Kuwait: MPs Protest Government Crackdown
December 22nd, 2010 by Evan
Kuwaiti opposition parliamentarians protested the ongoing detention of legal scholar Obaid al-Wasmi outside the Kuwaiti parliament Tuesday. Independent MP Mubarak al-Waalan told AFP “We condemn the government measures against Wasmi and the brutal police beating,” while opposition leader Mussallam al-Barrak accused members of the ruling Al-Sabah family of directly ordering the attack. Al-Wasmi was beaten and arrested December 8 (video here) following an opposition meeting in Kuwait City.
Posted in Human Rights, Kuwait, Protests | Comment »
Kuwait: Government Shutters Al Jazeera for Coverage of Police Crackdown
December 13th, 2010 by Evan
Kuwaiti officials have closed Al Jazeera’s bureau in Kuwait City in response to the channel’s coverage of opposition protests last week. The Information Ministry accused Al Jazeera of meddling in Kuwait’s internal affairs after it aired footage of police beating activists and interviewing members of the Kuwaiti opposition. Al Jazeera issued a statement saying that it “has adhered in its coverage of Kuwaiti affairs to hosting all parties, condemns considering its professional coverage an interference in Kuwaiti internal affairs. Al Jazeera vows to continue to cover Kuwaiti affairs with full professionalism and balance.”
Posted in Kuwait, Protests | Comment »
Iran: Reports of Protests on Students Day
December 7th, 2010 by Jason
There have been numerous reports of protests in Iran today. Babylon and Beyond reports that “[a]mateur video footage taken during illegal protests on campuses throughout the country showed students chanting slogans from last year’s huge demonstrations.” Enduring America is live blogging the events, as well as hosting videos purported to be from the protests. Also, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that Iranian army commander-in-chief Ataollah Salehi has “expressed concern” about support for the Green Movement within the army.
Posted in Iraq, Protests | Comment »
Morocco: “Let Democracy Reign” in Western Sahara
November 10th, 2010 by Anna
At Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel, Carne Ross of the diplomatic advisory group Independent Diplomat criticizes a recent article that calls for autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. He describes “the devastating violence unleashed by Moroccan authorities against the indigenous Saharawi people of Western Sahara in recent days,” including against Sahrawi protesters earlier this week. He argues that “the autonomy proposal is completely at odds with the peace agreement” signed in 1991, and charges that Morocco has undermined progress on the deal, including by challenging the voter registration process. He calls on human rights organizations and foreign governments to condemn the violence and affirms the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. Ross proposes: “let democracy reign. Give the people a vote. Let them decide between Morocco and independence.”
Posted in Human Rights, Morocco, Protests, Western Sahara | Comment »
Egypt: Political Opposition Responds to Continued Obstacles
November 8th, 2010 by Anna
Yesterday, Al Masry Al Youm reported that Mohamed ElBaradei has accused Egyptian officials of wiretapping the office of his campaign’s general coordinator. On his Facebook page, ElBaradei wrote that he will “request an investigation into this scandal which has attacked the rule of law and violated the personal privacy of citizens,” adding that this is further indication of the regime’s “insistence on oppression and on dispersing opposition voices and the demand for democratization.”
On Saturday, the Muslim Brotherhood held a series of protests in Alexandria, following the reported rejection of some members’ registration papers last week. Observers said that violence broke out in some neighborhoods between demonstrators and security forces. Also on Saturday, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that all political parties must be allowed broadcasting time on state television in order to publicize their platforms.
Posted in Egypt, Judiciary, Middle Eastern Media, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Protests | Comment »
Egypt: “Crisis of Governance” Over Parliamentary, Presidential Elections
November 1st, 2010 by Anna
In an opinion piece for Al Masry Al Youm, Director of Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies Bahey Eldin Hassan examines “the current crisis of governance in Egypt.” Unlike in previous years, some in the ruling elite believe that President Mubarak’s “continued grip on power is no longer in their interest or the regime’s interest.” Problematically, however, the regime has no alternate candidate that would garner the support of the entire elite. Furthermore, there are concerns among regime elites about how to ensure the political legitimacy of the next president, given the “unprecedented expansion of economic and social protests over the last two years.”
The current election environment is also shaped by the fact that political reform in the Middle East is not central on international agendas. Consequently, “the regime knows very well that even if the upcoming parliamentary elections are the worst in 58 years, it will incur no more than a harsh word or two.” The actual composition of the new parliament, meanwhile, has effectively “already been announced,” according to Hassan. Moving forward, he adds, one factor that will affect the political environment is the extent to which unofficial opposition groups can “project a coherent, influential message to the mass of regular Egyptians.”
For more information on this and other news on Egypt, sign up for POMED’s Egypt Daily Update.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Political Parties, Protests, US foreign policy | Comment »
Tunisia: HRW Reports Continued Abuse of Unionists
October 25th, 2010 by Evan
Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently released a report criticizing the Tunisian government’s repression of trade and student unions. Despite official statements to the contrary, HRW found that Tunisian officials regularly deny the groups legal status and attempt to persecute and subvert their leadership. HRW also reports that abuse and torture remain widespread in Tunisia.
Posted in Freedom, Journalism, Protests, Reform, Tunisia, Unions | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The Ayatollahs’ Democracy: An Iranian Challenge”
October 14th, 2010 by Jason
The New America Foundation (NAF) held an event today marking the release of Hooman Majd’s new book, “The Ayatollahs’ Democracy: An Iranian Challenge.” Majd was introduced by Steve Clemons, Senior Fellow and Director of the American Strategy Program at NAF.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or go here for pdf)
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Elections, Freedom, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »
Iran: Islamic Azad University Opened to State Takeover
October 12th, 2010 by Anna
Ali Akbar Dareini and Nasser Karimi of the Associated Press report that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has nullified the endowment of Iran’s largest private university, the Islamic Azad University, opening it to a state takeover. Khamenei reportedly said: “The endowment has major legal and jurisprudential problems including the legitimacy of the endowment and the competence of the university’s founders to create it.” The school was a site of opposition protests during the disputed 2009 presidential elections and was founded by ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who used the endowment to keep the institution independent.
Posted in Iran, Protests | Comment »
Workers Demonstrate, Demand Wages in Iran and Egypt
October 11th, 2010 by Anna
In southern Iran, workers went on strike at two plants to demand wages that have gone unpaid for three months. One anonymous employee said: “Our production remains at a normal level, we produce and distribute paper, but we don’t receive our salaries…I don’t know where the money is going.” The strikes occurred at Kaghaz Pars Haftapeh, a paper mill ,and a petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh. Another worker attributed the companies’ failure to pay wages to international sanctions on Iran.
In Egypt, a group of workers, labor activists and lawyers gathered outside the National Council for Human Rights and the National Council for Women yesterday, demanding their jobs back after being facing “arbitrary and punitive lay-offs” from a variety of private and public sector companies. Reporters were not allowed to attend the event. One worker, who was fired from Petrotrade in December 2009, said that he and several others were fired for their “organizational efforts.”
Posted in Egypt, Iran, Protests | Comment »
Egypt: Will Discontent Translate Into Political Action?
October 6th, 2010 by Jason
There have only been 80 political protests in Egypt this year and only a “handful” of those have been in support of Mohammed ElBaradei’s National Association for Change, writes Noha El-Hennawy in Al-Masry Al-Youm. She compares the current dearth of protest with the outpouring of action seen in 2005. “Then the opposition was not restricted to a bunch of intellectuals. It spread to professional groups that seized the momentum […] and voiced political and economic demands in a country where at least 20 percent of the population languish in poverty.” El-Hennawy suggests that the initial space opened by the Bush Administration’s exertion of pressure on the Mubarak regime to democratize closed after the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hamas in the Occupied Territories were more successful than expected. Amr Hamzawy is quoted in the piece as saying, “In 2010, we have more social protest activities over bread and butter issues than in 2005. This is not happening at the expense of political mobilization but it is part of it.”
Not all protests have been over “bread and butter” issues, however. In recent weeks, students have been arrested for handing out leaflets, staging exhibitions about the possible succession of Gamal Mubarak, and working to gather signatures for ElBaradei’s Seven Reforms. (Arabic sources here, here, here) The crackdown on students at universities is especially troubling considering the US provides 50 million dollars a year in education assistance to Egypt (USAID budget pg. 207).
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Hamas, Protests, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: What do the Protests Mean?
September 23rd, 2010 by Jason
Protests broke out on Tuesday in Cairo and Alexandria. Hoda Abdel-Hamid explains that the protests are important because “…the protestors voiced what many Egyptians say quietly: no to inheritance of power.” She adds, “…some Egyptians at least, are not intimidated by the system anymore. And what is even less clear is how the government will adapt with the rising voices of opposition.” Issandr El-Amrani wonders what signal the authorities are trying to send by cracking down harshly on protesters: “For the police, this might indicate new instructions to send a strong message to participants that such protests (not long ago largely tolerated and kept under control) will be handled more firmly from now on.” He shares Hamid’s concern about the governments next steps: “…what if, in the run-up to the succession many expect to happen in the next year, Egypt sees a considerable tightening of political space?[…] It’s worth keeping this in mind, because we’re not in 2005: Egypt’s domestic politics are not a major part of US foreign policy, the world is not watching.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Protests, Public Opinion | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Egypt at the Tipping Point?”
September 17th, 2010 by Anna
On Friday, David Ottaway gave a talk at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars titled “Egypt at the Tipping Point?” Ottaway – who is a senior scholar at the Wilson Center and the former Bureau Chief for the Washington Post in Cairo – discussed the findings from his recent paper, published in the Wilson Center Middle East Program’s Summer 2010 Occasional Paper Series. The talk was introduced and moderated by Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program.
(To read the full event summary, continue below. Or, click here to read the pdf.)
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Events, Freedom, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political Parties, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Syria: Egyptian Activists to Protest Detention of Syrian Blogger
September 17th, 2010 by Anna
Sarah Carr of Daily News Egypt reported yesterday that a group of Egyptian activists from the Arab Network for Human Rights Information and the April 6 Youth Movement plan to demonstrate outside Syria’s embassy in Egypt on Sunday. They are calling for the release of 19 year-old Syrian blogger Tal el-Melouhy, who has been in detention for nine months. El-Melouhy reportedly wrote and published pieces in support of the Palestinian cause on her blog “Medawwenty,” and was arrested last December. A few weeks ago, the blogger’s mother wrote an open letter to President Al-Assad in which she stated that she received promises from security officials that her daughter would be released by the start of Ramadan. According to Egyptian activist Mohamed Maree, al-Melouhy’s young age is part of the reason that Egyptians are protesting, and said: “Tal will be a symbol of human rights abuses in Syria. During the protest we will call for her release in addition to the release of other prisoners of conscience.”
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, NGOs, Protests, Syria | Comment »
Bahrain: Returning to the “Bad Old Days”?
September 13th, 2010 by Jason
Writing in the Guardian, Jon Marks explains why the recent actions of the Bahraini government are receiving so much attention: “In jeopardy is one of the tentative experiments at introducing meaningful political reform in the Gulf monarchies.” King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and the Sunnit political elites, have accused hundreds of Shia Bahrainis of being part of a “‘network’ of local militants [that] has ‘external links’ with ‘outlaws’ who advocated terror and sabotage.” As Marks points out, these charges are viewed with skepticism outside of Bahrain. The author goes on to explain that recent events are not necessarily indicative of King Hamad’s reign. He says that initially King Hamad was conciliatory towards the Shia majority, allowing the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the largest Shia group in the country, to enter the parliament.
Recent events, however, seem to have jeopardized this progress: “According to al-Wefaq’s political leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, ‘the way the ongoing security campaign has been handled, and the rights violations that accompanied it, have in one week destroyed 10 years of progress in this country.’” Marks concludes by noting that, “A continued hard line will threaten to institutionalise communal instability rather than building the more consensual politics that King Hamad has promised his diverse population.”
Posted in Bahrain, Civil Society, Elections, Human Rights, Protests | Comment »
POMED Notes: Press Conference “Without a Stable and Democratic Egypt, the Future of a Two State Solution is in Jeopardy”
September 1st, 2010 by Jason
Today at the National Press Club, a press conference was held to discuss the Mubarak government’s prominent role in the upcoming negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Hosted by The Coalition of Egyptian Organizations and the Egyptian Association for Change-USA and moderated by Tarek Khalil, the event featured a panel of Egyptian activists.
For full notes continue below the fold or click here for PDF
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Posted in Civil Society, DC Event Notes, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Mideast Peace Plan, Political Islam, Protests, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Change or Continuity?
August 31st, 2010 by Evan
David Ottaway recently published a new article on the prospects for political change in Egypt as part of the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Occasional Paper series. After spending months interviewing a wide range of Egyptian political figures, Ottaway notes the there is a complete lack of agreement about where Egypt is today and where it is going. The only thing all of the observers seem to agree on is that it is unlikely Egyptians will take to the streets in full-out protests like Iranians did last year.
From Ottaway’s perspective, economic, social and political tensions are clearly rising but there is no clear indication that this will lead to a shift in political power. The security services and the military maintain a strong hold on society and “Egyptian temperament” has historically shown a preference for continuity over change. Two unknowns will likely play a significant role in the outcome: “The first is a possible outburst of social discontent perhaps triggered by a cut in bread and food subsidies, an action the government is contemplating. […] A second potential match lighting the fires of street protest could be an Egyptian Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian woman shot to death during a protest demonstration in Tehran last June.”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Protests | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Rare Public Protest
August 30th, 2010 by Evan
Reuters reports that 200 unemployed Saudi teachers staged a protest Sunday in front of the education ministry to demand jobs. Despite the country’s wealth, it has struggled to create employment opportunities for its burgeoning population. The article argues that the root of the issue is Saudi Arabia’s education system, which ”focuses more on religion than on the job skills needed to diversify an oil-based economy weighed down by a bloated public sector.” In recent years, King Abdullah’s attempts to push through reforms have been stymied by the religious elite who control much of the country’s education bureaucracy.
Posted in Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Egypt: Power Outages Cause Outrage
August 27th, 2010 by Jason
Frustrations have reached a boiling point in Egypt due to the government’s recent decision to cut power to various areas in order to lighten the load on the electric grid. National Association for Consumer Protection President Zeinab Awadallah believes citizens should have the right to sue the government. Adwallah complains that, “…locally-produced energy is exported to the detriment of domestic demand” and that “Egypt’s power stations had been neglected…”. Other Egyptian citizens are taking a more direct approach, with several opposition groups staging a protest in the Matareya district of Cairo protesting the electricity outages as well as increases in food prices.
Posted in Egypt, Protests | Comment »
Palestine: PA Tightening Grip Before Peace Talks?
August 27th, 2010 by Evan
At the Hudson Institute’s Hudson New York blog Khaled Abu Toameh writes that the Palestinian Authority is cracking down on internal dissent before peace talks with Israel this fall. “By silencing its political opponents and critics, the Palestinian Authority is trying to create the false impression that it has the backing of a majority of its people to negotiate with Israel,” writes Toameh. In recent weeks Palestinian security forces have arrested and attacked political activists protesting the summit with Israel.
Posted in Palestine, Protests | Comment »
