Three of the Muslim Brotherhood’s senior leaders, including Mahmoud Ezzat, the Brotherhood's deputy leader, were detained alongside at least 11 other members for engaging in banned political activity. Although the Muslim Brotherhood is banned, its...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Egyptian editor convicted of defamation
An Egyptian criminal court has convicted Yasser Barakat, editor-in-chief of the weekly Al Mougaz of defamation. The suit was filed by Mustafa Bakri, editor-in-chief of the weekly Al-Osbo’ and member of the Egyptian parliament. Barakat has been...
Iraq lifts election candidate ban
An Iraqi appeals panel has lifted a ban on hundreds of candidates barred from standing in impending Iraqi election because of their suspected links to Saddam's Baathist party. In a compromise negotiated by President Jalal Talabani, if the disputed...
Tunisian court upholds Taoufik Ben Brik’s prison sentence
A Tunisian appeals court on Saturday upheld a six-month prison sentence against journalist Taoufik Ben Brik, one of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali’s toughest critics. The Committee to Protect Journalists denounced the decision as part of a...
Iran executes two opposition supporters
Two men accused of plotting to overthrow the regime were hanged in Tehran yesterday. Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour, 19, were convicted of being ‘enemies of God’. The pair were the first to be put to death after more than 100 dissidents were...
US reporter ‘expelled’ by Israel
Jared Malsin, news editor for a Palestinian agency, put on flight to New York reports
Dimi Reider
Iran threatens opposition on cell phone, e-mail use
Iran’s police chief today warned the opposition movement that their emails and text messages are being monitored and that those who use SMS, emails or other web tools to organise protests will be severely punished. General Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam...
Yemen: government seizes editors
Yemeni security forces yesterday arrested Hisham Bushraheel, editor of the independent daily Al-Ayyam, along with his son Hani in the souther city of Aden. Acting on the orders of the prosecutor’s office, security forces entered the newspaper’s...
Yemen: journalist arrested over coverage of Dhala conflict
Khaled al Jahafi, a journalist with the news website al Sahwa (the Awakening) was arrested on 27 December 2009 whilst covering clashes between security forces and separatists in the southern province of Dhala. Free expression organisations have...
Iran: protests at funeral of prominent dissident
Iranian authorities have acknowledged that at least three protesters who were jailed after the countries disputed presidential elections in June, were beaten to death in prison. A military court announced that 12 prison officials had been charged...