| NVA in Mid East/ N. Africa - 2009 April 10 |
 |
 |
| Sunday, 12 April 2009 |
|
Kuwait's democracy faces turbulence By: Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ, April 9, 2009 When a street protest broke out here last month, the demonstrators weren't rallying against autocratic rule, unlike in other Arab capitals. Instead, they chanted "Down with parliament!" Tying shut the parliament gates with the Kuwaiti national flag, they urged the country's monarch to dissolve its freely elected legislature -- a wish that came true hours later. Read full article... Despite fraud claims, Algeria's leader likely to be reelected today By: Liam Stack, CSM, April 9, 2009 Algerians go to the polls Thursday to cast their votes in an election whose winner almost anyone on the street can predict: sitting president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He has run the country for the past 10 years, governing with the support of the National Liberation Front (known by the French acronym FLN), which led the 1954-62 independence fight against French imperialism. Read full article... On anniversary of Saddam's fall, Iraqi protesters vent against US By: Jane Arraf, CSM, April 9, 2009 Tens of thousands of Iraqis crowded into the square Thursday where Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled, along with his regime, six years ago. Waving posters of Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr and demanding that President Obama fulfill his promise to withdraw US troops, their presence underscored the eagerness of many Iraqis to see the US leave - but also their apprehension about what comes next, especially after a week of bombings that have marred months of relative calm. Read full article... An overview of critical situation of five political prisoners in Iranian jails By: IHRV, April 9, 2009 Mansoor Radpour was arrested when he was planning to participate in a ceremony held by workers on May 17, 2007. He was held in safe houses controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence for about a month, and during this period he was subjected to severe torture and physical harassment. As a result of this mistreatment, Mr. Radpour sustained broken ribs and serious shoulder injuries. Mr. Radpour was sentenced to a three-year jail term by Branch eight of the Revolutionary Court in the city of Karaj.  Read full article... Tunisian government's message to the opposition: Take part in the elections but remain silent By: Sofiene Chourabu, Menassat, April 9, 2009 On March 30 opposition paper Attariq Al-Jadid was not found on newsstands, despite having been printed and handed to distributors. The move brought into question the government's response to opposition media, a few months before the upcoming legislative and presidential elections. Read full article... Bahrain: CPJ concerned about crackdown on websites and blogs By: IFEX, April 8, 2009 The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to protest the recent deterioration of press freedom in Bahrain and your government's ongoing campaign against critical or opposition Web sites and blogs. The crackdown against those sites has resulted in dozens of them being blocked inside the kingdom, according to local and international human rights and press freedom watchdogs. Read full article... U.S. journalist held in Iran faces charges of spying By: Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post, April 8, 2009 Roxana Saberi, an American freelance journalist who has been in custody in Iran since January, has been charged with spying, the judge in the case told Iranian state television Wednesday. "This accused has been coming and going to certain government circles under the cover of reporter and without a permit," Sohrab Heydarifard said. "She has perpetrated actions to compile and gather information and documents and transferred them to American intelligence services." Read full article... Egypt: A blogger disappears after his release By: Global Voices, April 8, 2009 Although he was released by the Public Prosecutor, Egyptian blogger Abdel Rahman Fares (25 ) is still missing. Fares who blogs at Lesani Howa Qalami (My Tongue is My Pen) was arrested on April 5, while handing out flyers in his city of Fayoum, calling people to take to the streets and protest against the government, as a part of the "6th April strike". Read full article... In Egypt, detentions, but no general strike By: Silver Scorpio, April 7, 2009 What a difference a year makes in Egypt. Last April 6, teargas filled the streets of the Nile Delta industrial town of Mahalla al-Kobra as rioters firebombed buildings, hurled rocks at riot police, and toppled a freestanding poster of Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak. At least two people were killed in clashes with the police and dozens more were wounded. Read full article... Egyptian authorities urged to release peaceful protestors By: Amnesty International, April 7, 2009 At least 20 people are still held in detention in Egypt after peaceful protests on Monday. The protesters, who took part in nationwide strikes and demonstrations, were calling for a range of political and economic reforms in the country. Others who were arrested during the weekend or on Monday were released the same evening. Read full article... Iraq: Shoe-thrower's jail sentence reduced from three years to one By: RSF, April 7, 2009 Reporters Without Borders notes that a Baghdad appeal court today reduced journalist Muntazer Al-Zaidi's sentence from three years to one year in prison. Zaidi was arrested at a Baghdad news conference on 14 December after throwing his shoes at US President George W. Bush. Read full article... Iran: Concern about conditions in which journalists and cyber-dissidents are being held By: RSF, April 7, 2009 Reporters Without Borders firmly condemns the conditions in which journalists and cyber-dissidents are being held in Iran and the arbitrary nature of their detention, and calls for their release. The organization issued its appeal after the parents of a detained American-Iranian journalist, who live in the United States, were able to visit her in Tehran's Evin prison yesterday. Read full article... Protestors arrested on Egypt 'day of anger' By: AFP, April 6, 2009 Egyptian police were out in force on Monday to deal with a nationwide protest called by pro-democracy groups, arresting Islamists and containing small demonstrations in the capital, Cairo. Around 100 opposition MPs, mainly from the banned Muslim Brotherhood, walked out of parliament to mark the "day of anger" when Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif began to speak, although there were no reports of mass protests. Read full article... Saudi Shiites' one-word demand By: Dissident Voice, March 28, 2009 In 2005, the International Crisis Group (ICG) issued a report entitled "The Shiite Question in Saudi Arabia." The Executive Summary recounted that since the establishment of Saudi Arabia in 1932, "... its minority Shiite population has been subject to discrimination and sectarian incitement." It detailed how Shiites, the majority in the country's oil-rich Eastern Province (EP) and accounting for approximately 15-20 percent of the overall population, remained strikingly underrepresented throughout all segments of civil society, including government (in which they essentially have no representation), the public sector, schools, the judiciary, the military and police. Read full article... Share this article: 
|
Announcements
| |||
Latest Videos
Act Now
|
| ||||
The SDP National Healthcare Plan
SDP Publictaions
Support SDP , buy our 30th Anniversary Magazine here
pdf link
| |||
Danny the Democracy Bear
| |||
Awesome Words
“The more the courts are asked to handle political issues, the more their fragility is exposed....A judge's integrity, fairness, temperament, and knowledge of the law are all pertinent areas for public inquiry.”
Login
News feeds
