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The Weekly Update for HRINFO, no. 162
Fourth year 17 May 2007 - 23 May 2007 Bahrain ======== A Seminar On the War Waged Against Bloggers A seminar was held by Bahrain Youth Association for Human Rights for the release of a statement describing the escalation by the Bahrain government on 16 May with the use of arrests, tear gas bombs, rubber bullets and assaults on youth, young children, women and elderly persons who have not committed any crimes. Moreover, the seminar, which was jointed sponsored by Hassan Meshimaa, Secretary- General of the Haq Movement, Abdel Hady El Khawaga, Executive Director of Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Shaker El Hamly, condemned the government's arrest campaign against many activists. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/bahrain ========================== Tunisia ======== The Alliance The Tunisian Alliance for Defending Human Rights issued this week three press releases. One denounces the transferring of two Tunisian lawyers, members of the alliance to the investigation magistrate in the Court of First Instance, charged of accusing a priest of violating verbally a public officer's privacy. This effort sheds light on the government's attempt to censor lawyers and violates their independence. The press release calls for the right to provide lawyers with guarantees to strengthen their role on defending rights and freedoms. The second release is on the security apparatus' decision to prevent a seminar on May 26 -27, on the subject the Tunisian Social Forum, under the pretence of the court's decision to prevent the organizing association from doing any activities. The third release condemns Moroccan authorities' arrest and security efforts against members of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and the harsh sentences given many Syrian activists. Hunger Strike The International Association for Supporting Political Prisoners issued a press release on the health condition of the prisoner Mohamed El Qalawy who is in the civil prison of Qabis. El Qalawy started an open hunger strike on 7 May in order to have a copy from the lifetime sentence upheld by the Military Court because of his membership in Al-Nahda Movement. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/tunisia ========================== Saudi Arabia ======== Arrest The Arabic Committee for Human Rights calls on Saudi Arabian authorities to release seven Kuwaiti citizens who were visiting the country in order to carry out a haj or pilgrimage. Some of them work in the military board and Kuwait authorities do not suspect them or impose restrictions on them by their by security organizations: the visits were just for carrying out their religious rituals. The organization calls on the government to respect the Kuwaiti citizens' complete rights. Moreover, ACHR calls on Kuwait's government to protect its citizens, to work for their release immediately, and to satisfy their needs by guaranteeing their rights, especially after the injuries they have witnessed in jail. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/saudi ========================== Sudan ======== Journalists and Media Workers The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) issued a press release denouncing the Sudanese government's decision to Ban Al-Sudany (the Sudanese) independent Newspaper and arresting its Editor - in - Chef Mahgoub Orwa for two days. At the same time, one of the newspaper's journalists, Othman Mirghany, is still in jail since May 17, 2007, as a result of an article criticizing the Sudanese Minister of Justice For more information about the statement, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2007/pr0521.shtml Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/sudan ========================== Syria ======== Prosecutions The Syrian Committee for Human Rights issued a press release detailing the State Security Exceptional Court's lack of professionalism as a result of its adoption of a security referential and sentences based on the state of emergency and martial laws, under which Syria has been ruled for the last 44 years. Accordingly, on May 20, 2007, the court upheld harsh verdicts on four arrested by execution and three - year sentence. Human Rights Watch Organization (HRW) issued a press release on four political activists sentenced on May 13, 2007 by the Syrian court, to prison because they signed an advertisement calling for improving Lebanon - Syrian relations. A statement by HRW's Chief of Middle East Affairs said, "foreign reporters often visit Damascus to check out the proceeding attempts to improve Lebanon -Syrian relations, while when it comes to Syrian activists they are sentence to prison, despite arousing the same issues". Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/syria ========================== Iraq ======== Journalists and Media Workers The Press Freedoms Observatory issued this week two press releases denouncing the continued murder of journalists without respect to the laws of punishment. One denounces the abduction of the Sudanese journalist Salam Dougy who has been missing since May 9, 2007 and the assassination of a reporter for Al-Zaman (Time) International Newspaper after his abduction by anonymous gunmen. The second release is on two ABC News employees who were murdered by gunmen in Baghdad. And the third release denounces US army for breaking into a newspaper's premises for three hours, during which time the soldiers misused all of the office's belongings, confiscated some files holding press subjects, damaged printing machines and misused furniture and other items. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/iraq ========================== Palestine ======== The Current Nakba Human rights organizations call upon Fatah and Hamas Movements to stop the internal struggle, which has victimized civilians, to respect the truce between both sides, to hold talks to solve the current conflicts, to form an independent judicial investigation committee to solve their problems, and to present the troublemakers to prosecutors along with lifting their partial immunity. Moreover, the rights activists call upon Palestinian authorities to return security and stability to the Gaza Strip and to protect citizens from the expected dangers, which could happen in light of these disgraceful conflicts. At the same time, as Israeli tanks continued their pressure on civilians and the destruction of their homes in Gaza Strip, air and land attacks were widespread in addition assassinations and seizures of private -public belongings and premises. Opinion and Expression Reporters Without Boarders (RSF), the Palestinian Institute for Communication and Development and the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (Mada) issued three press releases - in light of the violations on media workers - denouncing the Israeli army's breaking into five Palestinian broadcast and TV stations in Nablus City - North West Bank. As a result, their transmission was interrupted due to confiscation of some of the supplies. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/palestine ========================== Egypt ======== Persecution The Legal Assistance Association for Human Rights issued a press release announcing the results of fact-finding mission on the sectarian incidents in Bamha Village - Al Aiat Center. The fact-finding by three Egyptian rights organizations concluded that the reconciliation sessions between the holy men of the two sides was not sufficient to solve the problem of building a place for prayers. The three organizations call upon the president of the republic to issue a unified law for building a place for prayers. The release denounced the lack of responsibility on the part of Interior Ministry officials such as the mayor and the chief of the village, while the defendants committed their crimes, in addition all Christian citizens - conversed with the mission- highlighted on the same notice. Moreover, security forces in the village entrance, prevented journalists and human rights organizations from covering the incidents. Notice: Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies issued a press release on the same subject. More information about the report, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/egypt/ahrla/2007/pr0517.shtml Egypt covers in addition, the elections "half restoration" of Shura Council and Ayman Nour's condition and the assaults done by the police. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/egypt ========================== Morocco ======== Sentences The Moroccan Association for Human Rights issued a press release denouncing the three - years sentence and a fine of 10,000 Dirham upheld by the Court of First Instance -in Al-Qasr Al Kabir - on 22 May on five members of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, for insulting the sanctuaries during "Fateh May" demonstration. The central office of MAHR is surprised about the harsh sentences, which reflect the political identity of the prosecution. It condemns the false prosecution and its harsh sentences and denounces the over taking on these prosecutions, which, uncover the false position of the judiciary in Morocco, powered by the authority to avenge activists. Finally, MAHR demands the release of the four members and all political prisoners in the Moroccan prisons and calls upon all national and international rights organizations for an immediate response to force on authorities to take action. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/morocco ========================== Regional and International ======== Opinion and Expression Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a press release on the role of the Jordan government to drop the criminal accusations of "defamation" against the former parliament member Ahmed Oweidy El Abady and release him immediately. It said the government is still indiscriminately using laws that violate international human rights standards, in order to silence critics. This is the fact despite a Jordanian law, which bans imprisonment in free expression crimes. The Arabic Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) is concerned about the armed clashes between the Lebanese army and security forces on one side and the so-called "Fatih Al-Islam Group" on the other side. The clash ended with 50 killed from both sides, 12 civilian death and tens of injured residents in the "Nahr Al-Barid (Cold River) refugee camp. As a result, AOHR is sadden by the worst outbreak of such violence since the civil war. It comes at a time when the political reconciliation between the government's supporters and opposition is not done yet and when it can spur more violence. Moreover, AOHR calls upon Lebanese authorities to facilitate the work of relief teams in order to evacuate the areas of the clashes (the murdered and civilians) immediately. In the same context, it calls upon Lebanon's authorities to work together to stop the clashes and provide peace and stability for both sides. In addition, it calls upon both Palestinian and Lebanese authorities to join forces and cooperate to stop totally the clashes, which threaten the conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Sources More information, please visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/mena ========================== The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information ======== The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) and 15 Egyptian Rights Organizations join in supporting a press release issued by the Al- Nadeem Center for Psychological Therapy and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence that condemns the inhuman and violent assaults carried out by police against Dr. Ayman Nour. Their efforts were almost a clear attempt to kill him. The rights organizations' places the burden on all state institutions for the safety of Ayman Nour, and calls for his immediate health release. They also call for investigations regarding the persons who assaulted him. More information, please visit, http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2007/pr0522.shtml More information about HRinfo statements, please visit : http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports ========================== HRinfo is a legal organization that defends the freedom of opinion and expression of the press and the right to exchange information.
Moreover, it works on collecting the publications of nearly 140 Arabic human rights organizations from 18 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, which are published in Arabic and presented in one website. It also provides human rights sources in the Arab world for media workers, journalists, activists and the public in an attempt to increase the number of internet users and those interested in human rights issues in the Arab speaking world. Though one of many human rights groups serving the Middle East and North Africa, it is the only one in the Arab world devoted exclusively to protecting the freedom of expression across the region. For more information, suggestions or membership in the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, please contact HRinfo at: Address: second floor, flat 10, 5,105 St, Horriya Square, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt. Phone Number: (00202) 5249544 Email address: info@hrinfo.net |
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The published articles reflect the author's opinion, either individual or organization, it does not necessarily present the Network's opinion
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