Foreign media have been banned from covering rallies in front of British diplomatic missions in Iran. The ban, which began on Thursday is the latest fallout following last week's storming of Britain's embassy in Tehran by pro-government...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa

Syrian blogger arrested while traveling to press freedom conference
It has been reported that a US-born Syrian blogger was arrested on Sunday. In a statement, the Syrian Centre for Media and Free Expression said that Razan Ghazzawi, 30, was arrested by Syrian officials at the Syrian and Jordan border while...

Free speech for Bahrain
International delegation to Bahrain calls for an end to free expression violations and for human rights defenders to be freed All human rights defenders and those in detention as a result of the National Safety laws enacted in Bahrain should be...

Jail sentences commuted in “UAE 5” case
Index on Censorship joins a coalition of seven rights groups in calling for the convictions of the “UAE 5” activists to be expunged
Egypt: Case of hunger striking blogger adjourned again
The retrial of Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil was postponed again on Sunday. The case, which was originally due to be heard on November 1, has been pushed back to December 4. Nabil was detained for accusing the military of having conducted virginity...

Journalist Mona Eltahawy reportedly arrested, beaten
Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy tweeted to say she had been arrested and beaten in Cairo this morning. Eltahawy, who writes for Canada's Toronto Star, Israel's The Jerusalem Report and Denmark's Politiken, is said to have been detained...

Egypt: Fighting for a “stolen” revolution
Despite the lethal crackdown, Egyptians are converging on Tahrir Square for the fourth day demanding change. Shahira Amin reports
Egyptian protesters fighting for a revolution “stolen” by the military
The death toll from three days of unrest in Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square has risen to 33, with more than 1700 injured. More casualties and fatalities are expected as riot police and security forces continue their crackdown on the tens of...

Azerbaijan: dangerous words
This weekend’s stabbing of Rafiq Tagi is a stark reminder of just how risky it can be to write about politics or religion in Azerbaijan. Emin Milli, who was jailed after criticising the government, describes the dangers of speaking out
UPDATE: Index on Censorship is sad to report that Rafiq Tagi died from his wounds in hospital on 23 November
Jailed blogger Alaa urges Egyptians to celebrate his birthday in Tahrir
Following the extension of the imprisonment of Alaa Abdel-Fattah for a further fifteen days, the prominent Egyptian blogger has sent a message to his supporters from his prison cell, asking them to celebrate his 30th birthday in Tahrir Square on 18...