Roula al-Saffar, head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, and Jalila al-Salman, vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers' Association, will be tried in military courts, along with 13 other medical professionals. Both were released from prison yesterday. Amnesty International condemned their trials as a "backward step," and Middle East and North Africa Director Malcolm Smart described the decision as "a complete U-turn by the Bahraini authorities." Similarly, Human Rights First criticized the government's decision. Brian ...

The comments last week by Cherif Bassiouni, leader of the Independent Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating the crackdown in Bahrain, continue to spark controversy. The Bahrain Youth Center for Human Rights (BYCHR) sent an open letter to Bassiouni, expressing disappointment in his comments. In contrast to Bassiouni's statement, "many, if not most, have told us that they are genuinely afraid of the consequences of their testifying once your esteemed Commission has left." And the BYCHR condemned Bassiouni ...

On Saturday, Bahraini protesters stood in solidarity with the female detainees despite the attacks from security forces.  Protester Hassan AlEskafi was shot in the head during the protests.  AlEskafi was taken to a clinic set up by Doctors without Borders  however, security forces stormed the clinic and arrested the man running the clinic, Saeed Ayyad, and also took AlEskafi's body. On Friday, the biggest demonstration since March was held where protesters ...

On Monday, the United States Institute of Peace hosted an event entitled "Beyond Tahrir: The Trajectory of Egypt's Transition." The discussion was with Major General Said Elassar, Assistant to Egyptian Defense Minister, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President, United States Institute of Peace, provided introductory remarks. William Quandt, Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Politics, University of Virginia, moderated the discussion. For full notes, continue reading. ...

Many activists are concerned that former President Hosni Mubarak's trial will be postponed.  According to activists, "setting the trial date was just an element of political theater, part of the ritual of superficial concessions that the military-led transitional government has made after each big new demonstration in Tahrir Square."  Activists are already planning protests in response to Mubarak's potentially postponed trial. Mubarak's trial is in ten days. “The signs show that ...

Amnesty International (AI) reports that the Draft Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing Terrorism, a new anti-terrorism law in Saudi Arabia, will allow authorities to prosecute peaceful dissent as terrorist crime. The law provides a broad definition of "terrorist crimes," including "endangering…national unity," "halting the basic law or some of its articles," or "harming the reputation of the state or its position." AI Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Philip Luther argued that the ...

Dina Guirguis from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy analyzed the growing frustration within Egypt regarding the pace of constitutional change. Guirguia presented an argument of conflict and uncertainty within the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), especially concerning the extent to which SCAF would suppress popular protest. She noted the disagreements between SCAF and the Islamists, especially the Freedom and Justice and Party of the Muslim Brotherhood. ...

Daphne McCurdy, POMED Senior Research Associate, writing at OpenDemocracy discussed the political and legal crisis confronting Turkey since its June 12 election. She examined the apparent politicization of legal decisions that have precluded Hatip Dicle, an independent backed by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from taking his seat. McCurdy used the Dicle case to highlight tensions within Turkish society, including those between the political and armed aspects of the Kurdistan ...

Tariq Aldoais, an activist in the Yemeni youth revolution and a doctor, heading the revolution's field hospital at Tahrir Square in Sana'a, wrote in the Guardian newspaper about the demands of the leading revolutionary committee. The demands are: to form an inclusive temporary presidential council of 5 - 7 people with integrity, experience, and competence to limit the transitional period to 9 months, dissolve the current constitution and government structure, guarantee the rights ...

Eric Trager from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy authored an assessment of the ongoing political maneuverings in Egypt. He noted the June 21 meeting of the National Democratic Alliance for Egypt, in which 14 smaller political parties joined with the co-founding Freedom and Justice Party and the Wafd Party. Trager believes this alliance is unsustainable but by its existence indicates two disturbing trends. (1) It appears the Alliance ...

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a nomination hearing for five ambassadors to the Middle East and Central Asia. The first of the hearing’s two panels featured the Honorable Anne W. Patterson, to be Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt. The second panel featured Michael H. Corbin, to be Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Matthew H. Tueller, to be Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, ...

Human Rights organizations have criticized the recent verdicts against 21 activists and opposition figures in Bahrain. Human Rights First called the proceeding a "large political show trial," and concluded that the "verdicts expose the travesty of Bahrain’s military courts, and make the prospects of reconciliation even more remote." Program director Brian Dooley noted that "there was evidence of torture, denial of proper contact with lawyers and failure to provide basic ...