Saudi Princess: “Things That I Would Like to See Changed”
Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz opened up to BBC about five changes she would like to see in Saudi Arabia. First, "a proper constitution that treats all men and women on an equal footing before the law but that ...
April 9, 2012
Category: Featured, Government, Human Rights, Public Opinion, Syria, Uncategorized, US foreign policy
Bahrain: F1 Debates Holding Race; Al-Khawaja State Uncertain
Bahrainis continued to show solidarity in protesting the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix race at the end of April. A Twitter user posted a picture of graffiti art with the caption "Protester's way of welcoming #F1 in #Bahrain, ...
Syria: Assad Demands Written Guarantees, Opposition Refuses
Two days before the April 10th deadline for President Bashar Al Assad to pull all troops, the Syrian National Council reported that another 130 people had died, 86 of them being civilians. Given the escalation in violence, "We urge ...
Bahrain Refuses Extradition of Al-Khawaja
Reports said Saturday that hunger striker Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was being mistreated by staff in the hospital where he currently lies. Concerned about Al-Khawaja's life on the line, Front Line Defenders released a statement saying, "We further call on ...
Bahrain: Tension Escalating Amid Calls for Al-Khawaja’s Release
Bahraini security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters marching Friday in support of a jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is on the verge of death due to a hunger strike lasting ...
Groups Call for Release of Al-Khawaja in Bahrain
Five political opposition groups in Bahrain released a joint statement today holding the Bahraini authorities responsible for the death of Ahmed Ismail and demanding the release of human rights activist Abdulahdi Al-Khawaja. The opposition groups stated in regards to Ismail's case: ...
“F1 must align itself with progression, not repression.”
The 1996 Formula One (F1) world champion racer Damon Hill has come forward with "grave doubts" about holding the F1 race in Bahrain this year. Hill had visited Bahrain six weeks ago, and said he was comfortable with holding ...
“Syrian Spring” Questioned
Ronald S. Lauder, former U.S. ambassador to Austria, believes the euphoria that surrounded the Arab Spring involving true democratic reforms, while motivated by wishful thinking, "overlooked the power realities actually shaping events." As realities in Syria continue to be shaped by the burgeoning conflict, Lauder called the government of President Bashar al-Assad a "criminal regime is clinging to power by any means." While Lauder feels Assad's fall from power is inevitable, he warned that a “Syrian Spring will ...
Turkey: 1980 Coup Trial and Kurdish Militant Trial
General Kenan Evren, 94, who was president from 1983-89, and General Tahsin Sahinkaya, 86, have been put on trial for staging a military coup in the 1980s and facing charges of attempting to overthrowthe civilian government. Fifty people were ...
Al-Hayat: “Clinton Puts Iran Issue Ahead of Syrian Crisis”
Al-Monitor translated an article from Al-Hayat concerning Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Jameel Theyabi writes (Arabic) that Clinton "evaded reporters' questions about the U.S. position toward the arming of the Syrian rebels, ...
April 3, 2012
Category: Diplomacy, Gulf Cooperation Council, Human Rights, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Uncategorized, US foreign policy
[Updated] Bahrain: One Activist Hospitalized, Another One Killed
Activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is on his 52nd day of hunger strike, was hospitalized last night after collapsing for a second time in prison. His family was denied a visit to see him, but was told he could ...
April 2, 2012
Category: Congress, Corruption, Egypt, Featured, Human Rights, NGOs, US foreign policy
The Economist: “The Arab Spring’s Online Backlash”
According to The Economist, Arab governments may be enacting legislation in an effort to limit the influence of the internet has in their respective countries. An article published Thursday revealed examples of bill proposals that would come before legislative bodies in the coming month. A bill (Eng.) defining “information-technology crimes” which is to be debated in the Iraqi parliament in April was cited as one of four laws that could potentially severely ...
Arab League Summit to Discuss Syria
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will attend the Arab League summit in Baghdad (Syria will not attend because its membership in the Arab League has been suspended) to discuss special envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan for Syria. The Secretary-General ...
Questions Surround Bahraini Government Commitment to Reform
Al-Jazeera reported that the government argues that it has fulfilled the obligations of the BICI report released in November, but rights groups argue the opposite: the government has largely ignored “critical recommendations” and has yet to deal with “accountability for torture and relief for those unjustly imprisoned during the uprising.” On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch released a report documenting dozens of cases of citizens imprisoned simply for speaking out and demanding ...
Syrian Opposition Attempts to Coalesce
Reuters reported that under Turkish auspices members of the Syrian opposition have found a way to unite, paving the path forward for a democratic Syria. The unity, however, remains incomplete as Kurdish delegates and veteran dissident Haithem al Maleh ...
March 28, 2012
Category: Arab League, Congress, Diplomacy, Featured, Human Rights, Legislation, Syria, Uncategorized, US foreign policy
NYTimes: U.S. Aid “Enabling” Egypt’s SCAF
On Monday, the New York Times editorial board criticized U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's decision to release part of Egypt's $1.3 billion in military aid by waiving the conditions ...
March 28, 2012
Category: Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Military, NGOs, Political transition, US foreign policy