On 22 February the Cassation Court of Tunis (Tunisia's highest court of appeal) overturned a verdict ordering Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) to filter pornography on the internet. The court has sent the case back to the Court of Appeal. On May, 26,...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Syria: Foreign journalists killed in Homs
Marie Colvin, veteran war reporter for the Sunday Times, was killed this morning with French photojournalist Remi Ochlik when a shell hit a makeshift media centre in the besieged Syrian city of Homs. Two other journalists are reportedly wounded,...
The mysterious case of Hamza Kashgari
In deporting Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari for his blasphemous tweets, the Malaysian government prioritised diplomacy, even if it might ultimately cost the columnist his life, argues Malik Imtiaz Sarwar
Myriam Francois-Cerrah: Hamza Kashgari targeted under guise of “religious offence”
Syria: Razan Ghazzawi and female colleagues released
Blogger and free speech activist Razan Ghazzawi was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues, after being arrested and detained last Thursday following a raid on the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression in Damascus....
Bahrain: Four foreign activists deported
Bahrain announced the deportation of four foreign activists for "taking part in illegal demonstrations" on 18 February, bringing the number of those expelled over the past week to 12. The official BNA news agency reported on Friday that the four...
Tunisia: Provocative shot of Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira and naked girlfriend lands media executive in prison
Nasreddine Ben Saida, the general director of the Arabic-language daily newspaper Attounissia, has become the first media executive to be jailed in post Ben Ali era. Ben Saida, was not jailed for criticising the President, nor the government. He...
Tunisia: Journalists arrested in morality dispute
Three Tunisian journalists have been arrested on charges of offending public morality following the publication of a nude photograph. The Attounissia newspaper printed a photograph of Real-Madrid footballer Sami Khedira covering the breasts of his...
Samir Feriani trial delayed
On 16 February a court postponed the trial of Samir Feriani to 1 March. Ferani is charged with “distributing false information”, and “accusing a public employee of violating law without proof". Feriani, a former senior official at the Interior...
Syria: Free expression activists arrested
Activists in Syria have reported that the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression in Damascus was raided today. Between 12 and 14 people were arrested, with blogger Razan Ghazzawi said to be among them. Ghazzawi was arrested in December...
Bahrain: Hunger strike activist collapses
Bahraini activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja collapsed last night while on hunger strike. Alkhawaja, who went on hunger strike ahead of the February 14 anniversary of mass protests in Bahrain, was taken to the hospital where he was given IV treatment...
