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The Internet In the Arab World
A New Space of Repression?
No Rules, No Limits
United Arab Emirates:
Freedom of expression is missing despite a decision banning imprisonment for press crimes
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The Weekly Update for HRINFO, no. 187
Fourth year
16 november 2007 - 22 november 2007
U.A.E
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Abuses against Foreign Domestic Workers
Home-maids face serious abuses in gulf countries and Lebanon. Human Rights watch monitored the conditions of SriLankan home maids in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and U.A.E and published its findings in report issued on November 14, 2007.
Most of them work an average of 16 to 21 hours daily, without breaks or holidays in return of scarce wages along with arbitrary confinement, food deprivation, verbal and non verbal abuse, coerced work, sexual harassment and rape at the hand of their employers.
The previously mentioned countries failed to put an end to these abuses against the home-maids despite the emirates' model contract for house-maids on April 1st,2007 yet these contracts is less effective than the other basic contracts .
For the report: http://hrw.org/reports/2007/srilanka1107
Sources
Reporters without borders
For more info: : http://www.hrinfo.net/uae
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Jordan
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Parliament Elections
The parliamentary elections were held on November 20 while the government and the ministry of interior took measures to prevent observers and NGOs from monitoring the elections which cast strong doubts on the transparency of the elections. Amman Centre for Human rights studies reported a number of reservations about the law of elections and several violations to advertisements which were used in non-permitted places. A number of violent incidents also took place during the campaign. Some candidates were prohibited from maintaining their campaigns freely. Reports also contained several criticisms to the official and private media as the Radio and
TV didn't allow candidates' messages to go on air; also a several newspapers and journalists went for financial gains at the expense of ethics.
Sources
Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/jordan
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Tunisia
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Abduction
Security services intentionally intimidated families by launching night raids and abducting children before their parents' eyes. This week, a group connected with the political security services broke into a Almashraqui family's house in Intlaqua quarter and abducted Mohammed Magdy almashraqui and sent him to an unknown place.
Hunger-strike
In a violation to international conventions and treaties which guaranteed the right to travel and residency, the Tunisian regime took on trading with passports when it comes to human rights activists since the arrival of president Bin Ali to power 20 years ago.
This week, on November 14, lawyer Mohammed Alnouri and journalist Saleem Bokhdeer ended their hunger-strike which started on November 1st, as they went on strike against a denial of the right to travel. They ended their hunger strike on a promise that the prohibition of Alnouri's travel would be lifted and enabling Bokhdeer of getting his passport back.
Sources
The International Society for Political prisoners
The National Council for Freedoms in Tunisia
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/tunisia
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Saudi Arabia
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Unfair Trials
In a flagrant violation to the victim's right to seek justice from the judiciary, the public court in Qatif issued a verdict on November 14 sentencing a girl, who has been abducted & raped by 7 men, to 6 months in jail and 200 lashes, as the court claimed that she sought media attention. Her lawyer was also prohibited from proceeding with the case and had his license confiscated and he was referred to a disciplinary committee in the ministry of justice as a punishment for seeking media attention and criticizing judiciary institutes and expressing resentment toward the verdict.
Sources
Committee to protect Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/saudi
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Syria
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Arrests
The Syrian government is well-bent on prosecuting opposition figures or even taking them down.
The Syrian police arrested a number of Syrian citizens among them university students and high school students in the city of Hums for unknown reasons.
The security services don't stop short of resorting to torture to death as in the case of Ahmed Salim Alshikh (37 years old) who was arrested on November 6 in Damascus and was beaten to death in public.
Unfair trials
The trial of Anwar Albenni renewed the pressing calls to reform the judiciary system in Syria and exposed the contentions between Syrian judges who prosecute human rights activists in the mean time the supreme court in Damascus refused Albenni's defense team challenges as the head of the criminal chamber in the supreme court, judge (Salwa Kadib) expressed her disagreement with the verdict which didn't meet up with the appropriate legal standards
Prohibition of Travel
The Syrian authorities prohibited a number of human rights activists to attend a forum about the role of the NGOs in the political reform in the Arab world, the forum was organized by Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies and Aspen instituted in Berlin.
The authorities prohibited the following individuals:
Ammar Quarbi. The head of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
Radeef Mostafa, lawyer and the head of the Kurdish committee for Human rights
Mohannad Alhosny,the head of the Syrian Organization for Human Rights(Swasia)
Khaleel Matoouk, the executive director of the Syrian Centre for Studies and Legal researches
Mostafa Ouso,lawyer and the head of the Trustee council of the Kurdish organization for Human Rights.
Sources
Committees to protect Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria
The Syrian Committee for Human Rights
The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
The Syrian Organization for Human Rights(Swasya)
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/syria
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Iraq
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Freedom of Expression
This week witnessed several violations against journalists in Iraq, on November 16 the correspondent of the Iraqi channel Alboghdadya, Montazar Alzaidi was abducted as he was leaving his house in Alrasheed street in Baghdad's down-town, he was freed after 3 days.
The government of Kurdistan set several constraints on the movement of journalists as they issued orders to ban journalists from doing their job for lame ungrounded excuses while the Kurdish authorities keep on harassing journalists as thy detained Alhurra's crew in the border city of Zakho .they also detained the correspondent of the japans T.V and questioned him in an area close to the Jericho checkpoint .the detention of journalists came as the provisional authorities issued an order banning press coverage of the Turkish Iraqi border area and threatened to arrest those who violated the order and went on with threats.
Sources
The observatory of Press Freedoms
The Iraqi Society for Journalists' rights
Reporters without Borders
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/iraq
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Palestine
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Settlements and Siege
The international law prohibits the policy of settlements and the 2 protocols of the Geneva treaty in 1977 prohibited indirect settlement with the intention to evacuate lands and displace people.
While the peace-talks are brewing, the settlement activities is on the rise in areas considered by Zionists as an indispensable part of the land of Israel. according to the "Peace Now" movement there are 121 official settlements and 101" illegal" settlement pockets in the west bank and 40 % of the municipal lands are within the domain of settlements.
Israel's siege of Gaza is continuing as they went on confiscating basic nutritional materials and medications amid a surge of unemployment.
Sources
The Palestinian Initiative to deepen the Universal dialogue and democracy/Moftah
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
The Meezan centre for Human rights
Aldammer Organization-Gaza
For More info: http://www.hrinfo.net/palestine
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Lebanon
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Rewards for Bloggers, Editor & Publishers
The second forum for the freedom of the Arab press which is organized by the International association for newspapers in collaboration with alnahar newspaper is rewarding bloggers, editors and independent publishers from all over the Middle East.
The event which is organized under the title: Response and Resistance: challenges and opportunities before the Arab press"
The event also rewarded the second jobran tweeny reward to one of the editors in the Arab world who are known for the liberal values of the press which Jobran was representing. Jobran was assassinated in car explosion on December 2005.
Sources
The Arab Press Network
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/lebanon
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Egypt
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Hunger-strike
33 Muslim brotherhood prisoners launched a hunger-strike since November 12 protesting the maltreatment of the prison authorities as they were surprised by a searching raid from the authorities who used dogs to terrorize them and confiscated their medications in a flagrant violation of National laws and international treaties that organize the treatment of prisoners.
Elections of press syndicate
The press syndicate elections were concluded and witnessed the victory of many journalists belonging to the governmental newspapers especially Alahram . Elections also witnessed a strong presence of women candidates. while tow of the women candidates dropped their bids, one made it to the Syndicate council. The elections also saw the withdrawal of candidates from other political wings especially the leftists and Nasserists and the Muslim brotherhood members.
Sources
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
The Egyptian Society for Society Development
Hisham Mubarak Centre for Law
For more info: : http://www.hrinfo.net/egypt
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Morocco
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Peaceful Gathering
Several Moroccan cities witnessed legitimate protests condemning the violation to the right to work and strike.
Workers of Shilko Company a division of the British Morintex in Sala launched a protest since October 30 against the maltreatment of the company amid a siege from security services which might cause a human disaster as all the doors were shut and potable water taps were closed.
Sources
The Moroccan Society for Human Rights
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/morocco
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Yemen
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Arbitrary disappearance
The National Body for Rights and Freedoms draw attention the fact that the Yemeni prisons belong to different bodies of authorities, the Family of Yasser Sadiq Aledreesy reported that he was detained in a prison belonging to the Economic cooperation in the Capital since April 14 for financial disputes with the cooperation yet the cooperation denied having any prisons and filed a lawsuit against Alnas newspaper and its late editor Hamid Shahra.
Sources
The National Body fro Rights and Freedoms
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/yemen
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The Arabic network for Human Rights
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Training Course for Human Rights Volunteers
The Arabic Network concluded its training program on November 18 which saw the training of 19 volunteers in human rights .the program came under the title" volunteers for Human Rights" and considered to be the first in the Arab. Many of the participants have volunteered in several human rights cases.
Methodological oppression against MB should be put to an end
The Egyptian human rights organizations condemned the silence hovering around the ongoing police campaign against hundreds of Egyptian citizens belonging to the Muslim brotherhood. This silence amounted to collusion with the authorities which arrested on November 19 about 25 individuals from Sharkia and Dakahliya governorates in the Egyptian Delta.the campaign was launched as usual during the twilight by breaking into houses and intimidating civilians by charging weapons at them.
The Egyptian organizations believed that expelling university students who belong to the Muslim brotherhood is a flagrant violation to the freedom of opinion and expression and might lead to a disaster in the future.
The Human Rights Council: a step forward or just ado?
The Arabic network is taking advantage of the visit of Mr.Nizar Abdelkadir the human rights expert and the Director of the Geneva Institute for Human rights to organize a seminar about the council of human rights and the violations of people's rights (Darfur.an example). The seminar will be held on November 22,at 05:00pm .in the Arabic Network's main office.
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports
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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.
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