Learn more about Global Voices switch away from “Middle East & North Africa”.
Stories about West Asia & North Africa from January, 2012
Yemen: Saleh Gets Impunity After All
Yemen's parliament has endorsed the law granting outgoing Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh total immunity from any crimes committed during his rule, including the killing of protesters since the beginning of the popular uprising against his regime in February. Netizens react to the news.
Turkey: Post-Murder Trial, Thousands Remember Hrant Dink
Thousands have marched in Turkey to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and Agos newspaper editor Hrant Dink.
Iran:”Facebook prisoner” celebrates birthday in prison
Hanieh (Sharareh) Farshi Shotorban, an Iranian young woman who was arrested last year, reportedly, for her Facebook activities, celebrates birthday in Evin prison in prison. Hanieh is sentenced [fa] to...
MENA: Amnesty International's Forecast for 2012
“Repression and state violence is likely to continue to plague the Middle East and North Africa in 2012,” forecasts Amnesty International in an 80-page report. It documents the extreme violence deployed...
Greece: Cretan Masterpiece “Erotokritos” Translated into Turkish
Stella Tsolakidou of the Greek Reporter website writes about the recent publication of the Cretan literature masterpiece “Erotokritos” in Turkish. Erotokritos is a 17th century epic romance, and has been...
Iran: Women activist shot dead in Texas
A Texas Medical Center student and Iranian women activist was shot dead on Monday in Houston. Gelareh Bagherzadeh was driving her car when she was shot. Authorities said it is...
Turkey: Hrant Dink Murder Trial Closes
Five years and 25 hearings later, the trial to convict those responsible for the murder of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist, has come to a close.
Iran: Iranian site is striking against censorship in U.S.A
Amsterdam based Iranian Arseh Sevom site is striking against SOPA and PIPA which seek to deploy online censorship and surveillance in the name of enforcing copyright, employing the same tools...
Iran: Golshifteh Farahani posed nude for Le Figaro
Madame Le Figaro published a nude photo of Golshifteh Farahani, Iranian actress based in Paris, and there has been a huge interest and reactions to this quite rare photo on...
Iran: More web activists got arrested
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says [fa] Iran has arrested two web activists last week; Mohammad SoleimaniNia, who “hosts and manages websites of many Iranian civil society communities and intellectuals and...
Iran: Second blogger arrested in Tehran
Iranian authorities arrested Marzieh Rasouli, journalist and blogger, last night in Tehran. She writes stories and narrations of her daily life in ‘3 Rouz Pish’ [fa]. This is the second...
Global Online Community Protests U.S. Anti-Piracy Bills
Today, January 18, is an important day for the Internet. Corporate websites, from Google to Twitpic, along with civil society groups and individuals, have all joined together in a common cause: to protest two American bills that could have grave effects for global online free expression.
Iran: Gender based books for schools
Iranian authorities announced that school books to be changed and written based on gender. Azar Todnar says gender discrimination becomes institutionalized in Iran.
Iran: Another Blogger in Jail
According to confirmed reports from Tehran, Parastoo Dokouhaki, Iranian blogger and journalist, is arrested by authorities. Parastoo is a women activist as well. She writes in her blog “Zan-Nevesht” and...
Iran: Jailed Islamic Cleric and Blogger on Hunger Strike
Islamic cleric and blogger, Mohammad Sadegh (Arash) Honarvar Shojayi, is on hunger strike in prison in Iran to protest the four year prison sentence he received in October 2011 for defaming the regime and clergy.
Lebanon: Her Veil
“And when I made up my mind and ran to my mom screaming ”baddi it7ajab” [I want to wear the veil] she looked at me and said if you wear...
Lebanon: Snow Haiku
As snow falls on Lebanon's mountains, Haiku from Lebanon posts its latest: “The tender snow Has wiped away The weeping willow's tears”
Lebanon: Building Collapses in Ashrafieh
Najib is reporting about the collapse of a building in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut. Rescue workers are removing rubble while trying to save about 30 inhabitants who were in the...
Iran: A group of Iranians celebrate win at Golden Globes
Here is a film shows a group of Iranians celebrating “A Seperation” win at Golden Globes.
Iran: Celebrating The 1st Golden Globe For Iran
Iranian users in Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed and other social media are celebrating that Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi's drama ‘A Separation‘ won the award for best foreign language film at the...
Video Highlights: Activism, Freedom of Speech, Identity and Culture
A selection of Global Voices' recent and interesting stories including video from Middle East and North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, Western, Eastern and Central Europe, East Asia and Latin America, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.
About our West Asia & North Africa coverage
