Bahraini Medics’ Appeal Rejected Final Time
The appeal of nine Bahraini medics who treated victims of government crackdowns was rejected for the final time, and many of the sentences stem from "participating in illegal demonstrations." The sentences range from one month to five years. A number ...
October 1, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Freedom, Hezbollah, Human Rights, NGOs, Protests, Reform, UN Human Rights Council, Uncategorized, United Nations, Youth
Morocco Receives Loans, Police Abuse Acknowledged
Morocco has been granted $190 million in financial assistance from the Arab Monetary Fund, an Abu Dhabi-based organization, to support trade with other Arab nations and help balance payments. “The Arab Monetary Fund supports the government’s strategy that ...
Yemen Announces Formation of New Election Committee
On August 30, Yemeni Minister of Legal Affairs Mohamed Mikhlafi announced the creation of an new election committee ahead of a round of elections which are slated to take place within the next two months. "The coming period ...
David B. Ottaway: “Saudi Arabia’s Race Against Time”
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars released a report by David B. Ottaway, Senior Scholar at the center and former Bureau Chief in Cairo for the Washington Post. Ottaway conducted two weeks of research and interviews in Saudi Arabia, and writes on the Saudi government's fears that youth, including thousands of students returning from studying abroad, have been inspired by other Arab uprisings, and will spark unrest in the ...
POMED Notes: “Is Egypt’s Transition On or Off the Rails?”
On Thursday, the Atlantic Council, in collaboration with the Project on Middle East Democracy, held an event titled “Is Egypt’s Transition On or Off the Rails?” The discussion focused on the implications of the latest developments involving the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the prospects for stability and democracy looking ahead. The panelists were: Bahey Hassan, general director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Mohsin Khan, a senior fellow at ...
June 22, 2012
Category: Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Human Rights, Muslim Brotherhood, Political transition, Youth
Bahrain Puts 11-year-old Boy on Trial
On Wednesday, 11-year-old Ali Hasan will be prosecuted by the Bahraini government for helping protesters set up a road block during demonstrations last month. Though many have been arrested in the 15 month protest movement, Hasan's case marks a new precedent ...
POMED Notes: “The Arab Spring: Getting it Right”
On May 3rd, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) hosted its 13th Annual Conference entitled, "The Arab Spring: Getting it Right." The conference featured a series of four panels, and a set of luncheon and concluding keynote addresses. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF. Panel 1 – Getting it Right: Elements of Successful Democratic Transitions The first panel of the 13th Annual ...
May 21, 2012
Category: Algeria, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Event Notes, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Political Islam, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Youth
Moroccan Rapper Jailed for Song Criticizing Police
Prominent Moroccan rapper Mouad Belghouat, whose stage name is al-Haqed, was sentenced to one year in prison for attacking the image of the security services and "showing contempt" in a song about police corruption. At the sentencing, Belghouat's defense ...
POMED Notes: Bahrain at the Boiling Point? Failed Reforms, Mounting Frustration
On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted an event by the Project on Middle East Democracy titled “Bahrain at the Boiling Point? Failed Reforms, Mounting Frustration.” In light of recent developments in the Gulf Nation, the event was held to address the progress toward reform thus far, the steps that need to be taken next, and the role of the U.S. in moving toward a peaceful political solution. ...
HRW Exposes Ongoing Police Brutality in Bahrain
Following a five-day visit to the country, Human Rights Watch reports, "Bahrain’s police are beating and torturing detainees, including minors, despite public commitments to end torture and police impunity." According to Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director of HRW, “Bahrain has ...
Saudi’s Curriculum of Intolerance Teaching Children
Eman al Nafjan writes in Foreign Policy about Saudi Arabia's tainted curriculum that breeds intolerance in its children. Although the Education Ministry responded to the first round of similar criticism by removing teachers it deemed extremist from classrooms, Nafjan ...
Saudi Activist Hopeful for a Freer Saudi Arabia
Waleed Abu Alkhair writes in the Washington Post about his longing for a freer Saudi Arabia. Each week, Alkhair hosts people in his home to discuss issues that would be taboo in public, and many of his guests are politically ...
Bahrain F1 Showered With Ongoing Criticism
BBC's Middle East Correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says holding the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix race in Bahrain is not so much a question of safety, but rather of morality. Interviewing both members of the opposition and government officials, Wingfield-Hayes says ...
[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 ...
POMED Notes: Elections in Yemen: The Road to Democracy?
On Tuesday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a panel addressing the challenges and issues that Yemen must address in order to successfully move forward into a democracy. The speakers were Elobaid Ahmed Elobaid, director of the U.N. Human Rights Training and Documentation Center for South West Asia and the Arab Region, Grant Kippen, the IFES chief of party for Yemen, and Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the ...
Hillary Clinton Visits Maghreb Nations, Warns of Backslide
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured the Maghreb countries of Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and warned of backsliding in the democratic transformations under way in the Mideast and North Africa, and appealed for countries in the region to fulfill the promise ...
February 26, 2012
Category: Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Morocco, Reform, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Youth
POMED Notes: Voices from Bahrain: Anniversary of the Uprising
On Wednesday, Freedom House hosted three Bahraini human rights activists to discuss the situation on the ground, prospects for political reform, and U.S.foreign policy in Bahrain. Speakers were: Maryam Al-Khawaja, the head of the Foreign Relations section of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Husain Abdulla, director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, and Jalil Al Radhi, a Bahraini activist who has fled the country. Dr. Robert ...
Thousands Attempt to Return to Pearl Roundabout
Thousands of pro-democracy Bahrainis are marching to the Pearl Roundabout in the capital city of Manama. The Roundabout was the focal point of protests last year, but has been inaccessible due to increased security. During this most recent march, ...
A Week of Violence in the Moroccan City of Taza
Last week, in the northeastern city of Taza, local media reported clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The tensions started on January the 4th, when students organized protests to claim social and economic grievances. However, the demonstrations turned into clashes. On Wedensday, February 1st, ...
