties as required.

Required Skills, knowledge and Qualifications:

  A minimum of 2 years experience working in the field of human rights or civil society organizations;

  A university degree in relevant subjects (e.g. Law, Human Rights, Political Science, International Relations, etc.). Masters Degree preferable; an academic background in human rights is an asset;

·         Solid research and analytical skills;

·         Interpersonal and Communication Skills;

·         Demonstrated commitment to universal human rights;

·         English and Arabic is a must, additional languages is a plus;

• Ability to travel domestically and overseas
• Ability to develop and implement realistic and effective local and international advocacy strategies and to respond to emergency situations.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically about the global and local media and to use both the traditional media and new media to further advocacy goals.

·         Willingness and ability to work extra hours (sometimes during weekends), work well under pressure and adapt to emerging issues and changing priorities; a team-player but also capable of working well independently;

•  Ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Application process:

Applications close on June 1, 2013.

Interviews will take place the following week. The candidate should ideally begin as of Mid-June, 2013.

Applicants should send a CV, cover letter, the contacts of two references, and an unedited writing sample in English and Arabic to info@cihrs.org , with the heading ‘Roadmap Researcher’. No telephone call is needed.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Announcement is on our website.

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The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) welcomes the acceptance of the Supreme Judicial Council of Kuwait to accept 22 women; graduates of law faculties in the Kuwait, out of 62 who applied for the job, for the first time after the Kuwaiti woman was banned from this field for more than 50 years without the lack of legal prevention.

About 270 of the Law Faculties graduates applied for the job, 62 were accepted; 40 males and 22 women. The accepted graduates will have a training in the Judicial Institute that will take two years and then they will be appointed as a district attorneys.

ANHRI said that “we are very delightful for this good step of Kuwait toward reforming the women’s right file and granting her all of her political and civil rights that she was banned for many years from getting it. We hope that the authorities could follow this step by other steps that could re-give the Kuwaiti women all of her taken rights”.

ANHRI demands form the authorities to provide the political will to take similar steps in the file of the freedom of expression and all human rights filed in addition to stop prosecuting the online activists.

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12537 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12528 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12528#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 10:15:38 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12528 Cairo May 22, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continuation of detaining the blogger and the activist “Mustafa El-Hesnawi” by the Moroccan Security Services since he was arrested on Thursday May 16, 2013 without mentioning the reasons or the accusations which led to his arrest.

He is a blogger and a journalist know for defending the right of the detainees from the Islamic trend, he received a summon warrant from the National Brigade of the Judicial Officers in May 16, 2013, for investigation. Then he went to them but they have arrested him and called his family to tell them that “Mustafa” will be detained for investigation and they refused to declare the reasons of investigation or the charges pressed on him.

However, the authorities refused to declare the reasons but it is likely because he criticized some of the persons who are near to the authorities and his continuing defending of the human rights. His last writings, which was published before he was summoned for investigation, on the topic of the veiled female students who were banned from entering the school because of the long of their veil. He was the first to expose this case and publish it in the media.

ANHRI expresses its deep concern regarding the fate of the case of Mustafa and the security method that was adopted with him in addition to arresting him for six days without declaring the reasons, justification or the charges behind the arrest yet.

ANHRI said that “what Mustafa suffers is a painful blow to the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression in Morocco and the authorities must accept the criticism and the other’s opinion, in particularly, as the blogger has only his pen and the security solution shouldn’t be the solution to address the word”.

In the time that ANHRI holds the authorities fully responsible regarding any harm that may be suffered by the journalist, it also demands the authorities to rectify the matter in addition to release him, not to trumped up any criminal charges to be pressed on him and holds the involved in arresting him in this way accountable.

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continuation of the security services in targeting the activists on the social networks websites and arresting them without charges or judicial orders.

The Omani Security Forces had on Monay May 20, arrested the blogger and the activist on Facebook “Ziab El-Amri” after the special task forces sieged his house which is located in Senaw in Modabi province, in Sharqiah Governorate in the north of Oman. The forces have arrested him by force after beating his brother without a legal grounds to arrest or invade the house. Then he was taken to unknown place.

El-Amri suffers from health problems in the heart and blood pressure, had received a phone call in the last week from one of the entities that mentioned that it is the high command of the police forces had asked from him to go to the special division “the intelligence” but he refused and asked that the summon must be official and after repeating the calls to him and his manager at work in addition to threats to be arbitrary detention in case of not going to the special division he was arrested.

Summoning him came after a few days of publishing on Facebook information related to the chicken farm land in the province in El-Medabi that the news flow regarding its owned by one of the keens of the “Sultan El-No’mani” the minister of the Sultan Office. The area witnessed protests from the residents to refuse establishing a chicken farm land in the area.

ANHRI said: “the arrest of the blogger in an arbitrary way and without legal grounds is a punishment for supporting and his solidarity with the detainees of the two cases of insulting the Sultan in addition to publishing news about chicken farm land and a continuation of detaining campaign waged by the security services against the activists and bloggers. The recent detentions included the human rights defender “Dr. Saleh El-Azazi” and the blogger “Noah Saad”.

ANHRI holds the Omani authorities criminally responsible related to putting the blogger’s life to risk.

ANHRI demands the immediate release of the blogger, ensure his safety and not to prosecute him.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12532 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12525 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12525#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 09:40:01 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12525 Cairo May 22, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the decision of the Minister of Information of rejecting to allow a new collection of poems to the stateless poet “Ahmed El-Raslani” for flimsy reasons that shows the Ministry of Information flopped policy.

The Stateless poet “El-Raslani” had announced at the evening of Monday May 20 in the program of Misan on the Satellite channel of “El-Youm” that the Ministry of Information had reject to allow his collection of poem which is titled “here is stateless”, which addresses the suffer of the stateless on the Kuwaiti territories for flimsy reasons according to the poet and he added that one of the Ministry of Information’s employees told him that the word “stateless” is the reason of rejection.

The poet had submitted a printed copy of his new collection of poem to the Ministry in order to allow it and began disseminating it in the markets but he was surprised by the Ministry’s and the committee’s, formed from it, decision of rejecting the collection of poem, despite that the Ministry had reviewed some of the poems in it and they said there is no reason to prevent it. He allowed him to prepare for dissemination but without signing the authorization from the responsible manager who was in a vacation at this time. The committee, which was formed after printing the collection of poems, justified that giving him the authorization was a mistake from the employee not from the committee.

ANHRI said: “the decision issued by the Ministry of Information to reject authorizing the collection of the poems “here is stateless”, is a serious violation on the freedom of expression and the word. It is also a continuation of the series of violations committed by the Ministry of Information against the writers, opinion-makers and media-professionals; the recent violation was suspending a talk show program without obtaining a judicial order.

ANHRI added that the authorities once they adopt a procedure to improve the freedoms file in it but quickly it commits another violation and abuses that take this file a step back.

ANHRI asserted on the necessity that the authorities must know that the stateless are a category on the Kuwaiti territories and must deal with their problems and necessities in more serious way instead of continuing marginalizing and derogating their legitimate rights.

ANHRI demands the immediate rescind of the Ministry of Information regarding rejecting to allow the collection of poems to the stateless poet “El-Raslani” and allow disseminating it.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12525 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12500 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12500#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 10:50:02 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12500  Cairo May 21, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces preventing the issuance of the issue of Sunday May 19 of “djaridati” its French version “mon journal” and the Attorney General Act of Conducting a Judicial Investigation with the manager “Hesham Aboud”, against the background of publishing a file on the health of the Algerian President “Abdelaziz Bouteflika”.

The issue included a file of two pages address the return of Boutaflika to Algeria and he is in total comma after being in France to receive medical treatment since April 27, 2013, so the “Ministry of Communication” called to the Managers of the two newspapers and demanded from them to omit the file of the health of the president but the administration of the newspapers refused answering such censorship on the publications, so the authorities ordered the publishing house, affiliated to the state, to don’t print the two newspapers.

ANHRI expresses its deep annoyance regarding the deliberate act of the State’ bodies to hid the information related to the president and using the security solutions to silence the voices that address his health condition rather than issuing a statement to the public opinion shows the facts and the circumstances, the matter that shows the precedent intention of the State to hide facts from the public opinion which motivated it to confiscate “djaridati” and “mon journal”.

ANHRI said that “the censorship on publications is one of the police method that isn’t used but by the dictatorship regimes that survive by censoring and confiscating freedoms. This type of censorship aims to silence the voices and the confiscate information before it could reach the public opinion which is a serious violation to the media’s right to free expression and the people’s right to receive and exchange information”.

ANHRI added that “in case of the information wasn’t correct according to the authorities, so they have should publish a press release or held a press conference to show the public opinion the developments related to the health of the president and to respond to the newspaper’s allegations rather than confiscating it and investigating its manager, in particularly as the ability of the president to administrate the country concerning all the citizens who have the right to choose a new president in case of his inability to perform his job”.

ANHRI demands the Algerian authorities, in case they wanted to show respect to the freedom of expression and the right of the citizens to exchange information, must stop the previous censorship on the publishing immediately and stop the investigations that were held with the manager of the newspaper due to charges of harming the state security, soil safety and the stability of the foundations of the state. 

Also available in : العربية

Cairo May 21, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the arrest of the brothers of the female martyrs “Bahiah El-Aradi” after raiding their house without known reasons.

The Security forces of Bahrain have invaded the house of the brothers of “El-Aradi” after sieging the area in Manama and the prevention of the people from entering and getting out for a period exceeded the five hours and after inspecting the three house of the martyr, the security forces have arrested five of her brothers (Akeel, Habib, Nejaht, Zainab and Mona El-Aradi” after the photographing the houses due to unknown reasons yet.

The martyr has died during the national peace period due to a shot in the head during passing with her car near to the bridge of “Qadam El-Alwi”. Bassioni’s report, the fact-finding committee report that made the army responsible for the death of the martyr.

In a continuation of the violations committed by the security forces against the peaceful demonstrators, the security forces in Friday May 18, assaulted peaceful demonstrators that took place in several areas in Bahrain in an answer to the call of the 14 February coalition to be in solidarity with the figures who suffer bad treatment in the prisons and the information spread related to injuries among the demonstrators in addition to arresting some them.

The security forces on the dawn of Friday invaded the house of the religious scholar “Essa Qassem” without clear information and they have inspected his house in Dirza and terrified the women and children in the house. They have also detained them for a while in a closed room before they leave the house in an attempt to justify the invasion of the house, the Security Forces announced addressing riots and violence in the area.

ANHRI said: “arresting the five brothers without charges is a continuation of the violations against the peaceful demonstrators and invading the houses of the citizens without reasons, aim to intimidate the people and silence their voices and also a continuation in the violations of the Ministry of Interior that escalate the Bahraini regime who aspire freedoms. These violations were conducting under the sponsorship of the regime that didn’t understand that the security solutions won’t be helpful with the revolting regime and will only increase their determination to adhere to the legitimate demands”.

ANHRI demands the immediate release of the five detainees and ensure their safety in addition to prosecuting them due to trumped up charges and ready to send them to jail.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=76746

http://www.anhri.net/?p=76665

Also available in : العربية

Cairo May 21, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the continuing targeting of the Palestinian authorities to the journalists and sending them to investigation against the background of their press work.

As the Palestinian Preventive Security Service investigated, on Wednesday, the journalist “Omar Abuarkoub” the Editor of the Israeli affairs in the network of here is Jerusalem, for the third time in a row in the headquarter of the Preventive Security Service in Hebron. This comes after the journalist went to the headquarter to deliver his laptop and flash disks. The preventive Security officer asked the journalist about the files on the laptop and the sources of his information in addition to the the people who are in the documentary films prepared by the journalist. After the end of the interrogation the officer told him that getting back your laptop and the flash disk is something difficult now and it was the investigation was about a documentary move that is being prepared by him about the life of the prisoners.

He was summoned on Saturday May 11 by the intelligence and he was investigated before he was arrested on Sunday May 12 by the preventive security and then he was released only a day after, he is still being summoned by the preventive security services and the intelligence.

In a related context the Palestinian intelligence service, on Wednesday 15 May, with the investigated the journalist and the filmmaker “Harun Abuarh” after telling him on May 13, the need to go to the intelligence headquarters in the city of Ramallah. The investigation has continued for more than two hours and questions were directed about his personal life and some of what is related to his work. He was insulted for posting the summon request on his page on Facebook, which is called “press gathering” and until now the reasons for the summon and the investigation is not known.

The Palestinian Intelligence Services have arrested him for 10 days in January 2013, on charges of “insulting the president Mahmoud Abbas” against the background of a question was directed to Abbas in Oslo conference and if he knowns the death of some persons in the Palestinian and the HAMAS prisons. In addition to his demands to stop these violations and since then the journalist suffered some harassments in his life and his work.

ANHRI said:”the continued prosecution of the Palestinian authorities to the journalists because of their work is a violation to freedom of expression and the press freedoms and a clear violation of the Palestinian Basic Law which stipulates in its article no. 19 that there is no prejudice to the freedom of opinion and everyone has the right to express and disseminate his opinion verbally, in writing or otherwise of the means of the expression or art in line with the provisions of the law”.

ANHRI demands the Palestinian authorities not harass the journalists in their work, ensure their safety and not to prosecute them, aiming to intimidate them and subjecting them to the governing authority so they could be its voice.

For more information

Also available in : العربية

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12509 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12497 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12497#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 08:35:17 +0000 aya http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12497
Members of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression are scheduled to appear before the anti-terrorism court in Damascus on May 19, 2013, the members are:

•  Mr. Mazen Darwish, head of the center.

•  Activist blogger Hussein Greer – Hani Zettati.

•  Mansur Hamid – Abdul Rahman Hamada ”under parole since February 6, 2013″.

They may face charges of terrorism due to their peaceful activities, the indictment, released on February 27, of those five members of the Center charged them with “promoting terrorist acts”, under Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2012. It was also mentioned in the indictment that these accusations are attributed to Mr. Darwish as head of the Syrian Center, and the other four activists as workers at the center, which included the follow-up and monitoring of the news broadcast by the Syrian opposition on the Internet, publishing studies on the human rights and media situation in Syria, and documenting the names of detainees, disappeared, wanted, and dead, in addition to the charge of receiving money from a western governments. As stated in the indictment, the investigating judge in Damascus considered this work as part of an attempt to “destabilize the internal situation in Syria and provoke international organizations to condemn Syria in international forums.”

It is noted that on 16 \ 2 \ 2012 Syrian security raided the Office of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression in Seven Bahrat – 29 May Street – Damascus, and arrested Mr. Mazen Darwish, head of the center and all the workers of the center and its visitors.

Mr. Mazen Darwish has been subjected to arbitrary arrest in 16 \ 3 \ 2011 for of his participation in a sit-in carried out by families of detainees in front of the Ministry of Interior to submit a letter to the Interior Minister, as a plea to release their sons, and he was released on the same day. On 23 \ 3 \ 2011 Darwish was arrested after being summoned for investigation for media releases about the arrests in Syria and the events of Daraa.

Mr. Mazen Darwish, born in 1974, is a journalist, member of the International Federation of Journalists, and the founder and president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. He is also vice president of the International Institute for Cooperation and Support in Brussels and a member of the International Bureau of the Organization of Reporters Without Borders, in addition to the center which is headed by Darwish, which is the only organization in Syria specialized in the follow-up of the media and the Internet. He is also an advisory member in United Nations Economic and Social Council.

We, the organizations, bodies, and centers for the defense of human rights in Syria, express our strong condemnation and deep concern about the continuity of unfair trials of peaceful activists for peaceful democratic change in Syria and we call on the Syrian government to work for:

1. Drop the charges against the activists mentioned above, and to all who participated in peaceful demonstrations in Syria, and to stop the ongoing trials against peaceful political activists and human rights defenders.

2. If the charges are not dropped, they should guarantee the right of defendants to a fair trial before an independent and impartial court consistent with ratified Syrian obligations in particular Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948, and Article (1, 14 and 5 , 14) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1966, as well as ensure that the proceedings are in line with the standards and principles accredited to the United Nations bodies, including the basic principles on the Independence of the Judiciary issued in 1985, and the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors General issued in 1990.

3. That the defendants enjoy their right to trial that meets the conditions of fair trials. Because the provisions of the articles of the Penal Code are vague and largely loose to allow the authorities to use it to crack down on peaceful dissidents and human rights activists. Moreover, there are serious concerns that the defendants have been and will be subjected to ill-treatment during their detention.

4. Close the file of political detention and release of all political prisoners, prisoners of opinion and conscience, and all detained because of their participation in peaceful gatherings conducted in various Syrian cities, unless they are charged with a recognizably criminal offense and brought promptly to trial where there is fair trial standards.

5. The Syrian government should respect all its obligations with regard to human rights as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations, as set out in international instruments ratified by Syria in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and as guaranteed by the Syrian Constitution; based on that they should respect the rights of citizens and protect them fully particularly with regard to the enjoyment of freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right to peaceful assembly.

Damascus 19 \ 5 \ 2013

The name of human rights organizations signed

1.       National Organization for Human Rights in Syria

2.       Kurdish Committee for Human Rights in Syria (observer) / Syria

3.       National Organization for Human Rights in Syria

4.       Defend for prisoners of conscience in Syria – Rwankh

5.       Kurdish Organization for the Defense of Human Rights and Public Freedoms in Syria ) DAD(

6.       Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF / Syria

7.       Syrian Kurdish Centre for Documentation / Syria

8.       Syrian Coalition Against the Death Penalty  (SCODP) / Syria

9.       Syrian platform for NGOs  (SPNGO )  / Syria

10.   Syrian Jurists Association for transitional justice and the rule of law/ Syria

11.   Syrian Center for Transitional Justice and enabled democracy / Syria

12.   Syrian Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture / Syria

13.   National Center for the Study of Tolerance and Anti-Violence in Syria

14.   Ebla Center for the Study of transitional justice and democracy in Syria

15.   Syrian Center for Civil Society and Human Rights Studies

16.   National Rally for women’s and children’s rights / Syria

17.   Syrian Association for the freedom and fairness

18.   Syrian Center for Human Rights Education

19.   Syrian Center for Human Rights

20.   Syrian Center for Democracy and Human Development

21.   Republic Center for Studies and Human Rights

22.   Committees for the Defense of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria

23.   National Coordination for the Defense of missing in Syria

Cairo May 20, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the inaction of the Yemeni authorities regarding providing the required protection of the media-professionals and the journalists in performing their job along with the continuation of abducting the journalists and media-professionals by armed groups; some of them were unknown.

 A big number of Yemeni media-professionals and journalists were abducted by armed groups in the last days; some of them still unknown in the light of the inaction of the Yemeni authorities to move to release them. As the team “Shoeil” Yemeni Satellite channel in Saaida Governorate was assaulted and abducted by elements affiliated to the Houthi Group during media-covering to the attack of the militias on the mosque of Mos’ab and beating the preacher of the mosque “Waleed Atieh” in addition to assaulting number of the students by the back of rifle. Houthis elements prevented Soliman Atef; the channel correspondents, and the photographers Mohamed Helal and Ady El-Shabi from entering the mosque in “Taleh” area during the Friday prayers and ordered them to surrender their cameras when they have decided to leave they were banned and were violently assaulted in addition to their cameras were confiscated and were taken to unknown place.

While five Yemeni journalists were abducted in the last few days while they were passing by the governorate of Ma’reb in the North-East of Yemen, which is 173 killometers away from the capital Sanaa’; while they were in their way to El-Mohra governorate to perform an official job by unknown persons to blackmail the authorities to obtain some interests.

ANHRI said: “the continuing targeting of the journalists and media-professionals by some unknown armed groups and some other who are already known for everyone, require from the authorities to take urgent procedures to free the abducted and arrest the criminals in addition to bring them to justice”.

ANHRI added that abduction of the journalists and media-professionals operations come as an escalation to the violations suffered by the press and media freedoms, as many of the newspapers were confiscated, recently, whether by the unknown persons or troops affiliated to the army.

ANHRI said that the inaction of the authorities regarding providing the protection for the press and media foundations and their staff, raise concerns related the the fate of the journalists and the media-professionals. It is also raise questions related to the relation of the authorities with these abuses and the existence of a hide role for it.

ANHRI demands the Yemeni authorities to exert more effort to free the abducted media-professionals and journalist and ensure their safety.

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the repeated assaults against the Iraqi journalists and media-professionals during performing their work, whether by the bodies affiliated to the states or armed men affiliated to some Iraqi figures.

Some officers and soldiers affiliated to the brigade 54 under the command of Baghdad, had on last Wednesday, May 15, 2013, assaulted the corespondent of the Satellite TV channel Bagdadiah in the middle of Baghdad by beat and insult in front of hundreds of citizens who are gathered at one of the banks, despite he obtained a permit to perform his work by the competent officer from the bank after he reviewed the permits related to the field work issued by the operations headquarter in Baghdad. As Mostafa El-Roubie, the anchor and the correspondent in Bagdadeh channel was beaten on his eyes by fest from one of the soldiers against the background of an argument with a lieutenant after the officer had pulled the logo of the channel from him while he was speaking with some of the people gathered in front of the bank and he was verbally abused.

In continuation of the violations suffered by journalists, a number of bodyguards who are responsible for the protection of the tribal leader of Nafez have raided the house of journalist “Azhar Shalal”, a writer and a correspondent in Anbar, last Tuesday evening, and they took his older brother instead of him to an unknown destination before they released him hours later, with the threat that the journalist must surrender himself to them instead instead of they will get him by their own way during the 24 hours, against the background of publishing information and articles about the corruption in Anbar. The police said that it isn’t responsible for the incident and told the press that they do not know anything about the subject and have nothing to do with it at all.

ANHRI said: “the continued targeting of journalists and media-professional by the army troops or armedmen, arouses further concern on the media-professionals and journalists. It also places Iraq among the most dangerous countries in regarding practicing of journalism and the media. Especially in light of the silence of the Iraqi authorities on such serious violations; suffered by them”.

ANHRI added that such violations is a serious violation against the right to access to information, obtain it and freely publishing it.

ANHRI demands the authorities to immediately investigate the assault incident against the correspondent of Bagdadiah and bringing the involved officer to speedy trial. The authorities must do their job in protecting the lives of the journalists and the media-professionals in addition to providing the security climate that allow performing their work without fear.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=75252

http://www.anhri.net/?p=71813

http://www.anhri.net/?p=74627 

Also available in : العربية

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces today arresting the opposing artists by the Syrian regime without clear charges or reasons. This comes in the frame of an escalation step from the regime against the opposing intellectuals.

The security forces arrested the female artist “Mai Scaf” known by her critic and opposing situation to the Syrian regime at a security check-point while she was in her way to her house in the project of Damar in the north-west of Damascus, without clear reasons and in unknown place after confiscating her Id card, before she was released by hours.

She is known by opposing the regime, she was detained for three days against the background of her support to the Syrian revolution through participation in the peaceful demonstration in Damascus in a peaceful demonstration called “intellectuals demonstration” in July 2011. She was one the first Syrian artists who signed “the statement of milk calls” in May 2011 to defend the family and the children of Dar’a and throughout this period she didn’t stop giving statements anti-Syrian regime.

The Syrian Military Intelligence on Tuesday May 2, 2013 arrested the writer and the young theater director “Omar El-Jebai” in Damascus without clear reasons and then he was taken to a branch affiliated to the military intelligence called “the branch area” after he was summoned to the military theater in Damascus; as he still under the compulsory service and until now there is no information related to his place of detention or the reasons of arrest.

ANHRI said: “recently targeting the activists, intellectuals, opinion’s makers whether by arresting or abusing them in addition to intimidating them in order to make them stop criticizing the ruling regime is a serious violation to the freedom of expression; to be added to the serious violations committed by the regime and still committed against the innocent citizens”.

ANHRI demands “the reveal of the destiny of the writer “Omar El-Gebai”, the grantee of his safety, announce the reasons of arresting him and his immediate release”

Concerning personal status lawsuits that relating to domestic violence, they reached 42 lawsuits including small alimony, proving custody, divorce because of harm, alimony, home rent, treatment costs and cases related to imprisonment to pay the alimony.

It is worth mentioning that lawsuits related to delinquency reached 7 cases including sexual harassment, beating and dissipation of martial articles list.

As for the lawsuits in front of administrative court in the Council of the State, they reached just one about procedural abuse against the prosecutor from her work, and the center has got a judgment in her favor in 25^th March 2013.

In addition, the center had provided many legal consultations for women through the hotline 01210009192. Also the center’s lawyers has helped three cases in making reports related to violence including sexual harassment, assaulting on women chapel in a mosque and beating. The center welcomes providing aid for every woman exposed to violence whether it is institutional, domestic, sexual or against female house workers. Women can contact the center through the following e-mail:    ccd.eg2010@gmail.com.

For more details, visit Cairo Center for Development website:  www.ccd-eg.org

Cairo on May 19, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the physical assault suffered number of the journalists by a group of unknown people who destroyed their camera and intimidated them in order to ban them from doing their work. This took place last Friday while the journalists tried to cover the press conference organized by “nidaatounes movement” in one of the private schools in Sidi Bouzid, the capital of the Tunisian revolution.

The journalists were surprised, during the conference which aimed to introduce the movement area coordinating committee in Sidi Bouzaid, by an attack from unknown persons who refused the presence of the movement in the city. Those unknown persons physically and verbally assaulted them, then they assaulted the equipments and the cameras which led to the destruction of the photographic equipments of “alhiwar and the national TV. The assailants succeeded in ending the conference and expelled the attendees in the light of the total security absence.

ANHRI said that “the authorities are responsible for the security authorities inaction regarding protecting the right to peaceful assembly and protecting the media-outlets during performing their work, asserting that the lack of security which push some political organizations to use violence and force to address exercising the legitimate rights by their oppositions.

ANHRI said that “we are waiting for revealing the identities of the assailants and holds the responsible for such serious assault on the freedom of expression accountable, in particularly, that the Tunisian government must be responsible and achieve its promises related to ensuring the freedom of expression and protecting the media-professionals while they are performing their job”.

Cairo May 18, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the use of the excessive force by the Israeli Occupation Forces in addressing the peaceful demonstrations to remember the day of the Catastrophe in the town of “Al-Eziriah”, which led to several injuries among the demonstrators.

The Occupation Forces have used the rubber bullets and the tear gas bombs to disperese the peaceful demonstrations that took place in the town of “Al-Eziriah” on Friday May 17, specifically in “Ras Kabsah” in the series of the events that was called by Fatah movement to remember the day of the Catastrophe. It was decided that the remember will witness the launch of balloons that carry the name the migrated villages.

The clashes were serious when the demonstrators and the occupations forces succeeded to destroy the segregation wall in the area of “Ras Kabsah” in an attempt to access to the occupied Jerusalem as the segregation wall was preventing them to reach it, which led the occupation forces to deploy more troops in the town and chase the demonstrators in the streets and shoot them by rubber bullets in addition to heavy tear gas bombs which led to several suffocations among the injuries, in addition to the news related to the injury of several demonstrators in the face by the rubber bullets. ANHRI couldn’t verify this information.

Several areas in the occupied territories have witnessed demonstrations to remember the day of the catastrophe. These demonstrations were repressed by the occupation forces through using the rubber bullets and tear gas bombs which resulted in several injuries among the demonstrators in addition to the arrest of many of them.

ANHRI said: “the persistence of the occupation forces in repressing the peaceful demonstrations that are taking place in several Palestinian areas recently in addition to the persistent violations against the Palestinian citizens is a serious violation to the world society, that requires an immediate intervention from it to make the Israeli entity to respect the freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration”.

ANHRI demands the establishment of an international fact-finding committee to document the violations of the Israeli entity against the Palestinian people as these violations are deemed to be crimes against humanity and bring it to the international criminal court.

ANHRI demands the immediate release of the peaceful demonstrations who were arrested by the occupation forces for nothing but to exercise their legitimate right to express their peaceful opinion.

For more information

http://www.anhri.net/?p=74709

http://www.anhri.net/?p=76763

Also available in : العربية

Cairo on May 19, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces today the stopping of a talk show program broadcast on “El-Youm” TV satellite channel by the Ministry of Information due to charges of harming the national unity.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Information stopped airing a talk show, in a fact for the first of its kind, which broadcasts via “El-Youm” private satellite channel which; anchored by “Mohamed El-Weshihi” and referring the program’s staff to the Public Prosecution due to charges of harming the national unity on the background of addressing the topic of the releations between the tribes’ Shieks and the Shieks of the ruling family in Kuwait by the anchor.

El-Weshihi mentioned on his twitter account that the administration of the channel toled him that the Ministry of Information decided to stop his program “talk show” and refer him as well as the program’s staff to the Public Prosecution based on the Law on National Unity.

ANHRI said: “the decision of the Ministry of Information to stop the talk show that aired on the private “El-Youm” satellite channel is a serious violation to the press freedoms, which is the first of its kind to be committed by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information to directly intervene and stop a program, despite in previous times it filed more than one report against several media-professionals in the private channels as what happened with the female anchor in the same channel “Yousra Mohamed”, in which the Ministry of Information accused her of insulting the public decency”.

ANHRI added that “Kuwait insists on going forward in the set back in its human rights file especially after it became the first Arab country that harass the activists via twitter, it turned the hostility to the visual media-outlets, which shows that the country begin to use the security solutions and silencing the voices as an alternative to accept the criticism and to advance the political solution and respond the demands of the opposition”.

ANHRI warns the Kuwaiti authorities from presenting in the policy of silencing the voices that Kuwait has adopted since a while. ANHRI asserts on that the Ministry of Information must immediately rescind regarding the stopping of the talk show and waive the reports submitted against the anchor of the program and the staff.

For more information

To watch the video that caused stopping the program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VL06udZqy5M

Also available in : العربية

]]> http://www.anhri.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=12480 0 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12462 http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12462#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 10:41:00 +0000 marwa http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=12462 Cairo in 15 May 2013

Urgent statement

The Arab Coalition for Darfur denounces the stand of the Ethiopian Embassy of refusing to give visas to the delegation of the Arab Coalition for Darfur to attend the second session of the “Civil Society Forum on Sudan and South Sudan,” scheduled to take place in May 16-18 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, without giving any justifications and despite the completion of all the documents required from the ACD and the organization.
It’s worth mentioning that this refusal is not the first. The Embassy has refused to grant visas to the delegation of the ACD without giving reasons in January 2013, what raises the concerns of the ACD that this is a systematic approach followed by the Ethiopian authorities against the human rights activists and the defenders of the rights of peoples and victims.
The ACD has sent a letter to the Ethiopian Ambassador in 9 May 2013 urging him to respond or clarify if there was anything hindered obtaining visas to the delegation, but this request was ignored and we have not receive any response yet.
The Arab Coalition for Darfur calls for the Ethiopian Embassy/government to explicate its stance on civil society organizations, especially those interested in the affairs of Sudan and human rights, and to allow them to participate in the meetings to be held in the state of Ethiopia to discuss the human rights situation in Sudan and the halt of wars and conflicts.

 This Report

Revolution and any other “exceptional or non-exceptional” event you read and view according to your stance from it, according to your relation to it and how much does it affects your interest, so as the events related to the freedom of expression.

For example, 2012 witnessed many events and facts related to the freedom of expression, such as:

1. The first elected civilian president in the history of Egypt hits a new record in prosecuting the journalists and media-professionals on charges of insulting the president;

2.Kuwait turned from the most Arab countries that respect the media freedoms to be the most Arab country that prosecute its citizens due to posts on twitter; and

3. UAE wages the most violent and repressive campaign since its establishment in the seventies against citizens by flimsy charges.

These news you could read it as is, it will give you an idea related to the magnitude of attack on the freedom of expression and the press freedoms, but these news could be read as follows:

4. The increasing of the severe criticism to the elected president of Egypt, without being affected by the increasing of the cases and charges of insulting the president;

5. The increase in the number of Kuwaiti users of twitter is accompanied with the increase in the trials of the critic twitter users; and

6. The Arab spring encourages the citizen of UAE to demand reforms, so they are arrested.

And so on, the news and the events are the same, you could understand that the repression increased and the Arab governments’ hostile to the freedom of expression and the press freedoms. You will also understand the determination to exercise the right to freedom of expression by the citizens, writers and the media-professionals in a way that doesn’t accept any red lines or could be stopped by prosecutions or investigations.

“The Arab revolutions broke the walls of fear; not only in the six Arab Spring Countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria), but in all the Arab countries and beyond that only details and as the Arab cliché’s reports “artificial humps will be passed by the revolution while it is in its path to freedom”.

The Arab citizens restored their freedom of expression…. no one granted it to them but they have restored it and took it by struggle, efforts and sometimes blood. It is not accepted that some will try to control, dominate or take it, regardless the justification.

Like all other dictatorship regimes in all the world’s spots, such regimes do the same in Arab world, and these applies to the new regimes in the countries of transition like Egypt and Yemen or the other regimes that still unstable and resist the changes such as Jordon and Morocco, or even the countries that believe they are away from the change such as Saudi-Arabia, such regimes won’t declare their hostile to the freedom of expression but will assert on  issuing statements supporting the freedom of expression, press and creativity!!!

But:

Without any encroachment or defamation

Without defaming the religion

Without getting near or defaming the leader, Emir, president or king; or any of his followers or family…

Without threatening the national unity and social peace

Without defaming the army leaders or the religious scholars

Without harming the country’s reputation abroad

Without,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

And then you are showered with the prohibitions and restrictions which they call “controls” whether from the dictatorship regimes, their followers or who benefit from, in order to empty the freedom of expression from its content.

But the clock doesn’t spin back and the Arabian people in general, the youth especially, started their legitimate battle in the road to democracy that they deserve.

A lot of Arab youth, journalists, social networks activists don’t demand freedom of expression anymore, but they exercise it…  their number increases a day after day and who tasted the freedom won’t give it up.

And they always say: the only solution for any problem arouse due to the freedom of expression, is more of it!!!!

And we are with them in that.

Gamal Eid

Full Version in  “word” press here

Full Version in “PDF” press here

Cairo May 15, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces preventing of the writer “Ali El-Elyani” from writing in the newspaper by the Watan Newspaper Administration against background of an article to the minister of Interior.

Watan Saudi-Arabian newspaper that is published by the Asser Foundation for press and publishing had stopped the media-professional and the writer “Ali El-Elyani” from writing after one month of contracting with him on the background of his latest article in which he sent a message to the minister of interior “Mohamed Ben Naef” entitled the first message to “Mohamed Ben Naef”.

Ali was the anchor of the program “Ya Hala” which is broadcasted on Rotana Khalijiah, had announced in the six of May on his twitter account that he was prevented from writing his column which is known by “more than words”, and he thanked the editing team and added in other twitter posts that the prince “Mohamed Ben Naef and the Ministry of Interior didn’t involve in the decision of preventing him from writing.

It is worthy to be mentioned that the stopping of Ali wasn’t the first of its kind to be committed by the Watan Newspaper administration as in 2012, it has prevented the writer “Hamzah Kashgeri” from writing after posts on twitter, as he was prosecuted because of such posts on charges of insulting the God and the Prophet (PBUH) and also prevented in 2010, the Saudi writer “Abdullah El-Malgouth” from writing in Watan newspaper after critics regarding the long periods in which the Saudi official stay in their positions.

ANHRI said: “preventing the media-professional and the writer “Ali” from writing because of an article in which he expressed his opinion and perspective to the security fact in Saudi-Arabia, is a clear violation to the press freedoms and clears the non-independence of the Saudi newspapers in a wider form and it is being used as a voice of the regime in addition to that anyone won’t follow the same frame will be stopped from working”.

ANHRI demands the administration of the newspaper to respect the freedom of the press and work according to the media standards in addition to the immediate rescinding of the deicison of stopping the writer from writing in the newspaper as well as stopping the imposing the self-monitor on the content.

Cairo May 15, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), announces the issuance of its annual report

for fre

edom o

f expression in Egypt and the Arab world for 2012. It monitors the

violations to the freedom of expression and the legislative development that are taking place in the Arab countries after the Arab Spring and the freedom of expression indicator in the Arab world whether the violations committed by the government, means of resistance by the journalists, media-professionals and the users of the social networks.

The report of the 135 pages addressed the situation of the freedom of expression in 10 Arab countries “Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Bahrain, Jordon, the Sudan, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq and Saudi-Arabia”. The report also addresses the freedom of expression situation in other six countries through an overview on the situation of the freedom of expression in these countries without getting into details, these countries are “Libya, Oman, Yemen, Morocco, Qatar and Palestine”.

ANHRI said that “2012 there was a remarkable attack against the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press by the Arab governments, whether the Arab Spring countries or by the countries that resist the change, even with varying degrees”.

The report monitors the break of the silence wall inside the Arab people, not only in the Arab Spring countries

but also in all other countries, so the Media-outlets became more able to take wide space to express opinion and critics directly. All the citizens and the activists became more daring in criticizing the authorities and present facts to the public opinion without fearing the swords directed to the neck of the freedom of expression”.

According the international standards in respecting the freedom of expression and the press freedoms. The report represents an indicator and ranking to the Arab countries of most violations to the freedom of expression. Comes at last the Syria and Saudi-Arabia while Mauritania and Lebanon came at the top list, but Egypt took the fifth place and Bahrain took the 13 place while Kuwait comes in the 15th place. As for Libya it came in the 3rd place, to be take the first place, in terms of the Arab Spring countries, and it was exceeded by only two countries that they didn’t witness revolutions; Lebanon and Mauritania.

ANHRI announces the it will disseminate the report today and you could obtain a printed copy from the headquarter of ANHRI which is located in 2 Behlar passage, Off Kaser El-Nile st., Taleet Harab sq., Downtown, fifth floor. You could also browse it via internet and download it from the section of the reports and studies in ANHRI, by pressing the following link:

http://www.anhri.net/?cat=5

Also available in : العربية

Newseum informed MADA of their decision to enlist Al Koumi and Salama to the Journalists Memorial Rededication list, and requested MADA to provide contact information of the journalists’ families to inform them regarding the honoring for being killed while exercising their profession.

The Newseum Journalists Memorial Dedicated includes “the names of 2246 journalists who have been killed over the past decades, with a special honor for 84 journalists have been killed over the past year (including Al Koumi and Salama), according to their print adds, in the ceremony they organized on Saturday, 13/05/2013, to honor journalists whose names appear on the list, but we were surprised they deleted the names of the Palestinian Journalists .

It’s important to know that International institution working in the field of Media Freedoms such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters without Borders, and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, and others consider Al Koumi and Salama journalists killed in the line of duty.
The news of dishonoring the Palestinian Journalists by Newseum provoked many activists for freedom of expression and Palestine, who did not hesitate to express their disappointment and anger via Newseum’s facebook page, and by publishing articles condemning this decision.

MADA expresses once again its disappointment by the decision by Newseum and its submission to Israeli pressure, with more than 20 Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli fire and who paid with their lives for their dedication in covering news since 2000.