Hundreds of thousands of activists returned to Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday night to protest supplementary constitutional amendments issued by the ruling military council in recent days. The amendments grant the military sweeping legislative and...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa

Creative dissent in Syria
The Syrian regime has gone to great lengths to silence the satirical commentary of Ali Ferzat
Libya throws out law criminalising glorification of Muammar Gaddafi
Libya's Supreme Court yesterday threw out a new law criminalising the glorification of ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi or his supporters. The law was deemed to be "unconstitutional", after a group of Libyan lawyers argued against the law for...

Where is the truth in the battle for Syria’s narrative?
This is a propaganda war, a diplomat in Damascus told the BBC's Paul Danahar, "you can't take anyone at face value now". The war of words over the Syrian revolution has been brutal, and for some, fatal. Revolutionaries and Assadists have tried...
Bahrain reaches verdict in medics case
A Bahraini court today acquitted nine of the 20 medics sentenced last year for treating anti-government protesters and reduced the sentences of nine others. Last year's sentences, handed down on 20 September, ranged from five to 15 years and...

Tunisian Ministry of Culture closes art gallery
On 12 June, the Tunisian Ministry of Culture decided to temporarily close Palais El-Abdelia, where the controversial Pritemps des Arts fair’s closing ceremony took place last Sunday. On the night of 10 June, ultra-conservative Islamists attacked...

Tunisian journalist ends hunger strike
Journalist and activist Ramzi Bettaieb ended a 15-day hunger strike yesterday. Three other activists and bloggers, Azyz Amami, Houcem Hajlaoui and Emine M’tiraoui, who went on hunger strike in solidarity with Bettaieb have also ended their action....
New TV advertisements play on fears of foreigners in Egypt
In recent days a series of controversial public service announcements aired on state-owned TV channels in Egypt, angering Egyptians and foreigners alike. The advertisements, which warn Egyptians against talking to foreigners "because they might be...

Ultra-conservative Islamists vandalise artworks at Tunis art fair
The Tunis Printemps des Arts (Spring of Arts), a modern contemporary art fair, ended on 10 June after 10 days of exhibitions and competition. The closing ceremony, which was supposed to be a celebration of art, was characterised by controversy,...
Iran to crackdown on usage of VPNs
Iran's cyber police will carry out a new crackdown on software used to circumvent the country's strict censorship media according to reports by local news agencies. The head of the specialised police unit examining security issues, claimed...