7 Jun 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
A Yemeni court on Monday sentenced journalist Majed Karoot to one year in prison and fined him YR 200,000 for criticising local government officials on the popular social networking site Facebook. The director of corporate communications for the Al-Baida governorate, Mohammed Al-Karfoshi and his deputy, Kamal Al-Najar filed the complaint against posts made by the journalist on the site last year. The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS) called the verdict a “threat to freedom of the press and freedom of expression”.
7 Jun 2012 | Americas, Index Index, minipost
Political columnist Katia D’Artigues, of Mexican newspaper El Universal, has said she and her son have received death threats via Twitter for having criticised presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). PRI members are reported to have condemned the threats and have denied involvement.
7 Jun 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
Index on Censorship award winner Nabeel Rajab was re-arrested yesterday for allegedly insulting citizens of a predominantly Sunni village on the popular social networking site, Twitter. According to prosecutors, Rajab was taken into custody to investigate charges filed by citizens of Muharraq, who are accusing the activist of publicly insulting them and “questioning their patriotism”. Rajab, who is also head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), has slammed the new charges, calling them “vindictive accusations”. He was last released on bail on 28 May, and still faces charges of “illegal protesting” and insulting public officials on Twitter.
7 Jun 2012 | Middle East and North Africa, Tunisia
13 days after police arrested him, Fathi Tlili, a coordinator for the Leftist Socialist Party (Le Parti socialiste de gauche in French), is still behind bars.
The arrest followed Tlili’s participation in protests which swept Sakiet Sidi Youssef, a small and underprivileged town in the northwest of Tunisia. On 25 May, the town’s inhabitants organised a general strike demanding employment and a local development boost.
The strike, which paralysed the town’s little economic activity, ended in acts of vandalism when unemployed protesters set official buildings and state-owned cars on fire.
Police are accusing Tlili of “inciting riot”, and of “breaking down” the local delegation’s rear door building. The PSG has denied these charges, claiming that Tlili and other party activists tried to stand up to acts of vandalism.
In a communiqué released on 3 June, PSG Secretary General Mohamed Kilani described the legal proceedings against Tlili as “a political trial”. He claims Tlili was badly treated while in prison.
“After visiting him in prison, Fathi’s wife asserted that her husband was physically abused, and badly treated. She noticed the bruises on his body,” the communiqué stated.
The Tunisian extreme left is often blamed for fuelling protests and social unrest. I an interview given to Al-Jazeera last January, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki accused the “extreme left” of “manipulating, and politicising social protests in order to stir up trouble”.
