No Sharia’a Law in the New Tunisian Constitution
A performance by Tunisian Association for Drama Arts was was interrupted when members of the Salafi movement disrupted the cultural events and damaged equipment in the main theater of the city on Bourguiba Avenue. The protests lead by the radicals group gathered thousands of Tunisian who ...
March 26, 2012
Category: Constitutional Issues, Elections, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Legislation, Middle Eastern Media, Political transition, Protests, Secularism, Tunisia
POMED Notes: The Legal Enabling Environment for Independent Media in Iraq
On Thursday, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) and the Middle Eastand North Africa Program at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a roundtable discussion on the recent legislation adopted by the Iraqi government on the media restricting the freedom of expression after years of experiencing media freedom after the fall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The panel featured Oday Hatem Iraqi journalist and president of the ...
March 1, 2012
Category: Event Notes, Iraq, Journalism, Kurdish Region, Legislation, Media, Middle Eastern Media
In Morocco Freedom of Speech Meets Limits Despite ‘Reforms’
Last week, an eighteen-year-old blogger, Walid Bahomane, appeared in court to face accusations of “defaming Morocco’s sacred values” for posting unflattering images and video of the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, to Facebook. The police report against Bahomane mentioned “two Facebook pages containing ...
February 13, 2012
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Category: Featured, Islam and Democracy, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, Reform
Analysis: Role of Media During Arab Upheaval
The international press organization Reporters Without Borders (RWB) released a report on the critical role of the media during the Arab spring since November 2011. The report focused on Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen.Reporters Without Borders noticed ...
January 10, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, Middle Eastern Media, Syria, Technology, Tunisia
BBC’s Arab Spring Coverage to Be Evaluated
BBC's coverage of the Arab spring will be examined by the former UN director of communications Edward Mortimer in an independent review. The trust's review will analyze the BBC's coverage of events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen. Previous reviews have
Summary and Highlights of the FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills
On Wednesday 7/27, the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee held a markup session and voted to pass the 2012 State and Foreign Operations Appropirations Bill, as is, to the full committee. The bill would provide $39.6 billion ...
October 21, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Libya, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, POMED, Publications, Reports, Rule of Law, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations, US foreign policy, US politics, Western Sahara, Yemen
Bahrain: Vote of No Confidence Against US Ambassador
Bahrain's parliament "issued a vote of no confidence in the appointment of new US Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski, who they claimed had a volatile agenda towards Bahrain." Members of Parliament stated that they found his "meetings in the ...
October 12, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Human Rights, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Political Parties, Protests
Bahrain: Social Media Posts Calling for Protests Punishable by Law
The Bahraini Ministry of the Interior released a statement Wednesday by Chief of Public Security Major-General Taraq Mubarak bin Daina regarding invitations to protest: "the mere fact of posting instigative calls" via "social networking and Internet websites inciting people to break the law" ...
September 22, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Freedom, Middle Eastern Media, Political transition, Protests, Technology
Change in Leadership at Al Jazeera
On Tuesday, Al Jazeera's director general Wadah Khanfar stepped down from his post after 8 years as the network's top executive. Khanfar, who started as a correspondent for Al Jazeera, stated that "he had been discussing his decision to step down with ...
September 22, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Iraq, Journalism, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Syria, US foreign policy
Oman: Journalists Jailed for Exposing Corruption
Editor Ibrahim al-Maamary and Managing Editor Yussuf al-Haj of the Omani newspaper Azzaman were sentenced to five months in jail on charges of insulting Justice Minister Mohamed al-Hanai and an undersecretary of state. Al-Maamary and al-Haj were charged with accusing ...
Algeria Loosens Constraints on Media
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 ...
September 13, 2011
Category: Algeria, Featured, Freedom, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Political transition
Egypt: Concern over Increased Media Censorship
The offices of Al Jazeera Egyptian affiliate Mubasher Misr were raided and shut down by security forces in plain clothes Sunday. The channel is known for its coverage of protests, including Friday's attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo. While members ...
Egypt: Pro-Democracy Blogger Deported; Torture Victims Released
Imad Bazzi, a Lebanese pro-democracy blogger, was detained in Cairo International Airport because his name appeared on the Egyptian intelligence blacklist. Bazzi was considered a "security concern" due to his support for jailed Egyptian activist, Mikael ...
September 6, 2011
Category: Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Government, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Political transition
August 30, 2011
Category: Civil Society, Featured, Government, International Law, Middle Eastern Media, Protests, Syria, UN Security Council, US foreign policy
WSJ: “Egypt Rulers Stoke Xenophobia”
Yesterday, Yaroslav Trofimov from the Wall Street Journal described the deepening xenophobia being stoked by the Egyptian government and state run media. Trofimov noted the xenophobia has not been this extreme since the 1950's revolution, and that Egypt's rulers are ...
August 11, 2011
Category: Civil Society, Diplomacy, Egypt, Featured, Government, Middle Eastern Media, US foreign policy
Bahrain: Released Prisoners to Face Trial; Al-Jazeera Banned
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, ...
Independent and State Media in Post-Revolutionary Egypt
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 ...
July 7, 2011
Category: Egypt, Freedom, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Military, Political transition
Saudi: Dissent & Geopolitical Worries
The New York Times covers social media's role in growing dissent in Saudi Arabia. The piece highlights the resilience of the women's right to drive campaign in spite of the nine-day imprisonment of Manal al-Sharif. It also explores how the ...
June 16, 2011
Category: Democracy Promotion, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Middle Eastern Media, Muslim Brotherhood, Protests, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Iraq’s News Media After Saddam”
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 ...