Stories about Middle East & North Africa
11 November 2019
Wake-up call or smear campaign? How an ad for sanitary pads is dividing Turkish public opinion
In Turkey, a top sanitary pad brand comes under fire after it releases a feminist ad.
10 November 2019
Netizen Report: Domestic worker abuses in the Gulf expose tech companies’ failures to protect human rights
Tech companies grapple with abuses against domestic workers, Iraqis face another internet shutdown, and Russia gets ready for a 'sovereign internet.'
7 November 2019
Bangladeshi migrant domestic workers are returning from Saudi Arabia with shocking tales of abuse
900 female domestic workers have returned from Saudi Arabia in 2019 accusing their employers of physical and sexual abuse -- more than 100 have died.
5 November 2019
Why is Pakistan trying to broker Iran-Saudi peace talks?
Despite many unresolved domestic issues, Pakistan's role towards brokering an Iran-Saudi peace talk is being widely criticized at home and abroad.
28 October 2019
Netizen Report: How are protests in Lebanon affecting digital rights?
Protests continue in Lebanon, phone service is back in Kashmir (but the internet is still down) and Egyptians are getting censored on Twitter.
25 October 2019
Iran’s drive to block international services continues with Google Play ban
The decision to block Google Play is consistent with the authorities' strategy to foist home-grown Iranian apps and services on Iranian internet users and limit the availability of international services.
21 October 2019
Ahead of Tunisia elections, social media was flooded with mis- and disinformation
In the months leading up to the elections, mis- and disinformation spread widely across social media platforms, Facebook in particular.
12 October 2019
Algerian government cracks down as demonstrators protest presidential elections
The Algerian government has tried to stop peaceful marches, but failed. Protesters stop at nothing to reach their stated goal of ending the post-independence political system.
11 October 2019
Netizen Report: Iraq and Ecuador face network shutdowns amid public protests
Networks are down in Turkey, Iraq and Ecuador; US tech companies are cutting off Venezuelans; and gatekeepers continue holding back content related to Hong Kong protests.
4 October 2019
From Syria to the world: Notes on tyranny, war and despair
Based on actual events and stories, these Notes send the message that Syrians deserve to live in peace, dignity and freedom—just like everyone else in the world.
An Exiled Nation: Saharawi advocates call on the world to support self-determination for Western Sahara
The Saharawi people have lived in exile since 1975, when, following Spain’s withdrawal from Africa, the Moroccan and Mauritanian armies occupied the resource-rich territory in Western Sahara where the Saharawi...
26 September 2019
Netizen Report: Anti-corruption protests across Egypt trigger internet blockages, arrests
Censorship spikes as protests mount in Egypt, Twitter censors hundreds of pro-state accounts and a Pakistani court delivers a win for free speech online.
7 September 2019
Overnight music hit turns rappers into social justice heroes in Turkey
With over 10 million views and still trending, the song 'cannot stay silent' is making a deafening noise in Turkey and liberating the minds.
6 September 2019
How Turkey's broadcast regulator is taking over the supervision of online content
Under a new regulation, local streaming services like Netflix are required to adjust their content to the regulator's rules and guidelines.
4 September 2019
Painting the fears inside us all: A conversation with Syrian artist Rashwan Abdelbaki
Abdelbaki's art expresses what he sees as the “negative effects of racism, religion, and politics that are all striving to divide us and destroy our faith in humanity.”
3 September 2019
The plight of Kuwait's stateless community: Silenced and deprived of human rights
The security services spare no effort to target and silence the human rights movement of Kuwait's stateless community.
2 September 2019
Once celebrated by Homer, Turkey's Mount Ida is losing trees and going bald
Activists and artists join forces in Turkey to fight deforestation caused by mining companies.
29 August 2019
Winning a literary award won't set you free: An interview with author and asylum-seeker Behrooz Boochani
Australia's detention camps whistleblower describes conditions as hellish
12 August 2019
Withheld in Turkey: How the government exploits removal requests to silence critical and independent voices
For years, Turkey has been exploiting tools offered by social media platforms to restrict illegal content in a particular jurisdiction, to silence critical voices.
9 August 2019
Talking trash: Lebanese citizens continue to mobilize to solve the garbage crisis
A solution for Lebanon’s garbage problem is yet to be made after the government held off on a decision to build incinerators during talks that took place within Beirut.
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.
