censorship

By Golnaz Esfandiari Twenty-five years after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death, the clerical establishment ushered in by the Islamic republic's founding father is at odds over how far its influence on Iranians' lives should extend. The debate pits powerful, hard-line religious conservatives against Iran's relatively moderate president, Hassan Rohani. And at the center of the debate […]

Asia

Tiananmen still Under Lockdown after all These Years

contributors

By Philip Cunningham I approached the Square from Qianmen which back in the old days of the Qing Dynasty was the traditional gate into the Forbidden City; nowadays it’s the gate to a quasi-forbidden public square. In better times, one used to just walk onto the Square, from almost any direction, at almost any time. […]

censorship

Turkey’s Erdogan Calls CNN Reporter arrested on air “Lackey,” “Agent of Chaos”

contributors

Turkey PM accuses international media of spying, singles out CNN (via AFP) Turkey’s embattled prime minister lashed out at international media on Tuesday, accusing news outlets of stirring unrest during the one-year anniversary of mass anti-government protests. Recep Tayyip Erdogan singled out CNN International, whose reporter… —– Related video: CNN: “CNN reporter detained by […]

censorship

No Regime? Egyptian Satirist Bassem Youssef Cancelled b/c “Enormous Pressure”

contributors

So, no regime then? Jon Stewart was on al-Barnamag [“The Program”] last year this time and remarked of the then Muslim Brotherhood government’s prosecution of his Egyptian counterpart, Bassem Youssef, for political libel of President Muhammad Morsi, “If your regime can’t handle a joke, you don’t have a regime.” AFP reports: Egypt satirist who mocked […]

censorship

The BuSSy Monologues in Egypt: I will pinch your ass and grab your boobs, and you can’t talk about it:

contributors

(By Sondos Shabayek) “You can’t go on stage and say this,” the state-owned theater director told me. “How do you suggest I say it otherwise?” I replied. “Just use ‘bleep’ or say that someone said an inappropriate phrase or committed an inappropriate act in my presence.” “So when someone pinches my ass and another […]

censorship

Egyptian Youth Protest against Anti-Protest Law a month before Elections

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) Hundreds of leftist and secular youth demonstrated on Saturday against Egypt’s Draconian law forbidding demonstrations, demanding the release of revolutionary activists jailed under it. They marched from Serai al-Qubba to the presidential palace. Activists said that they did not believe the presidential elections scheduled for late May would be on the up […]

Afghanistan

Can Afghanistan’s Vibrant Democratic Press Survive?

Juan Cole

(By Olof Blomqvist) The presidential election has shown Afghanistan’s increasingly mature media scene at its best – hopefully not for the last time. Afghanistan’s vibrant and diverse media scene is often held up as one of the few real success stories of the post-invasion years. While the Taliban notoriously banned television, strung up video cassettes […]

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Rep. Mike Rogers Says Snowden’s To Blame For Russia’s Aggressive Actions Against Ukraine

Juan Cole

Mike Rogers is still willing to spread his stupidity to any new outlet that will have him. Despite the NSA and FBI being unable to find any evidence that Snowden colluded with Russian intelligence, Rogers continues to insist the former analyst is a…