A video of a talk show recently went viral in Lebanon in defence of freedom of expression. This should send a warning signal to media outlets across the country about what is taking place behind the scenes.
Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent Egyptian blogger and activist, was arrested on 28 November 2013. This is a letter he wrote on 24 December 2013, from his prison cell to his sisters. openDemocracy is honoured to publish this letter to remind people on January 25, the anniversary of Egypt's revolution
Fahem Boukadous, an outspoken critic of Tunisia’s record on press freedom, speaks about the political challenges facing Tunisia, three years after the Jasmine Revolution which ended the repressive regime of Ben Ali. Interview by Malachy Browne.
The Egyptian authorities appear to be more concerned with how to curb their opponents than they are with the future of the country and the wellbeing of its citizens.
Some believe it will be another five years before Kuwait can approach the idea of political reform again. But until then, activists should not be discouraged. Calling for an elected government in a region governed in the purest tribal form is not going to bear fruit overnight.
With 286 anti-fascists arrested this weekend - one of the biggest mass arrests of protestors in recent history - one of them asks questions of British policing: what is their aim: are they controlling the events at hand, or trying to prevent protest from happening at all?
