13 Oct 2010 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
Palestinian activist Abdullah Abu Rahma has been sentenced to a year in prison for incitement by an Israeli military court. He is a leading organiser of the weekly protests against the separation barrier that Israel has built in the West Bank village of Bil’in. The protests started over five years ago and the activist has already served 10 months of his sentence on remand. The events are normally non-violent, but occasionally confrontations occur. Supporters claim the barrier is necessary to keep out suicide bombers. Protesters view it as an attempted land grab. The International Court of Justice and the Israeli Supreme Court have both declared parts of the wall unlawful.
30 Sep 2010 | Index Index, minipost
The Supreme Court is to decide next week whether members of Westboro Baptist Church have the constitutional right to picket military funerals. Al Snyder, the father of a US marine whose funeral was accompanied by the protesters’ anti-gay and anti-Catholic demonstrations is seeking damages for emotional distress. The fundamentalist church, which has said that it plans to protest outside the court, will argue on 6 October that its actions are protected under the First Amendment. Snyder says the decision isn’t a free speech issue but a “case of harrassment“.
2 Jul 2010 | News
Sir Tom Stoppard grills Belarusian ambassador over the Lukashenko government’s poor record on free speech (more…)
16 Jun 2010 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost, News
On 13 June, Cairo security forces arrested 32 demonstrators, angry at alleged police involvement in the death of activist Khaled Mohammed Said. Clashes broke out outside the Egyptian Interior Ministry, where around 200 protestors gathered to argue that Said, who was outspoken about police corruption, had been tortured to death by undercover officers. Human Rights Organisations, including Amnesty International, have expressed concern at Said’s death. However the police deny any involvement, claiming that he died of a drug overdose, consumed prior to their arrival.
