censorship

The post-9/11 period stands out in American history for its relentless reliance on redacting material in government reports

censorship

In Middle East, Impunity for Human Rights Abuses reigned in 2018: Amnesty

Juan Cole

Beirut (AFP) – “The crackdown on civil society actors and political opponents increased significantly in Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia,” the rights watchdog said in its annual regional report. “Is it acceptable for activists to undergo arbitrary detention, torture, sexual harassment … and even enforced disappearances simply for expressing their opinions in a peaceful way,” […]

censorship

Why Saudi Regime Murdered Journalist Khashoggi in a Consulate

The Conversation

Turkish authorities couldn’t enter the embassy without permission from Saudi Arabia

censorship

University of Michigan Professor Disciplined for Refusing to Write Student Recommendation Letter

contributors

October 16, 2018 Committee on Academic Freedom Middle East Studies Association of North America Elizabeth R. Cole Interim Dean College of Literature, Science and the Arts University of Michigan ecole@umich.edu Dear Dean Cole: We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom to express […]

censorship

Today, Europe Lost the Internet. Now, We Fight Back

Cory Doctorow

( Electronic Frontier Foundation) – Today, in a vote that split almost every major EU party, Members of the European Parliament adopted every terrible proposal in the new Copyright Directive and rejected every good one, setting the stage for mass, automated surveillance and arbitrary censorship of the internet: text messages like tweets and Facebook updates; […]

censorship

Egypt fines Press for alleging Sisi vote-buying

contributors

Breaking News added by Informed Comment: Egyptian Security Police have raided the website of the offices of Masr al-Arabia and arrested its editor, apparently over the newspaper’s reporting of Sisi vote-buying. – JC By Brian Whitaker | (Al-Bab.com | – – Not content with securing 97% of the votes in Egypt’s presidential “election”, the Sisi […]

censorship

Before phony polls, Egypt arrests, expels Times reporter Bel Trew

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Egypt has deported a British journalist working for The Times, the newspaper said on Saturday, describing an “increasingly oppressive environment” for media in the country ahead of next week’s presidential election. The Times said its correspondent, 33-year-old Bel Trew who had been based in Cairo for several years, was […]

Authoritarianism

The New Censorship: Beware Authoritarian leaders claiming to Fight “Fake News”

contributors

By Courtney C. Radsch | (Project Syndicate) | – – Laws meant to curb “fake news” may be well intentioned, but their implementation has been sloppy, with few mechanisms to ensure accountability, transparency, or reversibility. Governments are outsourcing censorship to the private sector, where maximizing shareholder value, not upholding journalistic freedom, drives decision-making. WASHINGTON, DC […]

censorship

Saudi Arabia, UN Human Rights Council Member, Continues Rights Crackdown

contributors

By Khalid Ibrahim, executive director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in the Gulf region and its neighbouring countries. Saudia Arabia, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), continues its crackdown on human rights. The HRC, consisting […]