Stories about Middle East & North Africa
19 March 2019
Activists speak out against Iraq's cybercrime bill
The bill prescribes lengthy prisons sentences, including life imprisonment, for speech-related offences.
14 March 2019
Why is the Islamic Republic of Iran afraid of Nasrin Sotoudeh?
"The Islamic Republic is struggling for its survival. Anyone with the potential of leading change is regarded as a significant threat by the authorities. Nasrin Sotoudeh is such a person."
13 March 2019
Scheduled release of Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah delayed by 10 days
The #FreeAlaa campaign reassured supporters that the delay is not a cause for concern for now.
8 March 2019
Four years on from student's shocking murder, Turkish higher education disavows gender equality
"We need to consider that these meanings are not appropriate for our values or accepted by our society."
6 March 2019
How sports groups rallied for the release of a Bahraini footballer detained in Thailand
"We think that this campaign showed what sport can be, and our job as former players or athletes is to ensure that all sport becomes the vanguard for human rights."
4 March 2019
Photojournalist Mahmoud ‘Shawkan’ Abu Zeid walks free, after more than five years in prison
Shawkan, who was working for Demotix at the time of his arrest, spent almost four years in pre-trial detention.
1 March 2019
Netizen Report: Two of Egypt’s leading digital activists await their release from prison, after years behind bars
Alaa and Shawkan are still waiting to get out, Algeria's internet is faltering, and Nepal has a new IT bill.
28 February 2019
Egyptian parliament endorses constitutional amendments that could allow Sisi to rule until 2034
"Proposed amendments to Egypt’s constitution, including granting the armed forces authority to intervene in government, would undermine judicial independence and expand executive powers that are already being abused."
25 February 2019
How Saudi leaders are using religion to consolidate power and silence critical voices
''Oppression is a comprehensive system, and [in our country] it is enabled by religion.''
22 February 2019
Can Jordan offer some lessons to oil-dependent ‘giants’ on renewable energy?
Jordan is the only Arab country in the region with an attractive market for commercial-scale solar.
21 February 2019
A look at Syria's long history of feminist movements
"The 2011 revolution was a revolution against everything, and so the women had a role as revolutionary activists at the forefront of the revolution"
18 February 2019
EU proposal pushes tech companies to tackle ‘terrorist content’ with AI, despite implications for war crimes evidence
AI tools can assess whether a video is violent or graphic. But can they determine the video’s intended purpose?
16 February 2019
Cameroonian justice minister rationalizes Holocaust on national television
The comments are distressing given how it feeds into the renewed reliance worldwide from far-right movements on the tired, racist trope that the Jewish community controls the finance world.
13 February 2019
#MetooUyghur campaign asks Chinese government to prove that Xinjiang detainees are still alive
Uyghur communities from all over the world are using the #MetooUyghur hashtag to demand answers about the welfare of their loved ones.
12 February 2019
Iranian environmentalists fear death penalty after a year behind bars
Public prosecutors built much of their case against the group from a forced confession made by one of the activists.
9 February 2019
Why Bahrain's ‘torture prince’ can still visit the U.K. despite calls for his arrest
Despite allegations that Bahrain's Nasser Bin Hamad personally took part in torturing protesters, he has repeatedly traveled to the UK where he faces calls for his arrest.
5 February 2019
European Parliament approves EU-Moroccan trade deal, ignoring Western Sahara Indigenous protections
By ignoring the European Court of Justice's verdict and the concerns of Sahrawis whose lands are occupied by Morocco, the European parliament is "pushing for a war in Western Sahara".
1 February 2019
Pressure mounts for Thailand to free Melbourne-based Bahraini refugee Hakeem al-Araibi
"Australia just gave our highest award to 2 divers for risking their lives to rescue 12 Thai boys from underground caves. We know where Hakeem is. He just needs a...
19 January 2019
Jordan stalls on official poverty statistics amid tax law controversy
Reports on poverty in Jordan have been absent since 2010, putting the government under fire for answers.
17 January 2019
Facing targeted attacks, Yemen's Christian minority struggles to survive
"Galileo" is a Yemeni who converted to Christianity three years ago. He's been arrested and tortured, and is now living in fear for his life.
About our Middle East & North Africa coverage
Afef Abrougui is Advox Editor for the Middle East and North Africa. Email her story ideas related to freedom of expression online.
Lova Rakotomalala is the French editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
