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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 # 260
Sixth Year
May 8th – May 14th 2009
Jordan
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April 13th the student's Day;
The follow up committee of the National campaign for student's rights "Zabahtona" decided to honor the students by dedicating an annual day for them just like women and workers. The committee has chosen 13th of April to be the Student's Day. On the same day in 1986 Yarmouk University students held an open sit-in protesting rising the college fees, after a decision by the university to receive 90 Dinars from engineering faculty students as practical training fees. The security forces broke into the university and killed five students.
Source:
The follow up committee of the National campaign for student's rights "Zabahtona"
For more information; http://anhri.net/jordan
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Bahrain
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Beating the human rights activist Jaafar Alkazem
Kidnapping the activists assaulting and beating them is a governmental routine aims to terrorize the activists, and this week the security forces assaulted Jaafar Alkazem the human rights activist working with the Committee for Opinion Activists and Prisoners. His car had been forced to stop by two other cars and he had been dragged out of his car and the attackers blindfolded him and took him to unknown place. There he had been beaten fiercely till he lost his consciousness, and then brought him back to his car. He was moved to hospital and the police claimed that the accident happened in purpose of stealing.
Kazem had been arrested last February for his role in organizing protesting marches and demonstrations demanding prisoners' rights. Since his release, he is working on documenting torture cases.
Source:
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
More information on; http://anhri.net/bahrain
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Tunisia
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Undermining journalists' syndicate independency;
The Tunisian government is working to undermine the journalists' syndicate independency, via interfering in the internal affair of the syndicate aiming to topple its leaders in reaction to publishing a report contained criticism to the press freedom situation. Toppling the syndicate leaders would eventually be a means to guarantee a new pro government report.
Some pro government journalists delivered a petition demanding to change the syndicate leaders, while other journalists had been threatened to get fired in case they refuse to sign the petition. Three of the syndicate board members had to resign after pressures.
Moreover the syndicate chairman Nagui Albagouri faced so many pressures and attacks.
Source:
IFEX- TGM
International Federation of Journalists
More information on http://www.anhri.net/tunisia
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Algeria
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Absentia verdict against a journalist
The journalist Nori Bin Zenin, the ex-reporter for the daily Alchorouk newspaper, had been prosecuted although he did not receive any notice to attend the court. He had been sentenced to two months in jail and 50000 Algerian Dinars (544 Euros) for defamation. The case was filed by a parliamentarian after Nori's publishing reportage on smuggling the oil via the western borders of Algeria and did not mention any names.
Source:
Working group on press freedom and free expression in North Africa (WGFENA)
More information on; http://anhri.net/algeria
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Saudi Arabia
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A call not to vote for the Kingdom in the Human Rights Council;
Around 125 human rights organization from eleven different Arab countries sent a message to the United Nation's General Assembly calling the countries not to vote for re-electing Saudi Arabia to the Human Rights Council. The call is based on the Saudi government's failure regarding adopting its human rights commitments. The kingdom also did not show real desire to reform, as the kingdom had not ratify any of the international conventions on human rights especially the International Convention on Economic Political and Social Rights, and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.
Source:
cihrs
More information on; http://anhri.net/saudi
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Sudan
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Looking for long lasting peace in Darfur
The Arabic Alliance for Darfur held some activities under the slogan "Stop the war- Make peace in Darfur" in Adlan Khatem center for human development. The meeting asserted that the alliance must press on the Arabic Governments to work on the Darfur crisis fairly and mutually, some of the people who attended the events confirmed that the solution to Darfur crisis would come after changing the Arabic Governmental views to the case.
Source:
The Arabic programme For Human Rights Activists
More information on; http://anhri.net/sudan
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Syria
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Mashaal Temo sentenced to three and a half years in prison
In a trial lacking the lowest standards of fair trial, the first Criminal Court in Damascus sentenced Mashaal Temo, Secretary-eneral of the Kurdish Future Trend, to three and a half years with interdiction, deprivation of Civil rights, and fining with fees charged by court fees, on charge of providing false information that would weaken the national feeling and raise prejudices, racism and sectarianism.
Source:
National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
Kurdish Human Rights Committee (the observer)
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists
Syrian Committee for Human Rights
More information and topics on Syria page: http://www.anhri.net/syria
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Iraq
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Lawsuit against local newspapers
The Iraqi Trade Minister, "Abdul Fallah el-Sudani" filed the fourth lawsuit against local newspapers which published press statements of Member of Parliament "Alia Nasseef" accusing the Ministry of Commerce of administrative and financial corruption, Abdul Fallah demanded the imposition of a fine on the newspaper for publishing the MP's remarks.
Source:
Journalistic Freedoms Observatory
More information and topics on Iraq page: http://www.anhri.net/iraq
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Palestine
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The escalation of violations against journalists
Israeli aggressions against journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories escalated during the month of April, these violations targeted journalists who cover demonstrations against the Anti-apartheid wall, especially in the villages of Bil'in and Naalin, where Sa'ed Fathi Hawari, Reuters cameraman, was injured by Israeli occupation forces while covering a march against the construction of the wall.
Moreover, the phenomenon of arresting journalists has returned in the West Bank, as Mustafa Sabri, an independent journalist, as well as the press writer Dr. Abdul Sattar Kassem, and Murad Abul Baha were all arrested, and many other journalists in Gaza strip were denied travel.
Source:
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (Mada)
More information and topics on Palestine page: http://www.anhri.net/palestine
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Lebanon
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Remembrance of the first armed attacks on the Lebanese media
It's been a year since the armed attacks on the Lebanese media have taken place, in May of last year, 'al-Mustaqbal' newspaper building was besieged, and moreover the building was exposed to shooting and missiles, 'al-Mustaqbal' television broadcast were cut off, archives were damaged, and journalists were attacked.
Furthermore, "al-Sheraa" magazine was closed, and more than thirty workers and technicians in the building of the "Al-Lewa'a" magazine were restrained, in the random firing at the newspaper building entrance, also, the building of Radio 'Sefan' was burnt, and employees in the Office of the TV channel "el-Arabia" were exposed to the threat of assault if they carried out their work, also they were charged by the local media of treason.
Many journalists were prevented from expressing their opinions on the events of May 2008, in a number of media outlets, simply because these opinions were incompatible with the view of those in charge of the institution to which the staff belongs.
Source:
Center for the Defense of the media and press freedoms in the Middle East (Skies)
More information and topics on Lebanon page: http://anhri.net/lebanon
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Egypt
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Elections of the Lawyers Syndicate
The Lawyers Syndicate suffers many problems with regard to its inception and composition, where regulatory legislations of Trade Unions forced employees to join these unions as a condition for the exercise of the profession, which caused the syndication work to lose one of its most important conditions, the elections' propaganda stage witnessed many abuses inappropriate with the syndicate, as some of the most prominent candidates for the position of the Chairperson, namely; Sameh Ashour, Raga'i Attia, Talaat el-Sadat and Hamdi Khalifa, accused each other of improper charges, furthermore, the media debate between both Raga'i Attia and Sameh Ashour in a satellite program was a bad example to the lack of respect and consideration for the rules of the democracy game.
Source:
The Egyptian Association of the Advancement of community participation
More information and topics on Egypt page: http://www.anhri.net/egypt
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Yemen
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Arresting an Internet press writer and shooting another
The continuity of the series of violations to journalists in Yemen, resulted in the arrest of the journalist and internet activist "Yahya Bamahfouz" at the hands of the Criminal Investigation forces from his house in the city of Makla in Hadramawt Province, and seized his computer and some personal electronic devices without giving reasons, before they took him to an unknown destination moreover, some security men opened fire on journalist, "Saleh Khamis bin Mehanna" when some of the military forces were chasing him in the same city "Hadramawt", the journalist in turn shot them, which made them stop chasing him and seize his motorcycle
Source:
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
More information and topics on Yemen page: http://anhri.net/yemen
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Iran
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Roxana Saberi released
Journalist "Roxana Saberi" was released on the eleventh of May, Roxana's father is Iranian and she is a holder of U.S. citizenship and has lived six years in Iran, in which she cooperated with several media organizations, including the BBC and Fox News and NPR U.S. Radio. After being arrested in late January on charges of working illegally before accusing her of spying for the United States, a charge exploited by the Iranian authorities against independent journalists.
Source:
Reporters Without Borders
More information and topics on Iran: http://anhri.net/iran
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The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
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Court ruling to ban pornographic web sites
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) declares it is being disturbed by the persistence of hostility shown by the Bahraini Minister of Culture and Information Mai Al-Khalifa against freedom to use the Internet in Bahrain.
It seems that the work of the new minister is limited to browsing websites and taking decisions to block them, as the number of blocked sites since she began her work reached more than three hundreds, while the number was only 26 sites before she takes her new ministerial post.
Grievances of the citizen
Yemen: Tormentors acquitted
In the first reaction to the ruling issued by the Administrative Judiciary Court to compel the Ministry of Communications to ban pornographic web sites, the Arabic Network said in a statement that, In spite of the outspoken attitude of the Arabic Network which refuses any sort of restrictions on the freedom to use the Internet in general, the Network is of the opinion that there are some web sites that may pose serious dangers such as "bomb-making web sites, offensive or racist web sites or web sites related to pedophile porn" which must be blocked, provided that there is a clear identification of the reasons behind blocking, and that the decision be issued by a Court and not an official or an administrative entity.
For more information from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information:http://www.anhri.net/press
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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