Stories about Middle East & North Africa from July, 2011
United Arab Emirates: Adjournment of Blogger Ahmed Mansour's Tria
”Poor Arab and Emirati intellectuals and thinkers!” bewails Ahmed Al Mouhareb [ar] while reporting on his Twitter account the deferment the trial of the blogger and activist Ahmed Mansour and of four of his companions until September 26 [en]. Arrested in the beginning of April 2011, after having signed a...
Syria: Tanks Enter Hama on Eve of Ramadan
On the eve of Ramadan, Syrian troops have entered the city of Hama, reportedly killing as many as 45 people by 11:00 am on Sunday, July 31.
Kuwait: Bidun fly “Freedom Balloons”
A month ago, the stateless community of Kuwait started a 3 day-long campaign of “flipping your twitter avatar” to catch the media's attention and highlight their cause for the world. This Friday, they've made another campaign to set balloons in the air, calling them “freedom balloons". Mona Kareem shares the story.
Iran: Islamic Republic's problem with ‘Chat’ and ‘Facebook’
Islamic Republic's Interior Minister Mostafa Najar called [fa] Facebook, satellites and chatting, instruments used by western countries’ soft war against Iranian regime.
Lebanon: Musician Arrested for Mocking President in Song
Lebanese musician Zeid Hamdan was detained briefly this week for allegedly defaming President Michel Suleiman in a song he released in 2010. Lebanese newspaper Assafir has since reported the Hamdan has been released, but not before a Twitter and blogger storm publicised the news of his initial arrest. Lebanon's online...
Lebanon: Maritime Dispute with Israel Escalates
Hezballah leader Hassan Nasrallah has exclaimed that God had given Lebanon an opportunity to rid itself of a crippling debt, and become a "rich country" by providing it lucrative offshore oil and gas reserves. However, the reserves potentially lie in a disputed maritime border zone with Israel.
Iran: Campaign to Free Last Two Jailed American Hikers
Sarah Shourd spent 410 days in solitary confinement in Tehran, Iran, on charges of "espionage". She now calls on the world to speak up for her two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who are still in prison in Iran since all three were arrested while hiking in July 2009.
Tunisia: Time to Register for Elections
Registration for electoral lists in Tunisia started on July 11 and will be closed on August 2, but statistics have shown that Tunisians are reluctant to register on the lists. A group of Tunisian bloggers have launched an online campaign to urge people to register for the October elections.
Saudi Arabia Blocks Amnesty International's Website
Saudi Arabia has blocked access to the website of the human rights organisation Amnesty International following their leak of a draft for a new Saudi anti-terrorism law that would introduce harsher penalties for political dissent or critique of the royal family.
Iran:Remembering Iranian prisoners in Persia, Iowa
Jahanshah Javid, from iranian.com,displayed the names of 150 current Iranian prisoners on stickers along with ribbons in Persia, Iowa.
Saudi Arabia: New Anti-Terror Law Crushes Protests
Amnesty International's leaked draft of the new Saudi anti-terror law has prompted a strong reaction to the proposed legislation. Twitter users are using the hashtag #SaudiTerrorLaw to voice their opinions.
Turkey: Ethnic Tension Rises Further as Street Clashes Erupt in Istanbul
In the aftermath clashes between army and separatist Kurdish PKK militants earlier this month, ethnic tension in Turkey continues to grow. Marches in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul broke out into larger scale street fighting on the night of July 21.
Egypt: Clashes in Abbasseya
On July 23, Egyptian demonstrators marched from Tahrir Square to the Ministry of Defense demanding the stoppage of military trials for civilians, the trial of Mubarak and his former regime, and asking their military rulers to speed up reforms. The initially peaceful protest ended with violence.
Saudi Arabia: The Marriage of #Tabukgirl
Mona Kareem brings us the tale of #Tabukgirl and how this controversial story about a young girl being forcibly wed to a 60-year old man has sparked a strong response on Saudi Arabian social networks.
Iran: Global Day of Action for Dr. Arash Alaei
Physicians for Human Rights launched a global action day and an oline petition to Dr. Arash Alaei who is in jail in Iran. Arash and his brother, Kamyar, two Aids physicians were arrested in 2008. Kamyar was released recently and moved to the USA.
Iran: Rage Against Pre-Islamic Statues
It seems that even statues are not safe in Iran. Religious motives appear to be behind the recent theft and destruction of several bronze statues of Iranian national heroes from public places.
Turkey: Protest Against Kurdish Singer Prompts Strong Social Media Response
Aynur Doğan, a Kurdish-Turkish singer, was jeered by part of the audience during an open air concert in the Istanbul Jazz Festival because she sang a song in Kurdish. Part of the audience sang the Turkish National Anthem in protest, while others in the audience supported the singer.
Kuwait: Bloggers Fight Internet Companies
In the past two months, Kuwaiti bloggers have campaigned against Internet companies in Kuwait which are enforcing a policy of limited bandwidth, steeply raising prices in the past year by agreeing between each other on the same prices, and killing the competition in the Internet market. Mona Kareem expands on this protest.
Iran: Summer Heat Gives Way to Crackdowns on “Improper” Clothing
In many places, summer means sun, sea and holidays. In Iran, summer means at least one more thing: crackdowns on women wearing improper or “un-Islamic” clothing.
Iran: Mehdi Khazali, a publisher and blogger was arrested
Mehdi Khazali, a publisher and blogger was arrested. He is son of a leading right-wing cleric and former Counsel of Guardians member, Ayatollah Khazali.
Iran: Plight of seven detained netizens
Exactly one year after seven young netizens were arrested in a series of raids by intelligence ministry agents, Reporters Without Borders is reiterating the call for their release.
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