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Our Reports
The Internet In the Arab World
A New Space of Repression?
No Rules, No Limits
United Arab Emirates:
Freedom of expression is missing despite a decision banning imprisonment for press crimes
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The weekly update for ANHRI # 256
Sixth Year
9 April 2009 – 16 April 2009
Bahrain
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Bahrain king releases 178 prisoners
The ruler of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, has pardoned 178 prisoners including convicts, suspects and human rights activists late on Saturday night in an attempt to defuse political tensions in the kingdom, and put an end to a series of daily anti-government protests, as well as to move towards fulfilling the kingdom's International obligations, with regard to chronic violations such as protection from discrimination, rights of naturalized citizens, and rights of migrant workers.
Source:
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
Arab-European Center for Human Rights and International Law
Bahrain Human Rights Society
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
More information and topics on Bahrain page: http://anhri.net/bahrain
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Tunisia
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Students clash with Tunisian Security Forces.
The Tunisian government Siege is very similar to that of the Israeli occupying forces on civilians in Gaza and even worse, since all media outlets operates freely in Gaza, whereas Silence overwhelms media with regard to violations of the Tunisian security forces for the alleged national sovereignty and interference in domestic politics.
This week has witnessed the siege of the political police on the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Students, and clashes in the city of Benzert between a number of students and political police forces, who prevented students from entering the Faculty of Science to disrupt the conference called by the administrative body of the General Union of Tunisian Students. Following the disciplinary action taken against them as a result of their Union activities, the unjustly expelled students announced suspension of their hunger strike which lasted 58 days to claim their right to pursue their university studies.
Source:
Freedom and justice
More information and topics on Tunisia page: http://www.anhri.net/tunisia
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Saudi Arabia
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Enough with censorship on the internet
The Saudi government continue its repressive policy by blocking Websites that seem to adopt different views, particularly ones that present/reflect specific communities (such as the Shiites), despite the repeated appeals and statements of denunciation over the past five years. It is worth mentioning that "Qateef Martyrs" website were blocked fifty times, al-Rassed news website 37 times, and furthermore, the cultural network "Hagr", Network for the Defense of Sheikh Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr and al-Multaqa Network as well as the website of "Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arab peninsula", the website of "Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington", in addition to hundreds of websites were blocked.
Source:
Human Rights First Society
More information and topics on Saudi Arabia page: http://anhri.net/saudi
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Sudan
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Pre-publishing censorship is deemed a violation of the Humanitarian Law
Due to the pre-publishing censorship and the abusive procedures of the Security and the Intelligence towards it, al--Midan newspaper disrupts for the second time in two months, such interventions are definitely a blatant violation of freedom of expression and publication, and all international conventions and treaties in addition to the Interim Constitution of Sudan, since the censor has expunged (17) articles in addition to the expunction of the headline, as well as five paragraphs in other articles.
Source:
Al-Midan Newspaper
More information and topics on Sudan page: http://anhri.net/sudan
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Syria
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New sentences against Kurdish opposition
The "unconstitutional" SSSC sentenced Syrian Kurdish opponents to at least one year in prison, among them, secretary of the Kurdish "Yekiti" Party in Syria, member of the Political Committee and the former secretary of the same party, as well as a number of supporters of the Democratic Union Party, on the grounds that they attempted to organize a peaceful protest in the Syrian city of "Qamishli" to condemn the Turkish invasion on the Iraqi Kurdistan.
Source:
The Legal Office of the Kurdish Committee for Human Rights in Syria (al-Rassed)
Syrian Committee for Human Rights
More information and topics on Syria page: http://www.anhri.net/syria
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Palestine
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45 Organizations demand the inclusion of Palestine in the Durban Review Conference
45 NGOs urged all supporters of freedom in the world to save Durban II on the basis of fighting racism and occupation, not on the basis of pleasing Israel and its allies, the NGOs has expressed its displeasure following the expulsion of any reference to Palestine in the draft document of the follow-up conference (Durban I), one month before convening the summit for the second time during 20-24 April.
Source:
National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
More information and topics on Palestine page: http://www.anhri.net/palestine
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Egypt
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Financial crisis of an independent newspaper
After facing a harsh financial crisis, al-Badeel newspaper declared stopping their daily edition and starting a weekly one as a result of the international financial crises, as a result of the global economic crisis that affected the situation of the main financiers of the newspaper.
Many Human Rights Organizations conducted a consultation on the future of the newspaper and how to sustain it, as a national independent newspaper concerned with justice, democracy and progress.
Source:
The Egyptian Association for the Advancement of Community Participation
More information and topics on Egypt page: http://www.anhri.net/egypt
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Morocco
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Blogger Hassan Barhoun sentenced to ten months
On April 13, a Moroccan Court of Appeal in the city of Tetouan sentenced Hassan Barhoun, journalist and blogger, to 10 months in prison instead of six, on the grounds of publishing a petition signed by more than sixty people accusing the King's Deputy in Tetouan, "General Prosecutor", of collusion in a corruption case.
Source:
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
More information and topics on Morocco page: http://anhri.net/morocco
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Yemen
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Journalists under threat of murder
In a new way to restrict freedom of press, Head of Al-Jazeera T.V. Office in Sana'a Murad Hashim and Al-Jazeera reporter Ahmed al-Shalfi have received SMS threat from a Saudi Number demanding them to stop covering developments in southern Yemen.
Source:
Yemeni Press Syndicate
More information and topics on Yemen page: http://anhri.net/yemen
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The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
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An open letter to Egyptian President
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information wrote an open letter to President Hosni Mubarak, urging him to intervene in the issue of Youssef el-Ashmawi, an Egyptian young programmer who has been detained in Saudi Arabia for 9 months without formal indictment and ignored by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The network drew a little comparison (with the difference between the two cases) between the attitude of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry who exerted huge efforts in the prisoner swap deal in which Palestinian prisoners should be released in return for releasing the Israeli captured soldier "Gilad Shalit", and neglected an Egyptian citizen kidnapped in Saudi jails without formal charge.
More information and topics on ANHRI page: http://www.anhri.net/press
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Grievances of the citizen
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Bahrain: Press Situation in retreat
Two dismissed journalists sent the grievances of the citizen website a letter urging the network to intervene to halt the professional and Syndicate deterioration in the press syndicate, in order to preserve the dignity of the profession which was violated by policies contrary to the most basic rules of professionalism, a journalist shall be dismissed by a phone call for writing an article criticizing the Ministry of Interior, and moreover, the Press Syndicate do not even defend the rights of dismissed journalists.
To read the full text of the letter, click the link: http://www.humum.net/country/topic.php?id=36356
For further access to the grievances of citizens: http://www.humum.net
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anhri is a legal organization that defends the freedom of opinion and expression of the press and the right to exchange information. Moreover, it works on collecting the publications of nearly 140 Arabic human rights organizations from 18 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, which are published in Arabic and presented in one website. It also provides human rights Sources in the Arab world for media workers, journalists, activists and the public in an attempt to increase the number of internet users and those interested in human rights issues in the Arab speaking world. Though one of many human rights groups serving the Middle East and North Africa, it is the only one in the Arab world devoted exclusively to protecting the freedom of expression across the region.
For more information, suggestions or membership in the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, please contact anhri at:
Address: 19-26 July st-Downtown - Cairo- 4th floor - suit 55
Phone Number: (00202) 27736177
Email address:
info@anhri.net
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