Weekly update for the Arabic Network for Human Rights
Tunisia
========
Hijab crisis now in Tunisia
Committee to Protect Veiled Women in Tunisia denounced the crime
committed by Mohsen Balshadly (a mathematics teacher in Hassan Hosny
Abdul-Wahab Institute, Basateen Monayhela district, Tunis). On Thursday
march 6, 2008, where the teacher physically abused the veiled girl
Asma’a Al-Habboby who is studying in the Economics Dept (forth year)
and also abused here verbally by calling her repulsive names, then he
pulled her veil apart in pieces by force while she was in the middle of
her exam. The committee considered that crime as infringement of a
Tunisian woman honor and a deviation from social and educational
values.
The victim Asma’a Al-Habboby called all her Tunisian veiled
colleagues to pluck up courage to unmask these practices, reaching all
local administrative levels and to raise their complaints to the
national and international courts and to sign petitions to
international organizations such as : U.N, International Committee for
Human Rights, International Court of Justice, Arab Organization for
Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human rights Watch…etc.
Sources
Committee to Protect Veiled Women in Tunisia
For more information, visit http://www.hrinfo.net/tunisia
==========================
Syria
========
Release of Adnan Hemdan member of Committee of Defending Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria
After
his arrest without a legal warrant, Syrian authorities released Adnan
Hemdan the member of the Committee of Defending Democratic Liberties
and Human Rights in Syria and the programs director in the Syrian
Center for Freedom of Expression and Media as the military security in
Damascus summoned him on Thursday March 13, 2008.
The Committee of Defending Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in
Syria welcomed that release and called on the Syrian government to
release all political detainees and prisoners of conscious, and also
cessation of political detentions in Syria.
Sources
Committees of Defending Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria
Writer and politician Pierre Rostum is under arrest
Committee
of Defending Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria confirmed
that Air Forces Security branch in Aleppo governorate has detained the
writer Ahmed Mustafa who is also known as Pierre Rostum. Kurdish Pierre
is one the Kurdish Democratic Party cadres in Syria that when a police
patrol (affiliated to the security body summoning him) broke into his
house located in Gindrees village, they confiscated his documents,
books and P.C.
The committee expressed its concern about the destiny of Pierre and
also its worry that security bodies still insist on illegal arbitrary
detentions and going after dissident writers and intellectual which is
considered a frank violation of basic liberties provided by the Syrian
constitution, yet it comes in accordance with the Emergency Law and
Martial Laws declared. The committee also considered the arrest and the
continued detention of Rustum as a violation of Syria’s obligations who
ratified international agreements concerned with human rights
especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Sources
Committees of Defending Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria
For more information, visit http://www.hrinfo.net/syria
==========================
Iraq
========
UNAMI report about human rights situation in Iraq
The
UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) issued its twelfth report on the
human rights situation in the country covering the period from July 1
to December 31, 2007. The report recognizes that the last three months
of 2007 were characterized by a marked decrease in violent attacks
involving mass casualties. The report notes the enormous challenges the
Government of Iraq continued to face during the reporting period in its
efforts to bring sectarian violence and other criminal activities under
control against a backdrop of political instability and stalled efforts
in revitalizing a national reconciliation process. UNAMI cautions that,
“Although security has improved in parts of Baghdad and other
locations, it deteriorated elsewhere with heightened activity by
insurgent armed groups."
The twelfth Quarterly Human Rights Report welcomed the measures taken
by the Government of Iraq and the judicial authorities in order to
improve the treatment of detainees, including efforts exerted to ensure
more effective judicial oversight.
Moreover, UNAMI welcomed the Iraqi Government’s decision to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture.
Sources
Eye on Iraq
After five-years occupation, what is the destiny of Iraq??
Amnesty International issued its report titled "Massacres &
Despair" in which it confirmed that attacks and sectarian killings
committed by armed groups, besides torture and maltreatment by Iraqi
government forces and those thousands of suspected detained by Iraqi
& American forces, emphasizing that all of this has a destructive
effect, as it caused evacuation of more than 4 million Iraqi citizens.
Many detainees are in custody for years with no accusation or trial.
Five years passed on Saddam Hussein’s regime overthrowing by the forces
led by the United States, yet Iraq is still one of the most
compromising countries all over the world in regarding human rights.
Sources
Amnesty International
For more information, visit : http://www.hrinfo.net/iraq
==========================
Palestine
========
Storming into Ramtan news agency in Ramallah
Palestinian
Center for Human Rights denounced the penetration of a news agency in
Ramallah (Ramtan) by Palestinian security bodies. The Center considered
this aggression as violating of journalistic liberties and freedom of
expression. The Center also confirmed that the right to freedom of
expression and exchanging information are all basic rights guaranteed
by the basic law and international charters of human rights. Moreover,
the journalist Nawaf Ibrahim Al-Amer has been detained and the security
bodies confiscated his professional and personal properties including
his P.C which belongs to the agency.
Sources
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
For more information, visit : http://www.hrinfo.net/palestine
==========================
Egypt
========
A campaign to set civil associations free and amend Associations Act no. 84/2002 in Egypt
On
Monday March 24, 2008, Egyptian Organization for Human Rights and the
German Foundation Friedrich Naumann will hold a general conference to
launch a campaign to set civil associations free and amend Associations
Act no. 84/2002 and it will be funded by the EU. The conference shall
be in Nefertety hall, Shepheard Hotel, Cairo.
A number of human rights activists and civil associations
representatives from all Egyptian governorates are participating in the
conference, in addition to many members Of Shura Council & People’s
Assembly, professors of constitutional law and representatives of
political parties.
Sources
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
Who can protect civil society organizations..!
Observatory
of Democracy Status in the Egyptian Association for Community
Participation Enhancement started field monitoring of local elections
by observing violations committed by the Executive Authority against
Egyptians citizens willing to run into local elections candidacy
although it is the right guaranteed by the constitution and
international charters ratified by successive Egyptian governments.
The observatory called on bodies supervising the elections, including
the high committee (for elections) and National Council for Human
Rights to facilitate the mission of civil society organizations
observers and protect them from being subject to arbitrary practices
carried out by administrative & security bodies of the Executive
Authority. The observatory considered this call as a notification
directed to the above mentioned bodies and the Egyptian public opinion.
Sources
Democracy Status Watch
For more information, visit : http://www.hrinfo.net/egypt
==========================
Yemen
========
A statement regarding the banning of aleshteraki.net website
Yemeni
Journalist Syndicate expressed its severe concern about the violations
which recently targeted independent and partisan mass media. The
syndicate denounced in particular the disabling of news websites that aleshteraki.net
was the last one disabled, which has been disabled four times in less
than one year, which illustrates that the government didn’t keep faith
of its obligations with the syndicate.
Last action taken against aleshteraki.net
and the banning of the search engine "Yemen Portal" were considered by
the syndicate as a direct aggression against the right to freedom of
expression & press that is guaranteed by the Yemeni constitution.
The syndicate called on the Yemeni government to stop its aggressive
policy against independent and opposition mass media.
Sources
Yemeni journalist Syndicate
For more information, visit : http://www.hrinfo.net/yemen
==========================
Regional & International
========
Human rights violations in Egypt
The International
Center for Justice & Human Rights (London), in cooperation with the
Arab Commission for Human Rights (Paris) will hold a conference
entitled "Human Rights Violations in Egypt" on March 20, 2008 in
Brussels as a large number of human rights organizations
representatives, European parliamentarians, western and Arab
politicians shall attend.
The organizing committee stressed upon this conference as the Capital
of European Union shall witness the largest gathering about human
rights in Egypt where the conference will deal with human rights status
in Egypt in the light of international charters and laws, human rights
future in Egypt under the current political regime and Egyptian general
elections in regards to prevention (from candidacy and running),
forgery and detention.
Sources
Arab Commission for Human Rights (Paris)
For more information, visit : http://www.hrinfo.net/mena
==========================
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
========
Chasing Ikhwanonline editor-in-chef and his sit-in in journalist syndicate
The
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information denounced the police
campaign continued against media professionals belong to Muslim
brotherhood as Ikhwanonline editor-in-chef and the journalist
Abdul-Jalil Al-Sharnooby’s house was taken by storm.
The Network confirmed that Al-Sharnooby wasn’t available the time his
house was attacked that when he knew about his arrest warrant, he
rushed to the journalist syndicate in which he is still in a sit-in.
Moreover, the Arabic Network expressed its solidarity with journalists
and media professionals targeted by the brutal campaign, and confirmed
that freedom of expression whether online or in printed Press, is a
right guaranteed for every citizen by the constitution & the law.
The Network calls on the government to stop all kinds of oppression and
systematic violations against these liberties.
In the battlefield of defending freedom of expression
Judge Abdul-Fattah Mourad appeals against a judgment supporting freedom of internet
Supreme Administrative Court started considering an appeal submitted by
Judge Abdul-Fattah Mourad against a judgment issued by the
Administrative Court on December 29, 2007 which supported freedom of
internet and freedom of expression in Egypt.
In last March 2007, Mourad brought a law suit against the Cabinet and
number of ministries requesting to ban 21 human rights organizations
websites besides online newspapers and blogs, then he increased the
number to be 49 websites that included several international human
rights organizations and media institutions claiming that they are
tarnishing Egypt and Arab governments reputation, but the Court judged
in favor of freedom of expression and rejected the law suit which
ensured freedom of internet and the right to information exchange.
Judge Mourad didn’t accept the judgment, so he submitted the appeal to
the Supreme Administrative Court.
It is worthy to mention that the Arabic Network discovered plagiarism
committed by Judge Mourad as he conveyed scores of pages from the
Network’s report titled "Implacable Opponent, Internet and the Arab
Governments" and included these pages in his book entitled "Scientific
and Legal Fundamentals of Blogs" without any permission or even citing
a quotation. Mourad in this way violated rules of scientific research
and Intellectual property as he didn’t recognize his crime or even give
an apology. Not only this, but he also fabricated various cases against
the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Hisham Mubarak Law
Center and number of bloggers, rather than his trial to ban online
newspapers and blogs that stood in solidarity with the Arabic Network
in posting news about the abovementioned crime against intellectual
property.
The report is available on http://openarab.net/reports/tunisia2007/index.shtml
The Network details are available on : http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports
==========================
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
http://www.hrinfo.net/en/newsletter/2008/newsletter0319.shtml
