Bahrain's Court of Cassation yesterday ordered a retrial in a civilian court for activist and hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and twenty other activists. Alkhawaja was originally sentenced to life in prison by a military tribunal in June 2011...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Iran: Elderly revolutionary icon sentenced to eight years in jail
An 80-year old head of a banned opposition party in Iran has been ordered to serve eight years in prison. Ebrahim Yazdi, activist and former foreign minister, was convicted in December 2011 on charges of "attempting to act against national...
The president of the Tunisian Pirate Party speaks
The Tunisian Pirate Party is an offshoot of the international anti-censorship movement and the political wing of the Takriz movement, a "street resistance nework". In the aftermath of Ben Ali's fall, one of its high-profile members, Slim...
Lindsey Hilsum on Libya opening up
Channel 4’s Lindsey Hilsum on capturing the glorious moment when a repressive regime falls and people are able to tell their stories for the first time
Libya opens up
When a repressive regime falls, there is a glorious moment when people are able to tell their stories for the first time. I was lucky enough to hit that moment last year when researching my book Sandstorm; Libya in the Time of Revolution. For 42...
Egyptians demand release of lawyer jailed in Saudi Arabia for insulting monarch
The detention of an Egyptian human rights lawyer shortly after his arrival in Saudi Arabia last week to perform Umrah (or lesser pilgrimage) has evoked outrage and a wave of anti-Saudi protests in Egypt. The case has brought to light the deep...
Egypt: Adel Imam blasphemy sentence dropped
A Cairo court today dismissed a three-month jail sentence handed down to popular comic actor Adel Iman, Al Ahram reports. Imam had faced jail after a case was brought against him for "defaming Islam". He had been accused by Islamist lawyer Asran...
Time to stop doing business with Bahrain
Bahrainis still suffer with human rights abuse, torture and political imprisonment, says
Sara Yasin. Despite its supporters’ “astonishment”, it’s no wonder that the world was “hostile” to its Grand Prix
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas under fire for web censorship
UPDATE 27 April: Communications Minister Mashhour Abu Daka resigned yesterday, citing personal reasons. Abu Daka reportedly accused al-Mughni of "gagging free expression" shortly before his resignation. The Palestinian Authority has reportedly...
UAE: Rapper jailed over scandalous video
A rapper has been sentenced to a minimum of three months in prison after releasing a violent music video in the UAE. The singer, known as Dangour, was arrested in June. In the footage, Dangour raps about drug abuse and his hatred of white people. A...
