Waleed al-Shehhi was accused of “endangering state security” and “harming the reputation of the state” for tweeting about a trial
UAE: Activist sentenced to two years in prison for tweeting
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CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Red Arrows hit Bahrain as Britain bids to sell weapons to royal family
Display team hits repressive kingdom amid negotiations over fighter jets contract. Padraig Reidy reports
Bahrain Center for Human Rights wins Norwegian Rafto Prize
BCHR was awarded the human rights prize for its peaceful fight for fundamental rights in Bahrain
Egypt tense as Morsi trial gets under way
Journalists were attacked by pro-Morsi protesters as the trial of the deposed president and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders opened in Cairo on Monday morning. The tension on the streets of the Egyptian capital was palpable, Shahira Amin writes
Bassem Youssef under investigation for “insulting the military”
Anger at the new series of “Egyptian Jon Stewart’s” TV show reflects the country’s deepening divisions, reports Shahira Amin
Saudi blogger held for “blasphemy” released after almost two years in jail
Hamza Kashgari was detained for 625 days for tweeting a mock conversation between himself and the prophet Mohammed. Milana Knezevic reports
London gallery in Muslim Brotherhood censorship row
P21 accused of censorship following the decision not to exhibit a piece satirising Egypt’s deposed president Mohamed Morsi. Milana Knezevic reports
‘Draconian’ bill regulating protests fuels fear in Egypt
A controversial bill regulating protests has provoked public outrage in Egypt, fuelling fears among rights activists and revolutionary forces that the gains made since the January 2011 mass uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak may be reversed.
Paul Conroy: “War journalists must avoid being used as propaganda”
The acclaimed war photographer spoke at the Cheltenham Literature Festival about the changing impact of journalism in conflict. Rachael Jolley reports
Egypt borrows a page from China’s media strategy
Government crackdowns on free expression in China and Egypt have shown disturbing similarities with repressive tactics used by the two regimes to silence dissent, Shahira Amin writes
Regime repression stifles Sudan’s net freedom
Sudan has widespread and affordable internet access – the problem is the oppressive regime, writes Dalia Haj-Omar
Sudan’s government silences press through ownership
The two most influential independent newspapers in Sudan, Al-Sahafa and Al-Kartoum, have recently been bought by the National Intelligence
Security Service. Zeinab Mohammed Salih reports
