December 7, 2011
Category: Egypt, Elections, Featured, Government, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Judiciary, Justice, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Political transition, Reform, Rule of Law
POMED Notes: “From Arab Spring to Coptic Winter: Sectarian Violence and the Struggle for Democratic Transition in Egypt”
On Tuesday, November 15th, the Helsinki Commission held a hearing entitled “From Arab Spring to Coptic Winter: Sectarian Violence and the Struggle for Democratic Transition in Egypt.” Testimonies were provided by Michael H. Posner, assistant secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Dina Guirguis, attorney at Egyptian American Rule of Law Association (EARLA), Samuel Tadros, research fellow at the Hudson Institute, and Dr. Michele Dunne, ...
November 20, 2011
Category: Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Egypt, Elections, Government, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Journalism, Judiciary, Justice, Political transition, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, Rule of Law, Sectarianism, US foreign policy
Egypt’s Military Extends Blogger’s Detention
Egyptian military prosecutors have extended the detention of Alaa Abd El Fattah, a prominent blogger and activist, over a pending investigation into whether he incited violence and attacked military personnel during the deadly protests on October 9th. The extension ...
November 13, 2011
Category: Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Judiciary, Military, Political transition, Rule of Law
Interview with Matar Ibrahim Matar by Aswat
In an interview with Matar Ibrahim Matar, an ex-member of the Bahraini Parliament and a leading figure in the Wefaq Society, Matar discussed his time in prison and his trial, as well as the Bahraini uprising and the human rights ...
November 6, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Freedom, Human Rights, Judiciary, Political Parties, Political transition, Rule of Law
October 30, 2011
Category: Egypt, Government, Human Rights, Judiciary, Justice, Political transition
Bahrain: Parliament to Vote on New Freedom of Expression Law
On Monday, the Bahraini ambassador to the United States Hooda Ezra Nonoo released a statement regarding newly proposed "freedom of expression" amendments which are designed to "provide stronger guarantees for freedom of expression in Bahrain by narrowing the circumstances under ...
October 24, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Judiciary, Legislation
Egypt: Military Trials Risk Destabilizing Transition
Eric Trager, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, argues the continued use of military trials of civilians by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) "risks confrontation with the public." After the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the SCAF has increasingly used military trials for civilians as a politically expedient alternative to civilian trials as well as a method of quashing dissent. Many high-profile activists and bloggers, including ...
Syria: Radwan Ziadeh’s Brother Arrested; More Sanctions
Yassein Ziadeh, the brother of Radwan Ziadeh who heads the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies and is a visiting scholar at George Washington University, has been arrested by the "notorious" Syrian Air Force security forces. Yassein Ziadeh, who is ...
August 30, 2011
Category: Civil Society, Featured, Government, Judiciary, Military, Protests, sanctions, Security Sector, Syria, US foreign policy
Lebanon: Hariri Investigation Released Full Indictment
The U.N. backed tribunal investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has released the full indictment. Reactions to the release were predictably divided. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, "the text in our hands ...
Lawyers Lash Out During Mubarak Trial
Lawyers astounded Egyptian courtroom officials on Wednesday when they rushed to address the judge presiding over the cases of former President Hosni Mubarak, his sons, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six of his assistants. There were 85 lawyers representing 414 of the victims' families, although it is reported that at least half of the 'lawyers' weren't official representatives. One lawyer exclaimed that Mubarak was a serial killer; another asserted that ...
Ahmadinejad Confident that No Iranian Uprisings Will Occur
In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke on the uprisings in Egypt and former President Hosni Mubarak's trial, the possibility of a similar uprising in Iran and the fate of opposition figures Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi. In regards to Mubarak's removal, Ahmadinejad voiced disappointment "over the global management which separates some governments from their people to the point that the people, for the sake of reaching ...
Egypt: Trials for Mubarak, Sons, and Minister Adly Begin
The trials for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, his sons Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, the former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly, and six other former regime officials began today in a Cairo courtroom. All of the defendants denied the ...
Update: Mubarak Trial Set for August 3rd
According to al-Masry al-Youm, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be tried tomorrow in court, and stands accused of three crimes: "involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolution; impropriety in the sale of five villas... and corruption in gas sales to Israel, charges for which former Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmi is currently being tried." Questions have been raised regarding the reality of Mubarak making a public appearance in court. ...
Egypt: Update on Mubarak Trial
Former President Hosni Mubarak has been cleared and is healthy enough to travel to Cairo on Wednesday to stand trial, Health Minister Amr Helmy reports. Egyptian Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy will move Mubarak from the Sharm el-Sheikh resort where the ...
Working Group on Egypt: Thoughts and Suggestions for Policymakers
In a report released today by the Working Group on Egypt are questions and concerns regarding the transitional government (SCAF) in Egypt. Thoughts and suggestions outlined in the report are summarized below: International monitoring of elections: The report suggests that, "U.S. policymakers should strongly encourage the SCAF to grant domestic as well as international monitors full access to all aspects of the polling process." The SCAF has purported that international monitoring undermines the ...
July 27, 2011
Category: Constitutional Issues, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Human Rights, Judiciary, Military, Political transition, Protests, Reform
Tunisia: Trials Begin for Ben Ali’s Inner Circle
Al-Jazeera reports that 23 allies of former Tunisian leader Zine el Abidine Ben Ali "have appeared before a court in the capital Tunis for trying to flee the country last January with illegally obtained foreign currency." On January 14th, 14 men and nine women were captured when trying to escape from Tunisia with a 'large sum of money', the same day Ben Ali and his wife fled to exile in ...
UAE Begins Blogger Trials
The trials of five bloggers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) began Monday. The five, Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, Fahad Salim Dalk, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq, and Hassan Ali al-Khamis, are accused of "publicly insulting" top government officials. Many of ...
POMED Notes: Road to Reform in MENA
On Thursday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems hosted a panel discussion on the “Road to Reform in the Middle East and North Africa.” Panelists included Ambar Zobairi, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa, IFES; Elmar Brok, German Member of the European Parliament; and Michele Dunne, Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Atlantic Council. The panel was moderated by Bill Sweeney, President and CEO, IFES. For ...
July 15, 2011
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Judiciary, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy
Egypt: A Second Wave of Reform Protests
Earlier today, Egyptians rallied by the tens of thousands in Tahrir Square, Alexandria, and Suez in protest of the current regime implemented after the fall of Hosni Mubarek February 11. Al-Jazeera reports that protesters are unhappy with the ...
July 8, 2011
Category: Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Featured, Government, Judiciary, Justice, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Political transition, Protests, Reform
Daphne McCurdy On “Turkey’s Post-Election Crisis”
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 ...