ISSUE #22 - "Press Freedom Day" - CONTENTS:
- Fouad Freed: Godfather of Saudi Blogging Returns Home
- Back to Jail for Leading Yemeni Journalist?
- Mauritanians Hold Groundbreaking Rally against Bigotry
- QUIZ: What Didn't Happen Yesterday in Egypt?
- Become a Partner in CRIME
SPOTLIGHT CASES:
Fouad Freed: Godfather of Saudi Blogging Returns Home
When Saudi security agents arrested Fouad Al-Farhan at his computer company in December, few expected the prominent Saudi blogger would spend over four months in jail. But on Saturday, April 26, he was at last released from detention and allowed to return to his family.
Al-Farhan gained prominence as the “godfather” of Saudi blogging, being one of the first to blog openly under his real name while discussing political affairs and civil rights. His arrest was seen by some as a message to Saudi bloggers about the limits of expression. Yet it also galvanized support from free-speech advocates around the world – with prominent international media coverage and over 1,800 people sending letters to Saudi officials calling for Fouad’s release.
Reached by reporters after his release, Fouad explained that he was treated well in prison and is grateful to be home with his wife and children. Thousands of supporters from around the world are delighted at the news, and will no doubt continue to support Saudi bloggers struggling for free expression.
Back to Jail for Leading Yemeni Journalist?
The first edition of The CRIME Report covered the plight of Yemeni editor Abdelkareem al-Khaiwani, who has been repeatedly targeted by authorities for his independent journalism. While released from jail on medical leave, al-Khaiwani faces a sentencing on May 21 - and international supporters are mobilizing to ensure he is not sent back to jail.
Al-Khaiwani stands on principle for free speech. When he was arrested in 2004 (for “insulting the president”), prison guards broke his jaw - yet he still refused to agree to stop writing. In June of 2007, he was re-arrested on similar charges and dragged outside in his underwear. After being released on bail, he abducted by gunmen who broke his fingers threatened to kill him if he “wrote another word against the president or national unity.”
Civil rights advocates inside Yemen and abroad believe the charges against al-Khaiwani are unsubstantiated and simply punishment for his critical reporting. In fact, one of the main pieces of evidence used against him by prosecutors is an unpublished article criticizing Yemen’s president.
As sentencing in al-Khaiwani’s case is only a few weeks away, free speech advocates have launched Campaign for a Free Media in Yemen, which includes an online letter-writing campaign to Yemeni and US officials about the case. Please take a moment to send a letter on al-Khaiwani’s behalf.
Mauritanians Hold Groundbreaking Rally against Bigotry
Maalouma Bint El Meidah is Mauritania’s Barbara Streisand - only more so. The legendary singer (see video of her performing in the US) is an outspoken dissident whose music was banned from state radio and TV for over a decade by the country’s former dictator. With the rise of Mauritania’s new open democracy last year, Maalouma ran for parliament and won a senate seat with an opposition party.
A few weeks ago, Maalouma criticized Mauritania’s Minister of Parliamentary Relations during a media interview. When the Minister, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Brahim Khlil, saw her in the Senate, he threatened her and referenced her roots in a lower-class caste. His words caused a scandal, breaking many taboos by addressing a woman and an elected official with such openly bigoted language.
Maalouma’s senate colleagues were shocked, and members of all political parties joined in expressing their disgust at the Minister’s behavior by holding a solidarity rally last week outside parliament. They condemned the use of class-ist and sexist language to demean a member of the senate and demanded an apology - a call backed by many local newspapers.
The rally by Maalouma's colleagues is groundbreaking on several counts. In the past, the regime would simply have banned the rally, arrested any protestors, and censored media coverage. The event instead marked the first-ever public stand by political leaders against bigotry and class-discrimination, using civil society and open discourse to protest. And while discrimination in Mauritania is typically discussed around slavery and Moors repressing black Africans, this is the first public expose of discrimination within the dominant Moorish society.
QUIZ: What Didn't Happen Yesterday in Egypt?
ANSWER: Two things: (1) Some Egyptians did not go to work, organizing
the second nationwide strike in the past two months, as part of a
protest for reform. (2) The strike did not shake Egypt the way the last month's strike did. Both strikes were organized using Facebook and other social networking sites. What remains unclear is how much impact they will have in the future.
BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here is a list of four quick ways you contribute to the Middle East civil rights movement:
- Forward this update to friends & encourage them to subscribe
- Send a letter demanding freedom for Yemeni editor Al-Khaiwani
- Write a letter to imprisoned Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer
- Apply to participate in HAMSA’s civil rights fellowship program.