The C.R.I.M.E. Report

ISSUE #81 CONTENTS:


SPOTLIGHT CASES:

Prince of Monaco Awards Journalism Prize to CRIME Editor

Dalia Dalia Ziada, the Arabic editor of The CRIME Report, was awarded the Anna Lindh Mediterranean Journalist Award on October 14 in Monaco. The 5,000 Euro prize and an award trophy were presented at a gala ceremony to Ziada by Prince Albert II of Monaco, who spoke a few words of Arabic to the young winner.

Due to other professional obligations, Ziada had not initially planned to travel to the award ceremony, despite being a finalist for the prize. She changed her mind at the last minute and arrived only a few hours before the ceremony began. When her name was announced as the winner, she was visibly shocked and struggled to express her gratitude. In a brief thank you statement for the award, she pledged to "pay it forward to all young women in Egypt and the Middle East" and help other bloggers harness the Internet to make an impact.

The award recognizes journalists who look beyond the headlines of clash of the civilization who promote good within the region. Ziada was selected for an essay called "Unveiling the Minds of Young Muslim Women," which ran on the Bikya Masr website. Ziada’s success shows the Middle East’s young generation can and will make a positive impact on the struggle for civil rights.


Ali Abdulemam Gets Trial Date, Remains in Solitary

Ali computerAfter nearly two months in solitary confinement, internationally renowned Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam will finally get a few minutes outside prison on Thursday. That's the only good news. The bad news is that he will appear at the Ministry of Justice's High Criminal Court Room as part of a mass trial of 25 individuals charged with "organizing to overthrow and change the political system."

Ali is specifically charged with allegedly spreading false news on his site Bahrainonline. The cyberactivist, whose BahrainOnline portal costs $200 to run, has also been officially fired from his IT job at Gulf Air. He has been denied access to a lawyer or to family members, aside from five minutes with his wife, who reported that their conversation was only about playing sports. "Ali doesn't care about sports," his wife explains. "That was not Ali talking."

The international campaign for Ali continues to pick up steam. His case has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal Europe, and the crackdown in Bahrain was the subject of a recent Washington Post editorial. An unexpected spark came when a US State Department envoy visiting Bahrain told reporters: "We are not here, frankly, to impose our views on others." The comment, which appeared to dismiss human rights concerns, led to an outburst of advocacy, and the US ambassador to Bahrain was forced to clarify that "we are concerned by recent developments in Bahrain."

Now that Ali's case has become part of a diplomatic incident, there is hope that continued pressure can help secure his release. Here is a list of nine things you can do to help. And while Ali remains in solitary, you can watch an archival interview with Ali from The CRIME Report about the last time he was arrested.

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WANTED for Holding a Protest Sign: Farah Kobeissi

Lebanese political activist, student and blogger Farah Kobeissi, 23, was detained for 14 hours on October 17 by Lebanon’s Military Intelligence for holding a protest sign. Farah was visiting the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp but was denied access by the military since she only had her identification papers and not her actual ID. In response, Kobeissi launched an impromptu protest of the Army's discriminatory policy by holding a sign outside the checkpoint. She was then arrested and interrogated over dissenting against government policies. The Crime Report got a chance to interrogate Kobeissi about the incident.

Under what circumstances were you arrested?
I went to visit a friend at the Nahr al- Bared Camp, as I have dozens of times, with just had a regular ID. The Lebanese army guard suddenly blocked my entry, telling me that the new policy required all persons entering had to have either an ID or a passport. I was shocked and asked: "Why should I carry a passport - I am still in Lebanon and I am Lebanese." I decided to stage a small protest. I crossed the street, bought a poster board, and made a sign that read "No to the humiliating permits in Nahr al-Bared Camp." I positioned myself in front of one of the army's checkpoints. Before long, found myself being questioned by a member of the military intelligence, who was dressed in plainclothes.

What did you witness in jail?
During my detention I repeatedly asked to call a lawyer or make a phone call. These were denied. The military intelligence brought in two men they believed were part of my protest, but I insisted I did not know them. I heard someone in the next room calling out in pain to God. I asked a soldier if he was sick and he told me, "You wish he were sick." I was told he was hung up like a sheep awaiting slaughter. I wanted to ask why but another officer came, who was very aggressive and so I stopped the discussion. They were accusing me of having an organized protest, and they tried to accuse an activist friend of mine inside the camp of being involved. After 14 hours I was released without being charged.

Is freedom of expression deteriorating in Lebanon?
In Lebanon the army is considered a "red line," as the savior of "national unity" in a country that witnesses frequent political unrests during which political parties mobilize on a sectarian basis. Expressing your opinion, criticizing the army's policy limiting freedom of movement in Naher el Bared Camp might be perceived as "fermenting civil unrest" or "attacking the honor of the army"... This is of course an attempt to limit freedom of expression. Recently, a civil engineer working in the reconstruction project of the camp wrote an article criticizing the army's measure as an obstacle to the reconstruction process. He was jailed for three days. If that is not a violation of freedom of expression, what is?

QUIZ: Why is Egypt restricting bulk SMS?

no SMSAnswer: Fear of election monitoring. In the run up to parliamentary elections next month, Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority notified media organizations and cell phone companies about new rules restricting bulk SMS services. Any bulk text messages must now be licensed. The authorities are apparently afraid that reporters and activists might use phone messaging to expose electoral fraud. 

RESEARCH REQUEST: Do you know of cases of civic action campaigns and citizen participation to fight corruption? An international research project is studying such civic initiatives, in order to identify general lessons learned and best practices. The project examines the skills, strategies, and objectives of nonviolent civic campaigns, rather than the phenomenon of corruption itself. If you have examples to share, please contact Shaazka Beyerle: sbeyerle(at)nonviolent-conflict.org.

BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here are quick ways to contribute to the Middle East civil rights movement: