Al 'Arabiya has reported that the highest ranking officer in the Syrian Army to defect, Lieutenant Colonel Hussein Harmoush, along with two other dissident officers were abducted by Turkish intelligence agents and smuggled back across the border into Syria, ...

TNC Forces renewed their assaults against the remaining Gadafhi strongholds of Sirta, Bani Walid and Sabha. Residents are reported to be trapped in Sirte with little food, water, or medical care, while thousands have fled. Fierce fighting for the ...

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Doyle McManus argues that as "Congress is getting ready to make deep cuts in federal spending, including foreign aid, one program it ought to spare" is the State Department's funding of Internet and ...

Writing in the Huffington Post, Hadi Ghaemi, the Executive Director of the International Campaign for Human Rights, asks for the U.S. to "challenge Iran's record of abuse and to support the Iranian people's aspirations for rule of law, democratic ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton introduced the State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Report, stating that "it is our core conviction that religious tolerance is one of the essential elements not only of a sustainable democracy but of ...

On Thursday, a group of Syrian activists announced the formation of a Syrian National Council (SNC) as a united front against President Bashar al-Assad.  Sophia Jones, writing at Foreign Policy Magazine, obtained a document outlining the SNC's structure, membership, ...

In a video Q&A session, Thomas Carothers, the Vice President for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, answered several questions related to the future of Libya without Gadhafi. He suggested that the United States will be ...

Writing for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Schenker asserts that the influence of Washington is becoming less of a factor in revolutionary Egypt. The U.S. government is not only having trouble with Egypt's new political rulers, but is ...

Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) published the first edition of his newsletter entitled "Standing for Human Rights," in which he outlines his efforts, through various programs and legislation, to champion human rights through the United States Senate. Among his initiatives ...

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations delivered a speech Tuesday at the Jesse Helms' Center emphasizing the need for America to "champion the cause of freedom—not only with the power of our example but also ...

Brian Murphy of the AP reported that Shiite workers suspected of supporting or participating in the pro-democracy movement in Bahrain continue to be purged. Activists state that 'Hundreds of Shiites - some say thousands - dismissed from jobs ...

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expressed concern regarding the continued detention of students and teachers. The Bahrain Center reports that many "expelled university students have been summoned for investigation also being dismissed and replaced by unqualified teachers." ...

In a move to defuse popular anger, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria approved a series of media reforms that will allow for the establishment of private radio and television stations for the first time since the country gained independence ...

The United Nations Human Rights Council stated that the death toll in Syria since the March uprising now stands at 2,600. The Human Rights Council has repeatedly called on Mr. Assad to end the crackdown, but the latest increase in ...

According to state news agency Saba, President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen issued a decree on Monday that gives Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen's vice president, "the necessary constitutional authority to negotiate" the peaceful handover of power. However, the main political ...

In a New York Times op-ed, Prince Turki al-Faisal warns that if the United States vetoes Palestine's bid for statehood in the United Nations later this month,  "the little credibility has in the Arab world" will likely be lost ...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad adjured Bashar al-Assad to end his violent response to Syrian unrest and open talks with the opposition. Ahmadinejad stated "a  military solution is never the right solution," and added that "other countries in the ...

Citing "circumstances beyond our control," the Syrian government has delayed the visit of Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi till Saturday. The delay comes at a time of increased violence throughout Syria. Security forces have besieged the central city of ...

According to Maryam Al-Khawaja, who leads the Foreign Relations Office at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, all physicians detained and tried before military court have been released as of Wednesday. Their charges have not been dropped and their verdicts ...