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Egyptian Satirist Arrested, Accused of Insulting President

Television satirist Bassem Youssef has been arrested on charges of insulting President Mohamed Morsi, denigrating Islam, and spreading false news with the goal of disturbing order. Complaints against Youssef were filed by 12 citizens in early ...

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Amnesty International Criticizes Turkey on Free Expression

Amnesty International released a report titled "Turkey: Decriminalize Dissent." The report claims that "freedom of expression is under attack in Turkey," charging that Turkey uses prosecutions of journalists, political activists, human rights activists, and lawyers to limit freedom ...

POMED Notes: “Arab Uprisings and Mass Politics: Possibilities, Constraints and Uncertainty”

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in conjunction with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), hosted a panel discussion titled “Arab Uprisings and Mass Politics: Possibilities, Constraints and Uncertainty” featuring Laurie Brand, Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, and Steven Heydemann, Senior Advisor for Middle East Initiatives at USIP. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, moderated. For full event ...

POMED Notes: “Two Years after Tahrir”

On Thursday, March 28th, the American Islamic Congress (AIC) held an event titled “Two Years after Tahrir.” The panel featured Eric Trager of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Dwight Bashir of the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, and Safei-Eldin Hamed of the Alliance of Egyptian Americans. John Pinna of AIC moderated the event. For complete event notes continue reading, or click here for the PDF. John Pinna opened the event saying ...

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Bahrain Overturns 21 Medics’ Convictions

According to the lawyer of a number of Bahraini medical professionals, 21 individuals originally charged with links to anti-government activities have been acquitted.  According to BBC, most of the 28 other medics that had also been

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Shura Approves Protest Law, Court Postpones MB Ruling

Egypt's Shura Council passed in principle a draft law further restricting protest rights. The law requires protesters to give official notice to the police three days prior to a demonstration. This notice must include details of the time, ...

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Islamist Vigilantism Threatening Tunisia’s Future

In a piece for Foreign Policy, David Gartenstein-Ross urges the U.S. and the international community to press Tunisian officials to prosecute vigilantes responsible for acts of violence , obstruction of justice and threats to freedom of expression throughout the ...

POMED Notes: “Rethinking U.S. Policy Toward Yemen”

On Tuesday, March 26, the Atlantic Council and the Project on Middle East Democracy hosted a discussion titled "Rethinking U.S. Policy toward Yemen." It was held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The discussion included Hafez al-Bukari, director of the Yemen Polling Center, Steven Heydemann, Senior Adviser for the Middle East Initiatives, U.S. Institute of Peace, Danya Greenfield, Deputy Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, ...

Analysis: Why did the Lebanese PM Resign?

Writing for The New Yorker, Dexter Filkins suggests that the recent resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati was "sparked by the civil war" in Syria. While Mikati's decision to resign followed disagreements over internal issues, like the establishment of an election supervisory body, the country's politics are increasingly polarized by loyalties to the opposing parties of the Syrian conflict. Specifically, Filkins argues that Hezbollah's opposition to extending  the term of Major General Ashraf Rifi, ...

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Members of Congress Send Letter on Bahraini Jalila al-Salman

Ten members of Congress have signed a letter to Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Bahrain's Ambassador to the United States, expressing concern over the termination of Jalila al-Salman from her teaching position. The letter details the circumstances of al-Salman's termination, which occurred ...

Video of the Day: Bedoon Activist Al-Fadhli Speaks after Release

Bedoon activist Abdulhakim al-Fadhli was released Sunday after being acquitted of attacking a police man. He had been held without bail for 103 days. He gave this speech shortly after his release at an event organized by the Popular Committee to Organize the Movement.

Photo Credit: Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah

Syrian Opposition Takes Seat at Arab League Summit

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) took Syria's seat the Arab League's Tuesday summit. Qatar's emir, who chairs the summit, formally invited the SNC to assume the seat in place of President Bashar al-Assad's government, which the League suspended ...

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Thirty-One Experts Call for Reevaluation of US-Yemen Policy

With the inauguration of President Obama’s second term and the commencement of the National Dialogue Conference, now is an opportune moment to reevaluate U.S. policy towards Yemen. In this spirit, the Project on Middle East Democracy has, in collaboration with ...

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Libyan Ambassador to U.S. Resigns

Ali Aujali, Libya's ambassador to the U.S., resigned Monday evening. He did not give a reason for his departure.  Serving as former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi's ambassador to the U.S. since 2009, Aujali quit that post at the onset of the ...

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Egypt Prosecutor Questions Opposition Figures on Recent Clashes

Egyptian prosecutors summoned opposition figures for questioning over Friday's violent protests. The investigation followed President Mohamed Morsi's speech on Sunday in which he vowed to hold accountable anyone found to have incited the violence. The summons is

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Bahraini Activist Writes from Prison During Hunger Strike

Imprisoned Bahraini human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja wrote to the international media describing prison conditions and the sources of her continued strength. Zainab and her father Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is also in prison, recently began dry hunger strikes after being refused family ...

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Kerry Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq

On Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry made a surprise visit to Baghdad. According to a senior State Department official, the goal of the trip was "to demonstrate the strong U.S. commitment to Iraq." Kerry stressed "concern that ...

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Alawites Meet in Cairo, Denounce Assad

Members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect met in Cairo over the weekend to encourage other Alawites and opposition groups to join the struggle against his government. Considered the backbone of Assad's support base, Alawites hold ...

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Morsi Warns Punishment for Violent Protests

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi responded on Sunday to recent clashes between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood, giving a statement that emphasized his "right to impose exceptional measures to restore domestic order." He said those who are inciting violence ...

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Lebanese Prime Minister Resigns Following Cabinet Dispute

Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon announced the resignation of his government on Friday. The announcement followed a dispute in which the cabinet failed to agree on a supervisory body to oversee the upcoming parliamentary elections. ...

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