Arab Uprising Impact’s on Press Freedom
In its 10th annual press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) assessed the evolution of press and media freedom after one year of turmoil in the Arab world. RWB noted "The transitions that have begun are not necessarily leading towards more ...
Bahrain Shuts Out Media as Anniversary Approaches
Bahrain has denied visas for multiple journalists who requested to be in the country for the February 14 anniversary of the uprisings. Denied media outlets include the New York Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Al Jazeera. Several of the correspondents were vocal on ...
February 8, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Journalism, US foreign policy
Iraq Heads Towards Civil Strife
In less than a month after U.S. troops exited the country Iraq's government appears in turmoil. Barham Salih, Prime Minister of the autonomous northern Kurdish region, said the internal conflicts are "tearing the country apart," with the new motto being, "I'll have him for lunch before they have me for dinner." Over the past several months, the security services, under Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, have incarcerated more than 1,000 members ...
January 23, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Iraq, Journalism, Kurdish Region, Military, Political Parties, Political transition
Report: Freedoms in Iraq: An Increasing Repressive Legal Net
In December, 2011, IREX, in partnership with the Centre for Law and Democracy, published the report Freedoms in Iraq: an Increasingly Repressive Legal Net, detailing five pieces of legislation affecting the freedoms of assembly and expression in Iraq. The Journalists Rights Law is the only one passed into law as of August 2011, while the other four – the Commission of Media and Communication Law, Informatics Crimes Law, Political Parties Law and ...
France Suspects Manipulation in Journalists’Death
French President Nicolas Sarkozy requested that Syrian authorities "shed light" on the attack against the convoy transporting journalists, among them Gilles Jacquier who was killed. A source close to the President declared that they believed a manipulation occurred, but emphasized that there is ...
POMED Notes: “From Arab Spring to Coptic Winter: Sectarian Violence and the Struggle for Democratic Transition in Egypt”
On Tuesday, November 15th, the Helsinki Commission held a hearing entitled “From Arab Spring to Coptic Winter: Sectarian Violence and the Struggle for Democratic Transition in Egypt.” Testimonies were provided by Michael H. Posner, assistant secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Dina Guirguis, attorney at Egyptian American Rule of Law Association (EARLA), Samuel Tadros, research fellow at the Hudson Institute, and Dr. Michele Dunne, ...
November 20, 2011
Category: Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Egypt, Elections, Government, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Journalism, Judiciary, Justice, Political transition, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, Rule of Law, Sectarianism, US foreign policy
Qatar Urges Saleh to Tender Resignation
Qatar pressed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign a power transfer deal "without delay" after prolonged protests against his rule. "We call on the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to immediately sign the Gulf initiative without delay," Prime Minister ...
November 17, 2011
Category: Arab League, Featured, Journalism, Political transition, Protests, Qatar, Yemen
November 9, 2011
Category: Featured, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Journalism, Rule of Law, UAE
October 24, 2011
Category: Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Journalism, Media, Political transition, Protests, Reform
Egypt: Amb. Patterson “Not Comfortable” Talking to MB
U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson said she is "not personally comfortable enough" yet talking to the Muslim Brotherhood. Patterson added that the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo had been in "contact" with Muslim Brotherhood members. The ...
October 18, 2011
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Category: Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Journalism, NGOs, US foreign policy
Bahrain: Vote of No Confidence Against US Ambassador
Bahrain's parliament "issued a vote of no confidence in the appointment of new US Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski, who they claimed had a volatile agenda towards Bahrain." Members of Parliament stated that they found his "meetings in the ...
October 12, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Human Rights, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Political Parties, Protests
Change in Leadership at Al Jazeera
On Tuesday, Al Jazeera's director general Wadah Khanfar stepped down from his post after 8 years as the network's top executive. Khanfar, who started as a correspondent for Al Jazeera, stated that "he had been discussing his decision to step down with ...
September 22, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Iraq, Journalism, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Syria, US foreign policy
Oman: Journalists Jailed for Exposing Corruption
Editor Ibrahim al-Maamary and Managing Editor Yussuf al-Haj of the Omani newspaper Azzaman were sentenced to five months in jail on charges of insulting Justice Minister Mohamed al-Hanai and an undersecretary of state. Al-Maamary and al-Haj were charged with accusing ...
POMED Notes: “Sifting Fact from Fiction: The Role of Social Media in Conflict”
The United States Institute of Peace hosted a conference with several discussion panels regarding the use of social media in conflict. Each of the panels had a different focus, varying from the very technical to the more politically-oriented. The purpose of the conference was to determine if a definitive effect from social media on conflict could be discerned. For notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. Opening remarks were addressed ...
September 21, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Freedom, Government, Journalism, Media, Political Parties, Political transition, Protests, Public Opinion
Egypt: Concern over Increased Media Censorship
The offices of Al Jazeera Egyptian affiliate Mubasher Misr were raided and shut down by security forces in plain clothes Sunday. The channel is known for its coverage of protests, including Friday's attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo. While members ...
Iran: Political Prisoners Granted Furlough Despite Additional Arrests
Three reformist political prisoners, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Ghorbanali Behzadannejad and Javad Emam, were granted three-day furloughs in Iran. Tajzadeh was a senior member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front and was arrested for participating in protests during the 2009 presidential elections. He was sentenced to six years in prison. Behzadannejad was sentenced to five years in prison for aiding presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi. Emam was sentenced to one year in prison for ...
September 1, 2011
Category: Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Iran, Journalism, Protests, Reform, Women, Women's Rights, Youth
Iran: New Reports of Human Rights Abuses; Gender Segregation
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders requested an intervention in Iran regarding the human rights violations. The Observatory highlighted the abuses and disappearances of individuals such as, Blogger Kouhyar Goudarzi, Committee of Human ...
Libyan Analysis Roundup: NATO, U.S. Leadership, Arab Spring
Brian Whitaker from the Guardian newspaper noted the current victory over the regime of Muammar Gadhafi, but stressed that the work ahead will be the hardest. He opposed any comparison of Libya to Iraq or Afghanistan noting the initial positive statements of the Transitional National Council and the arrest, not extrajudicial killing, of Saif al-Islam Gadhafi. He noted the social divisions within Libya but expressed optimism that these are not ...
National Press Club Outraged at Imprisonment of Journalist in Iran
National Press Club (NPC) President Mark Hamrick expressed outrage at reports of the recent imprisonment of Iranian Blogger Kouhyar Goudarzi and his mother. Last year, the NPC awarded Goudarzi with the 2010 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award after he "had been incarcerated for months for the 'crime' of speaking his mind." A month later, Goudarzi had been released from prison. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in ...