|
The Weekly Update for HRINFO, no. 177
Fourth year
31 August 2007 - 6 September 2007
U.A.E
========
Trails
HRINFO followed the trail of Mr.Khalid Al-Asly a writer in Majan.net and Mr. Rashid Shouhi the head administrator for criticizing- in consistency with the right to political criticism- corruption practices.
The Ras Kheima court decided on the 4th September to free Mr.Asly and Mr.Shouhi and adjourn their trail to 10th Sept.
Despite the fact of their release order the Ras Kheima court circuit head judge refused to release Mr.Shouhi and kept him behind bars until his next appearance before the court.
Sources
Arabic Network For Human Rights
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/uae
==========================
Jordan
========
Organizations
Amman centre for human rights studies mentioned this week in its statement the inauguration of the Arab association( Rabta) for human rights in the Yemeni capital (Sana) which was established on June 2007 by the Jesoor forum for cultures, the national centre fro human rights and development of democracy, the Amman centre for human rights and the Arab democratic association which is a legal, cultural and intellectual body aims to assert the values of citizenship as a ground for the social contract and confirm the concept of equality regarding rights and duties without discrimination based on race, religion, sex, social status, political stance or any other grounds and to propagate democratic awareness.
Sources
Amman centre for human rights studies
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/jordan
==========================
Tunisia
========
Violations
Mr. Ayash Homami the human rights activist, leading figure in 18th October movement and the 5th November 2005 strike and the secretary of the Tunisian association for human rights was one of this week's victim having his office ransacked and set on fire as he was preparing a report on the independence of the judiciary in Tunisia.
Security services also launched a verbal assault on Mr. Ahmed Somaiy the member of the Tunisian association for human rights in Qairawan.
Hunger-strike
Mr. Khalid Oyoony, the political prisoner, currently detained in Mernaqia prison has been on a hunger-strike for the last twenty days demanding his freedom.
Sources
The national observatory for press, publishing and creation freedom in Tunisia.
The Tunisian association for human rights
The national council for freedoms in Tunisia
The international society for supporting political prisoners
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/tunisia
==========================
Syria
========
Trails, detentions and denial of the right to travel
Syrian authorities denied this week the human rights activist and the member of the committee to protect democratic freedoms Mr.Adnan Hamdan from traveling to Cairo last Friday morning 31/8/2007 to attend a work-shop organized by HRINFO " blogging and human rights" and how to use the Katib blogg.
Syrian authorities also denies Ghazi Kadour ( Abo Omar) who is a member in the trustee council of the committees from traveling to Amman on 3rd Sept to attend a work-shop on human rights. the authorities also stopped Mr.Khai Deen Murad the secretary of Azadi , a Kurdish party in Syria, from traveling last Friday to Norway to visit his family who are living there.
Last Sunday Syrian authorities detained the political activist and the member of Azadi party Bashar Al-Ameen also known as ( Abo Laurain) and took him to a unknown place. The whereabouts of Mr. Abdraouf Zino is also still unknown.
Sources
The committee for democratic freedoms and human rights in Syria
The Kurdish committee for human rights
The Syrian committee fro human rights
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/syria
==========================
Iraq
========
Attacks on the press
The security situation in Iraq under the occupation and its effect on the lives of journalists remained on the foreground this week as unknown armed men attacked the sport journalist Amer Rashidy, on 3rd Sept at 05:30pm, in the Karag Alshamal district northeastern of Mousl. Amer was born in 1968 and worked in El-Iraqia channel in Ninoy office after the fall of Baghdad as a sport photographer and then went to work to Muslia channel.
American military stormed on the 5th Sept into the Ahd radio offices, ransacked and vandalized the offices and assaulted a number of journalist and detained the whole crew and also shut the station off the airwaves.
Sources
The Iraqi society for journalists' rights
The observatory of press freedoms
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/iraq
==========================
Palastine
========
Violations
Fatah movement attempted to gain back grounds in Gaza by organizing protests after the Friday prayers provoking Hamas to step-in harshly and disperse the protestants, Hamas also stopped the media from taking photos and confiscated video-tapes an action that represent an escalation between the two factions which will lead to more attacks on the press and freedom of expression with all the subsequent distortion of information disseminated by the two factions media mouthpieces.
Reforms
The Palestinian centre for human rights discussed the Palestinian president's decision to reform the law of the parliamentary elections and the presidential election. The centre believes that the reform will further undermine the parliamentary freedom and abandon its constitutional legitimacy for the executive authorities.
Sources
The Palestinian centre for human rights
The Dameer organization
The Palestinian centre for development and media freedoms ( Mada)
The national society for democracy and law.
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/palestine
==========================
Libya
========
38th anniversary of Fatih
Until this very day, there is no legitimate constitution and repressive laws are still ongoing in addition to the widespread of special courts which replaced the people's court which was revoked for its illegitimacy and still there are many detainees' behind bars without cause.
Sources
The Libyan association for human rights
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/libya
==========================
Egypt
========
Trails
Journalist Ibrahim Essa was summoned before the deputy of state security to question him for articles he ran in Al-Destour newspaper about the medical condition of the president. Human rights organization talked about this incident.
Campaign
The " freedom of organization" campaign against banning human rights organization believes that it's a good chance to revive its campaign after the government's intervention to add more reform on the law of society no 84/2002 to strengthen its administrative fist and increase it control on financial and security matters and also the Cairo governorate attempt to shut down the association for legal aid after his decision to shut down the 3 premises of the union service centre.
The government disappoints senior citizens
After the workers of Meet Ghamr Textiles Company left for retirement on 21st June 2007 they were surprised that social security officials issue 40% instead of 80% of their pensions which is against the decision of the constitutional court.
Sources
Arabic Network for Human Rights
the Egyptian organization for human rights
New woman organization
The association of legal aid
The organization of Awlad El-Ard for human rights
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/egypt
==========================
Morocco
========
Trails
The court of appeals in Rabat set 11th Sept to hear the case against " Alwatan alan" newspaper after its preliminary decision to sentence the director Mr.Abdraheem Ariry for six months but suspended the sentence the court also sentence Mr. Mostafa Hormatallah for 8 months with 1000 Dirham fine for both of them for running on issue no 253 documents regarding the military and the measures the counter-terrorism measure the government is taking.
Elections
Morocco is seeing the run-up for the parliamentary election on 7th Sept with 33 parties running for the elections under various programs which made the Moroccan society for human rights to call fro providing all the required conditions for fair elections in compliance with the Universal declaration of human rights.
Sources
Reporters Without Borders
The national committee to support " Alwatan Alan" newspaper
The Moroccan society for human rights
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/morocco
==========================
Yemen
========
Attack on the press
The journalist Abdokareem Kheewany the editor in chief of El-Showra newspaper and a human rights activist was subject to serious assault and death threats if he continued to criticize the government.
Ten armed men broke into the Shara newspaper and threatened to kill its editor in chief Mr. Nayf Hassan for running articles about the Sada dispute.
RSF sent a letter to the Yemeni president on the 4th Sept expressing its worries due to the deterioration of the condition of the press in Yemen.
Sources
Reporters Without Borders
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/yemen
==========================
Regional and international
========
Guantanamo
Amid the international campaign to shut down the Guantanamo camp, Samy El-Haj's and the dilemma of Guantanamo" book came after efforts made by NGOs and the UN and experts in the issue of Guantanamo during the last 3 years.
The news conference held in Istanbul at 07:00pm on 8th Sept to cover the late news of the international campaigns to shut down the notorious concentration camp.
Sources
Reporters Without Borders
Form more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/mena
==========================
HRINFO
========
HRINFO saw a busy week as it held its third training course for internet activists and bloggers on how to use the Katib blog and also joined the legal team defending Mr.Ibrahim Essa, Al-Desour newspaper's editor in chief. HRINFO also supported the editor and the writer of Majan.net in their case for criticizing the government on the website's forum.
HRINFO also supported the Tunisian human rights organizations in their calls upon the Tunisian government to stop violating human rights and disclose the identity of those who set Mr.Ayash Homamy's office on fire
For more info: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/
==========================
HRinfo is a legal organization that defends the freedom of opinion and expression of the press and the right to exchange information. Moreover, it works on collecting the publications of nearly 140 Arabic human rights organizations from 18 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, which are published in Arabic and presented in one website. It also provides human rights Sources in the Arab world for media workers, journalists, activists and the public in an attempt to increase the number of internet users and those interested in human rights issues in the Arab speaking world. Though one of many human rights groups serving the Middle East and North Africa, it is the only one in the Arab world devoted exclusively to protecting the freedom of expression across the region.
For more information, suggestions or membership in the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, please contact HRinfo at:
Address: second floor, flat 10, 5,105 St, Horriya Square, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.
Phone Number: (00202) 5249544
Email address:
info@hrinfo.net
|
