Muntadar al Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist convicted after he threw a shoe at President George Bush, has had his jail sentence reduced from three years to one year. Read more here
‘Shoe thrower’ sentence reduced
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CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Freedom of information when it suits
Why is British government trying to censor documents relating to the Iraq war it has already published, asks Chris Ames A new twist in the tale of Tony Blair’s Iraq dossier has exposed the blatant double standard that the government applies to...
Egyptian anger day
April 6 was named a day of 'anger' by Egyptian Internet users fighting the state of emergency law that prevents them from expressing themselves freely. The authorities have steadily increased the surveillance of bloggers. According to RSF, In 2008...
Jenin youth orchestra disbanded after Holocaust survivor concert
A youth orchestra from Jenin in the West Bank has been disbanded after its conductor arranged a concert for Holocaust survivors in Israel. Read more here
Iraq: the case for disclosure mounts
Newly released documents reveal the very real need for an Iraq inquiry, says Chris Ames As MPs once again debate calls for a full inquiry into the Iraq war, new evidence shows the extent to which intelligence experts raised concerns about the...
Egypt moves towards religious freedom
The ‘religion’ section in Egyptian national identity cards may now be left blank, after a court ruling on 16 March. Computerised ID cards were introduced in 1995, and forced people to identify themselves with one of the three main religions: Islam,...
Al Khaiwani receives second pardon
Journalist Abdulkarim Al Khaiwani has been pardoned again by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Al Khaiwani had already been pardoned last September after being sentenced to six months in prison on a charge of ‘collaboration with the rebellion in the...
Shoe thrower jailed for three years
Muntazer al Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who sparked headlines worldwide after throwing his shoe at George Bush, has been sentenced to three years in prison. Read more here
Iraq minutes release vetoed
Justice Secretary Jack Straw has vetoed the release of minutes of cabinet meetings in the lead-up to the Iraq war. The Information Commissioner had previously ruled that the records should be released. Read more here
The Satanic Verses at 20
On 14 February 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran declared a death sentence on novelist Salman Rushdie after the publication of The Satanic Verses. Twenty years on Lisa Appignanesi, recalls how a ground-breaking, visionary novel was hijacked and...