At her speech in the House of Commons, Maryam Alkhawaja asked MPs to put pressure on Bahrain to commit to reforms and free political prisoners, including her father and sister. Here, the prominent human rights defender denounces Britain’s indifference
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Turmoil in Egypt continues, as state of emergency is declared
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in three Suez Canal cities on Monday night, defying a night-time curfew and a month-long state of...
The modern Big Brothers
Autocratic, authoritarian and totalitarian states take it upon themselves to actively stifle freedom of expression. These states can look very different – “socialist” North Korea may seem very different to “theocratic” Iran, but even with vastly differing cultures and political landscapes, we can draw similarities between the methods used by these regimes to suffocate and in some cases entirely suppress free speech
The trouble with Taraf
Kaya Genç looks at how Turkey’s “first truly liberal newspaper” has shaken up the country’s media
Free speech in Tunisia: New year, same fears
Free speech in Tunisia will continue to remain in jeopardy as a new year kicks off. During the next few months, the National Constituent Assembly...
Social media grows across the Gulf
The Gulf monarchies have, in recent years, invested considerable resources and efforts in finding ways to censor interactions between their...
What future for free speech in the new Egypt?
Egypt closed 2012 with a new constitution and opened this year with growing discontent with President Mohamed Morsi. Ashraf Khalil reflects on a tumultuous year, and looks ahead to an uncertain future
Jailed and stabbed for the crime of being an atheist in the New Egypt
A 27 year-old Egyptian blogger has been released on bail pending an appeal of his 12 December conviction for blasphemy and contempt of religion. He...
Journalist killed in anti-Morsi protest
An Egyptian journalist covering Wednesday's clashes outside the presidential palace in Heliopolis between Islamist supporters and opponents of...
Bahrain: Verdict in trial for 13 activists postponed
Bahrain's Court of Cassation today postponed issuing a verdict in the appeal of 13 opposition activists, including well-known human rights activist...
INDEX INTERVIEW: “Diplomats should be blogging”
Annette Fisher interviews Frances Guy, Senior Adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and former British Ambassador to Lebanon and Yemen on the dilemmas of public service and free speech
Why is Kim Kardashian going to Bahrain?
Kim Kardashian flew into Bahrain's capital today to launch the country’s first Millions of Milkshakes shop --- but "sources" close to the reality TV...