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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 # 263
Sixth Year
May, 29 – June, 4, 2009
Jordon
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“WTV” space channel in court
The Jordanian Audiovisual Commission filed a case against the “WTV” space channel for violating the temporary audiovisual law and its regulations. This stance comes after broadcasting an SMS sent by one of the viewers to the channel’s SMS bar. The SMS contained a frank opinion of its sender against the Jordanian singer “Shaden Al Abadi”. The SMS content was considered by one of the major tribes as inconvenient to the tribe’s women.
Tens of the tribe members assaulted the channel premises and ruined its properties as a protest against the channel who refused to stop the cell SMS live broadcasting.
Source:
Middle East Journal and Media defense center (SKeyes)
For more details visit: http://anhri.net/jordan
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Tunisia
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The detainees of Gafsa Mining Basin
The movements demanding freeing the detainees of Gafsa Mining Basin continues. Gafsa is a governorate 350 Km south eastern Tunis. On January, 7,2008 the movements started and was met by cruel security violence which resulted in hundreds of injuries and 3 causalities. Demonstrators were fiercely sentenced to prison. Demanding freeing the Mining Basin detainees is no more exclusive to their families or their defending authorities, it is now adopted by the Civil Society. This weak Bensert city witnessed clashes between activists and political police who tried to prevent the formers from expressing solidarity with the detainees by making a sit-in before the city council headquarter.
Source:
Ligue tunisienne des droits de l'homme
For more details visit http://www.anhri.net/tunisia
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Syria
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News coverage is exclusive to “SANA”
The Syrian government insists on monopolizing the media in order to impose its vision on Syrian citizens. The Syrian Ministry of Information is exhausting the financial sources of the private printings by preventing its distribution or delaying them through the “law of verbal regulations” without any legal bill.
This weak, the Syrian Prime Minister Nagy Etri circulated an order to all ministries to exclusively deal with the Syrian Arab News Agency “SANA” to cover all their activities.
Source:
Syrian Centre for Media & Freedom of Expression
For more details visit http://www.anhri.net/syria
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Iraq
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A conference of supporting the Iraqi media
This weak witnessed the gathering of the world journalists syndicates leaders in Baghdad. The journalists syndicates leaders participated in the first conference for supporting the Iraqi media. Both the International Federation of Journalists and the Iraqi journalists syndicate organized the Baghdad Journalism Summit 2009. The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki welcomed the conference during the opening session and promised to provide governmental support for the programs aiming at developing the media sector and promised also to set procedures to protect journalists.
Source:
International Federation of Journalists
For more details visit http://www.anhri.net/iraq
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Palestine
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Media freedom is never achieved under occupation
This weak witnessed the acceptance of the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) as a new member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). The (IFEX) network has more than 80 members from allover the world. All members are freedom of expression defenders.
Playwright and director Mr. Amr Katamto, the (MADA) representative, delivered a speech in which he expressed his appreciation of the membership of (IFEX). He said that the Israeli occupation spared no effort to prevent the Palestinian media development through imposing strict censorship, shutting down media means and preventing establishing new media means. “It is impossible to achieve media freedom under occupation which is against freedoms and human rights. It is also difficult to speak about stopping the dramatic escalation of violation without achieving reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas movements”, added Mr. Amr Katamto.
Source:
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
For more details visit http://www.anhri.net/palestine
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Lebanon
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Severe impunity
This weak meats the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir. On Tuesday morning, June 2, 2005, Kassir was going to the headquarter of "Annahar", his newspaper, in Beirut. As usual, he took his car that had been parked down the building where he used to live in the neighborhood of Ashrafieh. As soon as he sat in the driver's seat, a bomb that had been fixed under the seat exploded, leading to his immediate death.
Four years have passed without arresting the murderers. Till the arrest of the perpetrators who shed the blood of Kassir and his companions, and bringing them before independent judiciary, the Lebanese journalists will have to cope with additional years of fear and suffering threats to their lives.
Source:
Middle East Journal and Media defense center (SKeyes)
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
For more details visit http://anhri.net/lebanon
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Egypt
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A new strike to the civil society
The Ministry of Social Solidarity continues disseminating rumors to the press regarding new amendments to the law regulating the NGOs, while the organizations basically concerned by this law are totally turned down from the whole process. The Ministry is ignoring the draft law developed by a group of NGOs that was widely adopted after a long time of debates and positive discussions including activists, parliamentarians with the participation of a representative of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The ministry carefree attitude towards the serious efforts of the civil society is represented in a full blackout about the draft law of the NGOs and in the ministry’s committee formed without any real representation of the civil society.
Source:
The New Woman Foundation
For more details visit http://www.anhri.net/egypt
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Yemen
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Illusive growth rates
Violations against economic, social and cultural rights are not related to the lack of resources but to justice, equity and freedom. Liberating from poverty is one of the fundamental human rights which directly affects the economic, social, and cultural rights. Also its absence leads to serious social phenomena and to creating a rich atmosphere for crimes and extremism.
The annual report about human rights in Yemen, issued by the Yemen Observatory of Human Rights, revealed the government attitude for hiding the real indicators and results of statistics regarding the national growth rates mentioned in the annual report of the central statistics authority. The government adopts a policy aiming at showing illusive economic growth rates.
Source:
Yemen Observatory of Human Rights
For more details visit http://anhri.net/yemen
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The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
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Blocking pornography websites between rejection and support
The decision of the Administrative Judiciary Court to compel the Ministry of Communications, of blocking the pornographic websites in Egypt raised many different reactions that reflect clear differences in views about defining the nature of what is to be named as "Pornographic websites".
Motivated by its desire to deepen the viewpoints, The Arabic Network for Human Rights (ANHRI), organized a symposium this weak entitled "pornography websites between rejection and support". The parliamentary Mohamed Khalil Quetta, Mr. Nizar Ghurab, the lawyer who has filed a case to block the porn websites, and Mr. Ashraf Baroudi the Judge in the Court of Appeal of Alexandria, have participated in the symposium. Also, Mr. Abdul Jalil Elcharnoubi, a journalist and manager of Ikhwan online website, Mr. Ahmed Gharbeya the technical expert, the blogger and Journalist Mr. Ahmed Naji, along with Mr. Amr Moussa, specialized in the Internet technologies, were all present in the symposium.
For more information about the symposium report visit http://anhri.net/press/2009/pr0601-2.shtml
For more details http://www.anhri.net/press
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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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