30 Oct 2012 | Middle East and North Africa, minipost, News and features
Bahrain has banned all demonstrations following clashes between police and anti-government protestors on Monday (29 October). Interior minister Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifah said that the clampdown was a result of the “repeated abuses” of freedom of expression.
The emergency move is the largest scale attempt to quash the Gulf kingdom’s anti-government uprising which began in February of last year.
Index on Censorship award winner Nabeel Rajab is currently serving a three-year jail sentence for organising “illegal protests”.
15 Sep 2012 | Americas, Middle East and North Africa, News and features
The protests against controversial film “Innocence of the Muslims” follow a pattern familiar since the days of the Satanic Verses fatwa, says James Kirchick. And so do the reactions of many western liberals
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9 Jul 2012 | Middle East and North Africa, Uncategorized
Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) was taken into custody by Bahraini authorities today after a court sentenced him to three months in prison for allegedly defaming the citizens of the village of Muharraq on Twitter. (more…)
19 Apr 2012 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
A popular Iranian singer has been sentenced to a year in prison after releasing pro-opposition songs online. During the protests that occurred in the wake of the disputed 2009 presidential elections, Arya Aramnejad angered officials by uploading songs about the Ashura protests, when government security forces opened fire on demonstrators during a Shia holy day. Later, Aramnejad released another song condemning the government crackdowns. Aramnejad was arrested in February 2010, according to a friend, the singer has been convicted of acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the regime.
