The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) said on Tuesday that 137 people would be released from Bahraini custody, of which at least 2 former Members of Parliament Matar Matar and Jawad Fairooz, have already been released. Despite the announcement, Fairooz noted that many of the released likely had their pictures taken to "prove" that torture had not occurred, and that many will likely face trial in civilian court. Mansoor al-Jamri, ...

CNN's Rima Maktabi and Neil Curry report that Egyptian television channels and radio stations are enjoying a new-found sense of freedom in regards to programming capabilities. During the protests at Tahrir Square, the head of Egypt State TV Nihal Kamal says that the state-owned institution lost credibility for not focusing on the revolutionary events. Independent and state-owned agencies alike are in the process of shifting their focus to political programming and ...

On Wednesday, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a panel discussion on the state of the news media in Iraq. The discussion centered on a report commissioned by CIMA and written by journalist Sherry Ricchiardi titled “Iraq’s News Media After Saddam: Liberation, Repression, and Future Prospects,” which was released in March 2011. CIMA senior director Marguerite Sullivan introduced the panel, which ...

Qatar's cabinet approved a new media law that is likely to be ratified during a meeting presided by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Thani. The draft states that journalists will be able write freely, "except on issues concerning national security and friendly countries." The Peninsula then adds, "There would be no censorship on the media." The law does, however, prevent journalists from being detained ...

A new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that the United States remains unpopular in key Arab and Muslim countries, as it has remained for a decade. President Barack Obama is viewed unfavorably in all countries polled with the exception of Indonesia. The Arab Spring has correctly reflected regional enthusiasm for democracy, which is generally viewed as the best form of government. However, the poll shows that people ...

During a Policy Forum at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, chair of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at Sciences Po Giles Kepel and Dr. Martin Kramer, the Washington Institute's Wexler Fromer fellow discussed the future of the Arab uprisings.  Kepel pointed tothe Arab people's economic grievances, frustrations over rampant corruption and the expiration of the Islamist threat as reasons for the revolution.  He also noted the differences between the Tunisian ...

On Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held the second in its ongoing series, "Shifting Sands: Political Transitions in the Middle East.” The witnesses for the hearing were Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and Tamara Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, both at the U.S. Department of State. ...

On Tuesday, the Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy and the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press held a panel discussion on the challenges facing press freedom in the 21st Century.  Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy made opening remarks while  David Killion, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO moderated the event and introduced the following panelists:  Assistant Secretary  at the Bureau of ...

Writing at the Arab Reform Bulletin, Toby C. Jones highlights the Bahraini government's "vendetta against those who challenged the authority of the ruling Al-Khalifa."  Jones points to the siege of the country's hospitals; the arrests of medical personnel; checkpoints erected to harass the country's Shi'a citizens; and the government's intimidation campaigns perpetuated by the police and pro-regime supporters as examples.  He also highlights the crackdown on Shi'a opposition paper, al-Wasat, ...

Over the past day, the Bahraini government has detained two opposition leaders, shut down the only opposition newspaper and announced it will prosecute medical professionals for treating protesters. Jawad Ferooz, the vice-president of the party, and Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, who recently resigned as a member of parliament, were detained on Monday evening. Joe Stork, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch noted a pattern of government critics being arrested by plain-clothed masked men and ...

In remarks made at a World Press Freedom Day event, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale lauded the work journalists have done in the "pursuit of truth" and discussed the importance of protecting press freedom.  McHale discussed her recent trip to Tunisia where activists and citizens "are embracing the blessings of a free press, of freedom of association, and of free expression as vital components of an ...