Mehr News
TEHRAN, May 11 (MNA) – The Judiciary spokesman confirmed on Monday that Iranian-U.S. national Roxana Saberi has been released from jail.
“The appeals court overturned the verdict on Roxana Saberi,” Alireza Jamshidi told the Mehr News Agency.
Saberi, 32, was sentenced to an eight-year prison term last month on espionage charges.
The appeals court reduced her jail term on Monday to a two-year suspended sentence.
PA/PA
END
MNA
Showing posts with label journalists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journalists. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Shoura may seek online restrictions
Saudi Gazette
By Su’ad Al-Salim and Faris Al-Qahtani
RIYADH – As Saudi Arabia steps up investigation and legal action against those who commit slander online, the Shoura Council is pushing for discussion on whether curbs need to be put on the electronic media, officials said.
The Ministry of Interior on Monday referred a case filed by 13 Saudi women journalists against an online news website for investigation by Security Affairs.
Riyadh Police, meanwhile, announced the launch of investigations into several cyber crimes allegedly committed with the intention of “harming others.”
Cyber crimes have become a phenomenon of late, said Riyadh Police spokesman Maj. Sami Al-Shuwairikh. He said police stations in the capital city have been receiving reports of libelous allegations posted on websites.
He said investigations included searching for the persons allegedly involved and referring them to the Prosecution General.
Al-Shuwairikh said specialists in cyber crimes who have joined the staff of Riyadh Police have successfully looked into several cases and have taken action according to the penal measures regulation.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said the ministry is acting in line with the regulation for combating cyber crimes.
The chaos caused by online slander has drawn the attention of several Shoura Council members who said they would demand an explanation from officials of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Dr. Shubaili Al-Qarni, Adviser to the Culture and Information Committee (CIC) in the Shoura Council said, “The committee will look into the ministry’s reports. If the reports do not include information on online news websites, the committee can refer to such information in the ministry’s annual report – if it sees that the situation requires control of the electronic media.”
He said control of websites is lost when it is handed over to those who “are not qualified to do so,” especially at a time when they should show their loyalty to the religion, nation, its leadership and people.
Ibrahim Al-Blaihi, a CIC member, called upon the authorities concerned to take swift and firm action against those making libelous allegations against people. He said those who are being defamed are the ones leading the march of enlightening the society. – Okaz
By Su’ad Al-Salim and Faris Al-Qahtani
RIYADH – As Saudi Arabia steps up investigation and legal action against those who commit slander online, the Shoura Council is pushing for discussion on whether curbs need to be put on the electronic media, officials said.
The Ministry of Interior on Monday referred a case filed by 13 Saudi women journalists against an online news website for investigation by Security Affairs.
Riyadh Police, meanwhile, announced the launch of investigations into several cyber crimes allegedly committed with the intention of “harming others.”
Cyber crimes have become a phenomenon of late, said Riyadh Police spokesman Maj. Sami Al-Shuwairikh. He said police stations in the capital city have been receiving reports of libelous allegations posted on websites.
He said investigations included searching for the persons allegedly involved and referring them to the Prosecution General.
Al-Shuwairikh said specialists in cyber crimes who have joined the staff of Riyadh Police have successfully looked into several cases and have taken action according to the penal measures regulation.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said the ministry is acting in line with the regulation for combating cyber crimes.
The chaos caused by online slander has drawn the attention of several Shoura Council members who said they would demand an explanation from officials of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Dr. Shubaili Al-Qarni, Adviser to the Culture and Information Committee (CIC) in the Shoura Council said, “The committee will look into the ministry’s reports. If the reports do not include information on online news websites, the committee can refer to such information in the ministry’s annual report – if it sees that the situation requires control of the electronic media.”
He said control of websites is lost when it is handed over to those who “are not qualified to do so,” especially at a time when they should show their loyalty to the religion, nation, its leadership and people.
Ibrahim Al-Blaihi, a CIC member, called upon the authorities concerned to take swift and firm action against those making libelous allegations against people. He said those who are being defamed are the ones leading the march of enlightening the society. – Okaz
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Iran: Iranian Nobel laureate to defend U.S. journalist
(CNN) -- An Iranian human-rights activist and Nobel laureate has joined the legal team of an Iranian-American journalist convicted of spying and jailed in Iran.
Shirin Ebadi, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, took up the case of Roxana Saberi at the request of Saberi's family, her father, Reza Saberi, told CNN Wednesday. Ebadi heads the Center for Defenders of Human Rights in Iran.
Saberi, 31, was sentenced Saturday to eight years in prison after a one-day trial that was closed to the public. President Obama, as well as other U.S. and international officials sharply denounced the decision.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has offered to travel to Iran to help seek Saberi's release.
"If our voices are heard in Iran today, I would be anxious to travel with a delegation to Iran, if we are permitted, and make an appeal for her freedom," said the longtime civil rights activist, according to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson, 67, spoke Tuesday at a peace conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"Whenever we've brought people out of captivity, whether in Syria, Cuba, Iraq or Yugoslavia, or Liberia, it's always opened a diplomatic door to reduce tensions," he said.
Saberi's attorneys said they will appeal her conviction. Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi ordered the head of Tehran's Justice Department to make sure the appeals process is quick and fair.
Jackson has offered in the past to help release American hostages, most recently in 2005. At that time, he said he was willing to use his role as a religious leader to help secure the release of Roy Hallums, who was kidnapped along with five others in Baghdad in November 2004.
Hallums was freed in September 2005 when U.S. troops raided the farmhouse where he being held outside Baghdad.
In 1984, Jackson secured the release of a Navy pilot held in Syria. In 1991, he helped secure the release of 500 "international guests" held in Iraq. And in 1999, he persuaded Yugoslavia to release three U.S. soldiers held there during the Kosovo conflict.
Obama has called for Saberi's release, saying he is "gravely concerned with her safety and well-being." Watch how U.S.-Iranian relations are complicated »
"We are working to make sure that she is properly treated, and to get more information about the disposition of her case," Obama said Sunday.
"She is an American citizen, and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort of espionage."
Iranian officials initially said Saberi was held for buying a bottle of wine. The Foreign Ministry later said she was detained for reporting without proper credentials.
Saberi, who comes from North Dakota, has been living in Iran since 2003, said the Committee to Protect Journalists, a journalists' advocacy group.
She has freelanced for National Public Radio and other news organizations, and was writing a book about Iranian culture.
Iranian authorities revoked her press credentials in 2006, but Saberi continued to file short news items without permission, the journalists' group said.
Saberi was detained in January, although no formal charges were disclosed. On April 9, word emerged that Saberi had been charged with espionage.
"Without press credentials and under the name of being a reporter, she was carrying out espionage activities," Hassan Haddad, a deputy public prosecutor, told the Iranian Students News Agency.
Authorities also said Saberi had confessed. Her father said he thinks she was coerced into making damaging statements.
Shirin Ebadi, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, took up the case of Roxana Saberi at the request of Saberi's family, her father, Reza Saberi, told CNN Wednesday. Ebadi heads the Center for Defenders of Human Rights in Iran.
Saberi, 31, was sentenced Saturday to eight years in prison after a one-day trial that was closed to the public. President Obama, as well as other U.S. and international officials sharply denounced the decision.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has offered to travel to Iran to help seek Saberi's release.
"If our voices are heard in Iran today, I would be anxious to travel with a delegation to Iran, if we are permitted, and make an appeal for her freedom," said the longtime civil rights activist, according to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson, 67, spoke Tuesday at a peace conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"Whenever we've brought people out of captivity, whether in Syria, Cuba, Iraq or Yugoslavia, or Liberia, it's always opened a diplomatic door to reduce tensions," he said.
Saberi's attorneys said they will appeal her conviction. Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi ordered the head of Tehran's Justice Department to make sure the appeals process is quick and fair.
Jackson has offered in the past to help release American hostages, most recently in 2005. At that time, he said he was willing to use his role as a religious leader to help secure the release of Roy Hallums, who was kidnapped along with five others in Baghdad in November 2004.
Hallums was freed in September 2005 when U.S. troops raided the farmhouse where he being held outside Baghdad.
In 1984, Jackson secured the release of a Navy pilot held in Syria. In 1991, he helped secure the release of 500 "international guests" held in Iraq. And in 1999, he persuaded Yugoslavia to release three U.S. soldiers held there during the Kosovo conflict.
Obama has called for Saberi's release, saying he is "gravely concerned with her safety and well-being." Watch how U.S.-Iranian relations are complicated »
"We are working to make sure that she is properly treated, and to get more information about the disposition of her case," Obama said Sunday.
"She is an American citizen, and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort of espionage."
Iranian officials initially said Saberi was held for buying a bottle of wine. The Foreign Ministry later said she was detained for reporting without proper credentials.
Saberi, who comes from North Dakota, has been living in Iran since 2003, said the Committee to Protect Journalists, a journalists' advocacy group.
She has freelanced for National Public Radio and other news organizations, and was writing a book about Iranian culture.
Iranian authorities revoked her press credentials in 2006, but Saberi continued to file short news items without permission, the journalists' group said.
Saberi was detained in January, although no formal charges were disclosed. On April 9, word emerged that Saberi had been charged with espionage.
"Without press credentials and under the name of being a reporter, she was carrying out espionage activities," Hassan Haddad, a deputy public prosecutor, told the Iranian Students News Agency.
Authorities also said Saberi had confessed. Her father said he thinks she was coerced into making damaging statements.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Iran: Iran orders 'fair' US spy appeal
BBC News
Iran's judiciary chief has ordered a "quick and fair" appeal for US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, jailed last week for eight years for spying.
Ayatollah Shahrudi said different aspects of the case "should be fairly, accurately and quickly considered".
His order came after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the journalist must have the legal right to defend herself.
US President Barack Obama has expressed concern at the sentencing, handed down after a one-day trial in Tehran.
Ms Saberi, 31, denies any involvement in espionage, and Mr Obama also said she was not a spy and called for her release.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, says it is not clear whether the ayatollah's statement means Ms Saberi will receive clemency, or that the Iranian authorities are merely stressing they are dealing fairly with her case.
Parents' visit
Ms Saberi's parents have visited their daughter in jail for the first time since the sentence was announced.
Her father, Reza Saberi - who says his daughter was tricked into making a confession - said she "seems to be OK".
"We talked about different things," he told AP news agency. "We delivered some books - that was a good news because she likes reading books.
"She said that she is with two other persons, two other ladies over there in the prison and she was looking forward for the appeal because she knew that this kind of verdict was too heavy for her."
Ms Saberi's mother, Akiko, said her daughter could not be a spy.
"No way. She cannot be a spy. Once you know her, she is the last person to do that. She would never do that to anyone."
'Respect court rulings'
Asked about Mr Obama's comments, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference: "It is an international norm that one should respect the rulings issued by the court.
"I recommend that as long as you have not studied the contents of the case one should not just express his views... I'm sure some American officials have also studied law."
Mr Qashqavi went on to say the Iranian authorities respected the defendant's right of appeal.
In his statement, Ayatollah Shahrudi reiterated Mr Qashqavi's point, saying he "emphasised the necessity of access to fair consideration of Roxana Saberi's case, especially at the appeals stage, which is the certain right of the accused".
The journalist originally faced the less serious accusation of buying alcohol, and later of working as a reporter without a valid press card.
Then, in a period of less than two weeks, the charge of spying was introduced, and she was tried and sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
Few details of the trial or the specifics of the charges have been released.
Ms Saberi, who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship, has spent six years in Iran studying and writing a book.
She has been in jail in Tehran since January.
Iran's judiciary chief has ordered a "quick and fair" appeal for US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, jailed last week for eight years for spying.
Ayatollah Shahrudi said different aspects of the case "should be fairly, accurately and quickly considered".
His order came after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the journalist must have the legal right to defend herself.
US President Barack Obama has expressed concern at the sentencing, handed down after a one-day trial in Tehran.
Ms Saberi, 31, denies any involvement in espionage, and Mr Obama also said she was not a spy and called for her release.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, says it is not clear whether the ayatollah's statement means Ms Saberi will receive clemency, or that the Iranian authorities are merely stressing they are dealing fairly with her case.
Parents' visit
Ms Saberi's parents have visited their daughter in jail for the first time since the sentence was announced.
Her father, Reza Saberi - who says his daughter was tricked into making a confession - said she "seems to be OK".
"We talked about different things," he told AP news agency. "We delivered some books - that was a good news because she likes reading books.
"She said that she is with two other persons, two other ladies over there in the prison and she was looking forward for the appeal because she knew that this kind of verdict was too heavy for her."
Ms Saberi's mother, Akiko, said her daughter could not be a spy.
"No way. She cannot be a spy. Once you know her, she is the last person to do that. She would never do that to anyone."
'Respect court rulings'
Asked about Mr Obama's comments, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference: "It is an international norm that one should respect the rulings issued by the court.
"I recommend that as long as you have not studied the contents of the case one should not just express his views... I'm sure some American officials have also studied law."
Mr Qashqavi went on to say the Iranian authorities respected the defendant's right of appeal.
In his statement, Ayatollah Shahrudi reiterated Mr Qashqavi's point, saying he "emphasised the necessity of access to fair consideration of Roxana Saberi's case, especially at the appeals stage, which is the certain right of the accused".
The journalist originally faced the less serious accusation of buying alcohol, and later of working as a reporter without a valid press card.
Then, in a period of less than two weeks, the charge of spying was introduced, and she was tried and sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
Few details of the trial or the specifics of the charges have been released.
Ms Saberi, who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship, has spent six years in Iran studying and writing a book.
She has been in jail in Tehran since January.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Yemen: Lifting the Voices of Yemen’s Women and Youth
Internews
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Iran: Iran Holds Closed Trial For American Journalist
Verdict Expected in One to Two Weeks
SLIDESHOW Previous Next
Reza Saberi, left, the father of American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi who has been in jail for more than two months in Iran, listens to lawyer of Roxana, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, in his office in Tehran on Thursday April 9, 2009. American female journalist Roxana Saberi has been charged with spying, her lawyer said Wednesday, dashing hopes of a quick release, just days after her parents arrived in the country to press for her freedom. Roxana Saberi asserts her innocence of the charges. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)
In this undated photo released by the The Miss North Dakota Pageant, Roxana Saberi is shown, in North Dakota. Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation on Wednesday, charging her with spying for the United States. (AP Photo/The Miss North Dakota Pageant) (AP)
This undated photo provided Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by the National Press Photographers Association shows U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi. Saberi, who has been jailed for more than two months in Iran, has been charged with espionage, her lawyer said Wednesday, April 9, 2009, dashing hopes of a quick release days after her parents arrived in the country seeking her freedom. (AP Photo/NPPA) (AP)
In this undated photo released by Marilyn McGinley, Roxana Saberi is shown, in North Dakota. Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation on Wednesday, charging her with spying for the United States. (AP Photo/Marilyn McGinley) (AP)
Reza Saberi, the father of American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi who has been in jail for more than two months in Iran, photographed in Tehran on Thursday April 9, 2009. American female journalist Roxana Saberi has been charged with spying, her lawyer said Wednesday, dashing hopes of a quick release, just days after her parents arrived in the country to press for her freedom. Roxana Saberi asserts her innocence of the charges. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)
Roxana Saberi, a U.S.-Iranian citizen, has been charged with spying. (AP)
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Who's Blogging» Links to this article
By Thomas Erdbrink
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, April 15, 2009; Page A08
An Iranian American journalist accused by Iran of spying for the United States has been tried behind closed doors, Iran's judiciary said yesterday, and a verdict is expected in one to two weeks.
Roxana Saberi "has been charged with spying for foreigners. The first session of the court was held yesterday, and her last defense was heard," judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told journalists, the semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency reported.
"Her spying was for the United States, and I think the verdict will be passed within a couple of weeks," Jamshidi added, saying that it was up to the judge to decide whether future hearings would be open to the public.
The Obama administration says the charges against Saberi, 31, are baseless and has demanded her immediate release.
Saberi holds U.S. and Iranian citizenship, but Iranian law does not recognize her U.S. nationality. Jamshidi dismissed the U.S. call to free Saberi, saying that "giving an opinion on a case, by an individual or a government, without being informed about the facts in it, is utterly ridiculous."
Before Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance revoked Saberi's press credentials in 2006, without specifying the reason, she had worked in the country on a freelance basis for the BBC, U.S.-based National Public Radio and other news organizations.
She remained in Iran and, according to her parents, is writing a book.
Saberi was arrested in late January for allegedly buying alcohol, which is illegal in Iran. Last week, however, an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation against her: spying for the United States.
"This accused has been coming and going to certain government circles under the cover of reporter and without a permit," Judge Sohrab Heydarifard told state television last Wednesday. "She has perpetrated actions to compile and gather information and documents and transferred them to American intelligence services."
Spying is a serious charge in Iran, where political leaders regularly accuse the United States and Britain of espionage and support for organizations known to have committed terrorist acts against Iranian civilians. The heaviest punishment for espionage is death. In a recent high-profile case, a well-connected former Iranian official working as a businessman selling telecommunications equipment was convicted of spying on the military for Israel and hanged in 2008.
Saberi's parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, met with their daughter in prison yesterday, news agencies reported. They had traveled to Tehran from their home in Fargo, N.D., to follow the case.
"We met Roxana today for a few minutes, and she is doing well," Reza Saberi told Agence France-Presse. "We are waiting for the judge to make a decision. [The verdict] should come out in a week. There is always hope. But we don't know what will happen."
SLIDESHOW Previous Next
Reza Saberi, left, the father of American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi who has been in jail for more than two months in Iran, listens to lawyer of Roxana, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, in his office in Tehran on Thursday April 9, 2009. American female journalist Roxana Saberi has been charged with spying, her lawyer said Wednesday, dashing hopes of a quick release, just days after her parents arrived in the country to press for her freedom. Roxana Saberi asserts her innocence of the charges. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)
In this undated photo released by the The Miss North Dakota Pageant, Roxana Saberi is shown, in North Dakota. Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation on Wednesday, charging her with spying for the United States. (AP Photo/The Miss North Dakota Pageant) (AP)
This undated photo provided Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by the National Press Photographers Association shows U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi. Saberi, who has been jailed for more than two months in Iran, has been charged with espionage, her lawyer said Wednesday, April 9, 2009, dashing hopes of a quick release days after her parents arrived in the country seeking her freedom. (AP Photo/NPPA) (AP)
In this undated photo released by Marilyn McGinley, Roxana Saberi is shown, in North Dakota. Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation on Wednesday, charging her with spying for the United States. (AP Photo/Marilyn McGinley) (AP)
Reza Saberi, the father of American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi who has been in jail for more than two months in Iran, photographed in Tehran on Thursday April 9, 2009. American female journalist Roxana Saberi has been charged with spying, her lawyer said Wednesday, dashing hopes of a quick release, just days after her parents arrived in the country to press for her freedom. Roxana Saberi asserts her innocence of the charges. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)
Roxana Saberi, a U.S.-Iranian citizen, has been charged with spying. (AP)
TOOLBOX
Resize Print E-mail Yahoo! BuzzSave/Share + Share this Article:
COMMENT
Comments
COMMENTS ARE CLOSED
Your browser's settings may be preventing you from commenting on and viewing comments about this item. See instructions for fixing the problem.
Discussion Policy CLOSEComments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging» Links to this article
By Thomas Erdbrink
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, April 15, 2009; Page A08
An Iranian American journalist accused by Iran of spying for the United States has been tried behind closed doors, Iran's judiciary said yesterday, and a verdict is expected in one to two weeks.
Roxana Saberi "has been charged with spying for foreigners. The first session of the court was held yesterday, and her last defense was heard," judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told journalists, the semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency reported.
"Her spying was for the United States, and I think the verdict will be passed within a couple of weeks," Jamshidi added, saying that it was up to the judge to decide whether future hearings would be open to the public.
The Obama administration says the charges against Saberi, 31, are baseless and has demanded her immediate release.
Saberi holds U.S. and Iranian citizenship, but Iranian law does not recognize her U.S. nationality. Jamshidi dismissed the U.S. call to free Saberi, saying that "giving an opinion on a case, by an individual or a government, without being informed about the facts in it, is utterly ridiculous."
Before Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance revoked Saberi's press credentials in 2006, without specifying the reason, she had worked in the country on a freelance basis for the BBC, U.S.-based National Public Radio and other news organizations.
She remained in Iran and, according to her parents, is writing a book.
Saberi was arrested in late January for allegedly buying alcohol, which is illegal in Iran. Last week, however, an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation against her: spying for the United States.
"This accused has been coming and going to certain government circles under the cover of reporter and without a permit," Judge Sohrab Heydarifard told state television last Wednesday. "She has perpetrated actions to compile and gather information and documents and transferred them to American intelligence services."
Spying is a serious charge in Iran, where political leaders regularly accuse the United States and Britain of espionage and support for organizations known to have committed terrorist acts against Iranian civilians. The heaviest punishment for espionage is death. In a recent high-profile case, a well-connected former Iranian official working as a businessman selling telecommunications equipment was convicted of spying on the military for Israel and hanged in 2008.
Saberi's parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, met with their daughter in prison yesterday, news agencies reported. They had traveled to Tehran from their home in Fargo, N.D., to follow the case.
"We met Roxana today for a few minutes, and she is doing well," Reza Saberi told Agence France-Presse. "We are waiting for the judge to make a decision. [The verdict] should come out in a week. There is always hope. But we don't know what will happen."
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Iran: Iran charges detained US reporter with spying
AFP
TEHRAN - US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been in Iranian custody since January, has been charged with spying, Tehran’s deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad said on Wednesday.
“Her case has been sent to the revolutionary court. She, without press credentials, was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter,” Haddad was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
“The evidence is mentioned in her case papers and she has accepted all the charges. She has been arrested under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Saberi, who also holds both US and Iranian nationalities, was initially reportedly detained for buying alcohol which is prohibited in the Islamic republic.
In March, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Saberi’s press identity card was revoked in 2006 and since then she had been working “illegally” in the country.
Haddad said on Wednesday that Saberi had entered Iran as an “Iranian citizen.”
“She has an Iranian citizenship, passport and an Iranian national identity card. She has entered Iran as an Iranian citizen and if she has another citizenship, we are unaware of it and it has no effect on how we will proceed with her case,” he said.
“There is no evidence that she has another citizenship and the investigation is still on.”
US-born Saberi has reported for US-based National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC and Fox News, and had been living in Iran for six years.
Her parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, arrived in Tehran on Sunday to pursue her case. They had a 20-minute meeting with her in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Monday.
Her father told NPR on Tuesday that he planned to stay in Iran until her case was resolved.
He said Roxana, 31, was surprised by their visit, and that she looked pale and weak but was in good spirits.
He said she also wanted to see her lawyer “to point out ... that apparently some of the statements were made under pressure, under threat, you know. So that they were not valid.”
Reza Saberi said he and his wife would try to visit their daughter once a week.
Last month the parents appealed to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for her release, saying she was in a “dangerous” state of mental health.
Washington has repeatedly called on Tehran to release the journalist.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality and has had no ties with the United States for three decades, has detained several Iranian-Americans, including academics, in recent years.
TEHRAN - US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been in Iranian custody since January, has been charged with spying, Tehran’s deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad said on Wednesday.
“Her case has been sent to the revolutionary court. She, without press credentials, was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter,” Haddad was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
“The evidence is mentioned in her case papers and she has accepted all the charges. She has been arrested under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Saberi, who also holds both US and Iranian nationalities, was initially reportedly detained for buying alcohol which is prohibited in the Islamic republic.
In March, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Saberi’s press identity card was revoked in 2006 and since then she had been working “illegally” in the country.
Haddad said on Wednesday that Saberi had entered Iran as an “Iranian citizen.”
“She has an Iranian citizenship, passport and an Iranian national identity card. She has entered Iran as an Iranian citizen and if she has another citizenship, we are unaware of it and it has no effect on how we will proceed with her case,” he said.
“There is no evidence that she has another citizenship and the investigation is still on.”
US-born Saberi has reported for US-based National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC and Fox News, and had been living in Iran for six years.
Her parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, arrived in Tehran on Sunday to pursue her case. They had a 20-minute meeting with her in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Monday.
Her father told NPR on Tuesday that he planned to stay in Iran until her case was resolved.
He said Roxana, 31, was surprised by their visit, and that she looked pale and weak but was in good spirits.
He said she also wanted to see her lawyer “to point out ... that apparently some of the statements were made under pressure, under threat, you know. So that they were not valid.”
Reza Saberi said he and his wife would try to visit their daughter once a week.
Last month the parents appealed to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for her release, saying she was in a “dangerous” state of mental health.
Washington has repeatedly called on Tehran to release the journalist.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality and has had no ties with the United States for three decades, has detained several Iranian-Americans, including academics, in recent years.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Yemen: Women should be guaranteed 21 Parliamentary seats, Minister
Raghda Gamal, Yemen Observer
In the coming elections, Yemeni women should be guaranteed 21 seats in parliament, said the Minister of Human Rights Huda al-Ban, explaining the quota system. Al-Ban made her announcement during a press conference held to launch the training program, titled “Journalists for Human Rights” (JHR), which is being organized by the Media Women Forum, in cooperation with the MEPI.
During her address, she said there was a high expectation among many journalists who participated in this program, either in the field of human rights, or in support of women in the coming elections. She also added that the problems facing Yemeni women are not related to the political leadership or Yemeni law, but rather to the community, who fails to accept women in specific areas of political life. She confirmed that the Ministry of Human Rights welcomes any partnership with civil society organizations, and the media in dealing with information about human rights cases, and women’s issues in particular. She called on journalists to familiarize themselves with the system of human rights, and the principle of freedom of expression.
Wedad al-Badawi the Vice-Chairwoman of (MWF) said that the program hoped to form a group of qualified journalists, who would support human rights issues in Yemen by teaching these journalists the basics of international human rights and local laws. Al-Badawi thanked al-Ban for her continued support, and confirmed that this program came out of a need to create local community awareness surrounding women’s issues and human rights. The program also aimed to present a clearer picture about the kinds of social, local laws and international conventions surrounding women’s issues. The project will work over the whole year with 30 journalists from eight different provinces, with the aim of training participants. The MWF has invited individual’s active in Yemeni civil society and experienced journalists in the field of human rights.
The journalist Nebras Ammer discusses the problems facing her as a Yemeni journalist, especially from some Yemeni men who take important decisions while chewing Qat, an environment from which women are excluded. In related news, the MWF organized, during the same day, a fourth activity to enhance the strategic development of the forum over the next three years. This was achieved though the establishment of a workshop to discuss the aspirations of Yemen’s media women, and what they hoped to gain from the media and the Forum. The meeting was attended by a number of journalists.
In the coming elections, Yemeni women should be guaranteed 21 seats in parliament, said the Minister of Human Rights Huda al-Ban, explaining the quota system. Al-Ban made her announcement during a press conference held to launch the training program, titled “Journalists for Human Rights” (JHR), which is being organized by the Media Women Forum, in cooperation with the MEPI.
During her address, she said there was a high expectation among many journalists who participated in this program, either in the field of human rights, or in support of women in the coming elections. She also added that the problems facing Yemeni women are not related to the political leadership or Yemeni law, but rather to the community, who fails to accept women in specific areas of political life. She confirmed that the Ministry of Human Rights welcomes any partnership with civil society organizations, and the media in dealing with information about human rights cases, and women’s issues in particular. She called on journalists to familiarize themselves with the system of human rights, and the principle of freedom of expression.
Wedad al-Badawi the Vice-Chairwoman of (MWF) said that the program hoped to form a group of qualified journalists, who would support human rights issues in Yemen by teaching these journalists the basics of international human rights and local laws. Al-Badawi thanked al-Ban for her continued support, and confirmed that this program came out of a need to create local community awareness surrounding women’s issues and human rights. The program also aimed to present a clearer picture about the kinds of social, local laws and international conventions surrounding women’s issues. The project will work over the whole year with 30 journalists from eight different provinces, with the aim of training participants. The MWF has invited individual’s active in Yemeni civil society and experienced journalists in the field of human rights.
The journalist Nebras Ammer discusses the problems facing her as a Yemeni journalist, especially from some Yemeni men who take important decisions while chewing Qat, an environment from which women are excluded. In related news, the MWF organized, during the same day, a fourth activity to enhance the strategic development of the forum over the next three years. This was achieved though the establishment of a workshop to discuss the aspirations of Yemen’s media women, and what they hoped to gain from the media and the Forum. The meeting was attended by a number of journalists.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Morocco: Mauritanian women journalists attend capacity-building workshop in Morocco
Nine Mauritanian women journalists are attending a workshop in Rabat, within the framework of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), a co-operation programme between UNESCO and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), UNESCO's Office in Rabat said on Friday (July 25th). The journalists are members of the Network of Mauritanian Women Journalists. The workshop, which runs through July 30th, focuses on the basics of journalism, writing and radio production, according to a UNESCO press release.
---Magharebia
---Magharebia
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Women journalists form advocacy group in Abha
ABHA: A media club for women journalists has been set up here with the blessing of Asir Gov. Prince Faisal ibn Khaled. The aim of the club, which is the brainchild of Arab News correspondent Hayat Al-Ghamdi, is to promote women journalists in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern region and provide them a congenial work environment.
Prince Faisal said that women should be accorded their right to work as journalists as they have been serving efficiently in several other areas, including medicine. The governor denied reports that women journalists were not allowed to cover his office.
“I am proud and happy to meet with my sisters in the media world,” Prince Faisal said. “All their proposals in this meeting will be given due consideration and their media activities will be made hassle free. They will be allowed to work in the field without hindrance from any quarter.”
The club was founded in a meeting last week. The members of the club include Samiah Al-Buraidi of Al-Watan, Nasreen Asiri of Al-Riyadh and Riyadh Radio, Sarah Abdullah of Jeddah Radio and Umm Kulthum of Al-Ekhbariya TV.
-- Arab News
Prince Faisal said that women should be accorded their right to work as journalists as they have been serving efficiently in several other areas, including medicine. The governor denied reports that women journalists were not allowed to cover his office.
“I am proud and happy to meet with my sisters in the media world,” Prince Faisal said. “All their proposals in this meeting will be given due consideration and their media activities will be made hassle free. They will be allowed to work in the field without hindrance from any quarter.”
The club was founded in a meeting last week. The members of the club include Samiah Al-Buraidi of Al-Watan, Nasreen Asiri of Al-Riyadh and Riyadh Radio, Sarah Abdullah of Jeddah Radio and Umm Kulthum of Al-Ekhbariya TV.
-- Arab News
Friday, May 2, 2008
Tunisia: Meeting promotes female journalists in union leadership
A Tunisian journalist gives a presentation at a recent meeting in Tunis organised to advocate women journalists' participation in professional unions.
At a recent meeting in Tunis, women journalists from across the Maghreb announced an upcoming campaign called "Women in Union Leadership". The initiative aims to encourage women to participate in unions and to "promote to decision-making positions inside these unions through training, networking, communication and formation of pressure groups".
The forum, held April 17th-19th, was organised by the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Attendees participated in a series of dialogues in which women journalists representing 14 Arab countries and Iran related their experiences in unions and leadership.
"The message of our meeting is clear – to encourage women journalists in the Arab region to join unions, to take part in their elections, and to run for leadership positions," Algerian Sarah Bouchetob told Magharebia.
Bouchetob, who is responsible for Arab world projects, said that she is already optimistic about developments in Tunisia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. She added that she looks forward to the next elections in Algeria, "so that we may see whether we have advanced in a good way".
At the last conference of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists held in January, three out of nine victors were women. In Morocco last March, five women acceded to the 19-member panel at the head of the journalists' syndicate.
Many attending the conference said, however, that conditions of female journalists are still below expectations in some countries. Journalist Adel Bouhlal said Tunisia has women who "enjoy enough professionalism and competency to lead and make decisions", but there has yet to be a single woman editor-in-chief, in either official or privately-owned newspapers.
Mounia Belafia, Vice-Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Press Syndicate, told Magharebia there are still "pockets of resistance" in Arab society keeping women from these positions of authority. Opponents of gender equality attempt to minimise what they view as risks by ideologically exploiting women, she added.
"There are many calls... to make women wear veils," she said, "but [also] calling for allowing women to take off their clothes in order to exploit them. We find ourselves with a choice of two traps; the first is the veiling and hiding, and the other is pornography and sexuality. Both are different forms of extremism," she said.
The meeting concluded with the identification of a set of goals and principles on which the journalist unions and syndicates will work in co-operation with the FIJ. The most prominent of these goals is "the need to increase the representation of women journalists in leadership positions in the unions and associations, with the adoption of a quota system. This is in addition to the enhancement of abilities of women journalists in unions through training."
Participants in the meeting agreed on the need "to involve male colleagues in all gender-related issues, enhance the union policies and trends in order to guarantee union rights of women journalists, and to protect them against all forms of violence and harassment they face in their work. This is in addition to ensuring the integration of the social gender approach in collective bargaining and common agreements."
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis
At a recent meeting in Tunis, women journalists from across the Maghreb announced an upcoming campaign called "Women in Union Leadership". The initiative aims to encourage women to participate in unions and to "promote to decision-making positions inside these unions through training, networking, communication and formation of pressure groups".
The forum, held April 17th-19th, was organised by the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Attendees participated in a series of dialogues in which women journalists representing 14 Arab countries and Iran related their experiences in unions and leadership.
"The message of our meeting is clear – to encourage women journalists in the Arab region to join unions, to take part in their elections, and to run for leadership positions," Algerian Sarah Bouchetob told Magharebia.
Bouchetob, who is responsible for Arab world projects, said that she is already optimistic about developments in Tunisia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. She added that she looks forward to the next elections in Algeria, "so that we may see whether we have advanced in a good way".
At the last conference of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists held in January, three out of nine victors were women. In Morocco last March, five women acceded to the 19-member panel at the head of the journalists' syndicate.
Many attending the conference said, however, that conditions of female journalists are still below expectations in some countries. Journalist Adel Bouhlal said Tunisia has women who "enjoy enough professionalism and competency to lead and make decisions", but there has yet to be a single woman editor-in-chief, in either official or privately-owned newspapers.
Mounia Belafia, Vice-Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Press Syndicate, told Magharebia there are still "pockets of resistance" in Arab society keeping women from these positions of authority. Opponents of gender equality attempt to minimise what they view as risks by ideologically exploiting women, she added.
"There are many calls... to make women wear veils," she said, "but [also] calling for allowing women to take off their clothes in order to exploit them. We find ourselves with a choice of two traps; the first is the veiling and hiding, and the other is pornography and sexuality. Both are different forms of extremism," she said.
The meeting concluded with the identification of a set of goals and principles on which the journalist unions and syndicates will work in co-operation with the FIJ. The most prominent of these goals is "the need to increase the representation of women journalists in leadership positions in the unions and associations, with the adoption of a quota system. This is in addition to the enhancement of abilities of women journalists in unions through training."
Participants in the meeting agreed on the need "to involve male colleagues in all gender-related issues, enhance the union policies and trends in order to guarantee union rights of women journalists, and to protect them against all forms of violence and harassment they face in their work. This is in addition to ensuring the integration of the social gender approach in collective bargaining and common agreements."
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Lebanon: Biography of Journalist Diana Mukkaled
Diana Mukkaled is a prominent and well respected TV journalist in the Arab world, thanks to her phenomenal show "Bil Ayn Al Mojarada" (By The Naked Eye), a series of documentaries around controversial areas and topics which airs on Lebanon's leading local and sattelite channel "Future Television".
Diana also is a veteran war corrependent, covering both The War in Iraq and in Afghanistan, as well as the Isreali "Grapes of Wrath" massacre in southern Lebanon. Daring to do superb investigative work in Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen and Iraq (prior to the collapse of the Saddam's regime) and dedicating entire episodes of "Bil Ayn Al Mojarada" to issues such as "Honour Crimes" in Jordan, Diana has gained world wide recognition and was named one of the most influential women in a special feature that ran in Time Magazine in 2004.
Diana writes a weekly coloumn for Asharq Al Awsat Media's Supplement, where she discusses current affairs in Arab and world media.
Diana also is a veteran war corrependent, covering both The War in Iraq and in Afghanistan, as well as the Isreali "Grapes of Wrath" massacre in southern Lebanon. Daring to do superb investigative work in Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen and Iraq (prior to the collapse of the Saddam's regime) and dedicating entire episodes of "Bil Ayn Al Mojarada" to issues such as "Honour Crimes" in Jordan, Diana has gained world wide recognition and was named one of the most influential women in a special feature that ran in Time Magazine in 2004.
Diana writes a weekly coloumn for Asharq Al Awsat Media's Supplement, where she discusses current affairs in Arab and world media.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Middle East: Arab women journalists launch campaign for leadership
During a regional meeting Saturday (April 19th) in Tunis, women journalists from Arab countries and Iran decided to launch a campaign for leadership positions in their countries' journalist unions, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Monday.
According to figures revealed at the event, the share of women in national unions' leadership varies from 0% in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine to 26% in Morocco and 33% in Tunisia.
IFJ Gender Equality Officer Pamela Moriniere was quoted as saying that "journalist unions need to recruit more women, make it easier for women activists to participate in union affairs and generalise gender equality in union policies and actions".
-- Magharebia
According to figures revealed at the event, the share of women in national unions' leadership varies from 0% in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine to 26% in Morocco and 33% in Tunisia.
IFJ Gender Equality Officer Pamela Moriniere was quoted as saying that "journalist unions need to recruit more women, make it easier for women activists to participate in union affairs and generalise gender equality in union policies and actions".
-- Magharebia
Monday, March 31, 2008
Middle East: Web site for Arab female journalists launched
The Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) launched a Web site titled “Arab Women and Media”( www.arabwomanmedia.net) on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8.
According to a press release made available to IJNet, the Web site is “an online interactive space which copes with the rapid changes of the image of women and enriches the dialogue and the debate on the issue of women and media.
The Web site encourages networking among Arab journalists through the presentation of more than 50 resumes of journalists working on women’s issues in the Arab world. It also provides portraits of renowned Arab women journalists in 17 Arab countries, in addition to news on media development in the Middle East.
-- Women Gateway
According to a press release made available to IJNet, the Web site is “an online interactive space which copes with the rapid changes of the image of women and enriches the dialogue and the debate on the issue of women and media.
The Web site encourages networking among Arab journalists through the presentation of more than 50 resumes of journalists working on women’s issues in the Arab world. It also provides portraits of renowned Arab women journalists in 17 Arab countries, in addition to news on media development in the Middle East.
-- Women Gateway
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tunisia: Press freedom organisations claim Tunisian activist was assaulted
Tunisian journalist and press freedom advocate Sihem Bensedrine and husband Omar Mestiri were allegedly assaulted by police early this month when entering Tunisia from Europe. The government denies the claims, but human rights groups are persisting in their accusations.
Press freedom advocacy groups have condemned the Tunisian government for the alleged March 3rd assault of two well-known journalists on their re-entry into the country.
According to a statement issued the day of the incident by the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC), Sihem Bensedrine and husband Omar Mestiri were "detained for six hours by Tunisian customs, and were subjected to violent physical assault from elements of political police."
The OLPEC statement reported that upon the couple's arrival at the port of La Goulette in the northern suburbs of Tunis, they were subjected to a thorough search by customs agents and required to surrender their laptop computers. Bensedrine and Mestiri refused, claiming it was an "oppressive measure" without the proper court order. When the couple persisted, the report claims they were physically assaulted by police.
The Tunisian government responded on March 4th, denying all allegations of assault.
An official source, wishing to remain anonymous, told Reuters the two journalists "were not subjected to any mistreatment ... or to any violence."
"On the other hand," the official continued, "Mrs. Bensedrine's behaviour towards customs officers was aggressive and violent during this ordinary customs procedure."
According to the official, police ordered the couple to open their bags after they triggered detection systems at the port. "After the inspection, the luggage was put back in the car and nothing has been seized," the official added.
However, the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) claimed in a statement issued on March 5th that "Bensedrine sustained severe bruises and a torn ligament in one arm."
Sihem Bensedrine is Secretary-General of OLPEC and spokesperson of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT). Her husband, Omar Mestiri, is managing editor of online newspaper Kalima.
Rohan Jayasekera, chair of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG), said, "I find it hard to believe that just days before International Women's Day, the government of Tunisia would sanction such a vicious attack on a woman."
Bensedrine has come under fire in Tunisia by pro-government weekly El Hadath, which has accused her and other human rights activists of treason. The articles were condemned by numerous local and international organisations, including the International Federation for the Defence of Human Rights and the International Observatory for the Protection of Defenders of Human Rights.
In a statement issued March 3rd, the National Union of Tunisian Journalists condemned the actions of some Tunisian newspapers, claiming their practices violate the law and the journalist's code of ethics by "cursing and defaming national Tunisian figures mentioned by name".
The Union said the critical articles published by El Hadath are punishable under the Press Law, article 50 and other articles on defamation, and asked public prosecutors to examine lawsuits filed against the authors and publishers.
Sihem Bensedrine was awarded the Danish Peace Foundation's 2008 Peace Prize for her defence of human rights, democracy, and freedom of expression. She was jailed in 2001 for her harsh criticisms of the Tunisian regime, and has long been known for her campaigns against what she deems human rights abuses in the country.
-- Jamel Arfaoui in Tunis, Magharebia
Press freedom advocacy groups have condemned the Tunisian government for the alleged March 3rd assault of two well-known journalists on their re-entry into the country.
According to a statement issued the day of the incident by the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC), Sihem Bensedrine and husband Omar Mestiri were "detained for six hours by Tunisian customs, and were subjected to violent physical assault from elements of political police."
The OLPEC statement reported that upon the couple's arrival at the port of La Goulette in the northern suburbs of Tunis, they were subjected to a thorough search by customs agents and required to surrender their laptop computers. Bensedrine and Mestiri refused, claiming it was an "oppressive measure" without the proper court order. When the couple persisted, the report claims they were physically assaulted by police.
The Tunisian government responded on March 4th, denying all allegations of assault.
An official source, wishing to remain anonymous, told Reuters the two journalists "were not subjected to any mistreatment ... or to any violence."
"On the other hand," the official continued, "Mrs. Bensedrine's behaviour towards customs officers was aggressive and violent during this ordinary customs procedure."
According to the official, police ordered the couple to open their bags after they triggered detection systems at the port. "After the inspection, the luggage was put back in the car and nothing has been seized," the official added.
However, the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) claimed in a statement issued on March 5th that "Bensedrine sustained severe bruises and a torn ligament in one arm."
Sihem Bensedrine is Secretary-General of OLPEC and spokesperson of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT). Her husband, Omar Mestiri, is managing editor of online newspaper Kalima.
Rohan Jayasekera, chair of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG), said, "I find it hard to believe that just days before International Women's Day, the government of Tunisia would sanction such a vicious attack on a woman."
Bensedrine has come under fire in Tunisia by pro-government weekly El Hadath, which has accused her and other human rights activists of treason. The articles were condemned by numerous local and international organisations, including the International Federation for the Defence of Human Rights and the International Observatory for the Protection of Defenders of Human Rights.
In a statement issued March 3rd, the National Union of Tunisian Journalists condemned the actions of some Tunisian newspapers, claiming their practices violate the law and the journalist's code of ethics by "cursing and defaming national Tunisian figures mentioned by name".
The Union said the critical articles published by El Hadath are punishable under the Press Law, article 50 and other articles on defamation, and asked public prosecutors to examine lawsuits filed against the authors and publishers.
Sihem Bensedrine was awarded the Danish Peace Foundation's 2008 Peace Prize for her defence of human rights, democracy, and freedom of expression. She was jailed in 2001 for her harsh criticisms of the Tunisian regime, and has long been known for her campaigns against what she deems human rights abuses in the country.
-- Jamel Arfaoui in Tunis, Magharebia
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Middle East: How governments handle the news
From The Economist:
PREDICTABILITY is a trait that few would ascribe to the Middle East, yet Arab interior ministers have gathered quietly, every winter for the past 25 years, to talk about how better to secure the regimes they serve. At this year's summit, in Tunis, the security chiefs agreed to toughen rules on publishing, recording or distributing material that might promote terrorism. A worthy goal, surely, except that the region's authorities have a habit of defining as crimes the kind of things their critics would deem legitimate dissent.
Despite the flourishing of alternative media, such as satellite television and internet blogs, that challenge once-impregnable state monopolies on the flow of news, governments keep finding new ways to suppress contrary views. Whereas the dictatorships of old snuffed out opponents or chucked them in jail, today's softer incarnations achieve similar silence by subtler means. Hyper-regulation via catch-all laws, plus financial carrots and sticks, tend to replace cruder direct control.
In draconian Syria, the vague crime of “disseminating false information” carries a stiff jail sentence. But as many journalists in relatively liberal Morocco have discovered, to criticise public officials is to risk libel charges that carry ruinous fines. Jordan, another semi-constitutional monarchy, recently issued a press law that independent-minded journalists suspect will be used against them, stipulating stiff penalties for slander. The regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan, a pro-Western enclave, is working on a similarly restrictive law. In Yemen last year, Abdel Karim Khaiwani, who edits a news website, found himself facing a possible death sentence for allegedly supporting terrorism after reporting on such issues as a bloody tribal rebellion and nepotism in President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government.
In many such cases, the state itself need not dirty its own fingers. Pro-government lawyers in Egypt filed a barrage of private lawsuits last year against editors who had, among other things, rubbished the ruling party and speculated on the state of President Hosni Mubarak's health; four were imprisoned. Plaintiffs in Kuwait, supposedly acting as private citizens, succeeded in winning hefty damages from the al-Jazeera satellite network because it had allegedly insulted their country. In tightly-controlled Tunisia, a journalist who had dared to air widely whispered rumours of corruption among President Ben Ali's relatives was charged with public indecency and insulting a state official after what appeared to be a staged altercation with police. He was sentenced in January to a year behind bars.
Older methods still work, too. According to Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based lobby, more than 200 media workers have lost their lives in Iraq since 2003. In the same period, prominent journalists in Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Libya and Sudan have been killed or gone missing in suspicious circumstances. In the past two months alone, the authorities in Gaza, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have summarily jailed reporters or internet bloggers.
Non-Arab Iran continues to lead the region in banning newspapers. Under the fundamentalist government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dozens of reformist publications have had their licences revoked. The most recent victim, a popular women's magazine, was accused of “threatening the psychological security of society” and of having “weakened military and revolutionary institutions”.
In January, after several participants in a call-in television show criticised a recent salary increase for government employees as too small, the Saudi authorities stopped any programme from being beamed live. The kingdom's minister of information then barred journalists from seeing himself questioned in the kingdom's all-appointed proto-parliament, the Shura Council. Saudi Arabia, like Iran, Syria and Tunisia, extensively monitors the internet, blocking tens of thousands of websites, ostensibly to protect public morality. Even Yemen, with its less sophisticated electronic means, has joined in. In recent weeks, half a dozen opposition news sites have suddenly become inaccessible to local users.
With satellite dishes proliferating even in remote villages across the Middle East, television has proved harder to control by such means. Governments have instead put pressure on the states that host stations. A recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, for instance, has produced a marked toning down of news about the kingdom on al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar. The mooted new rules on incitement to terrorism may have been partly intended to stop the channel, still by far the most popular across the region, from broadcasting statements by Islamist militants. But the last time al-Jazeera aired a video from al-Qaeda's fugitive leader, Osama bin Laden, Islamist radicals fumed that the footage was so heavily edited that it completely distorted the message.
PREDICTABILITY is a trait that few would ascribe to the Middle East, yet Arab interior ministers have gathered quietly, every winter for the past 25 years, to talk about how better to secure the regimes they serve. At this year's summit, in Tunis, the security chiefs agreed to toughen rules on publishing, recording or distributing material that might promote terrorism. A worthy goal, surely, except that the region's authorities have a habit of defining as crimes the kind of things their critics would deem legitimate dissent.
Despite the flourishing of alternative media, such as satellite television and internet blogs, that challenge once-impregnable state monopolies on the flow of news, governments keep finding new ways to suppress contrary views. Whereas the dictatorships of old snuffed out opponents or chucked them in jail, today's softer incarnations achieve similar silence by subtler means. Hyper-regulation via catch-all laws, plus financial carrots and sticks, tend to replace cruder direct control.
In draconian Syria, the vague crime of “disseminating false information” carries a stiff jail sentence. But as many journalists in relatively liberal Morocco have discovered, to criticise public officials is to risk libel charges that carry ruinous fines. Jordan, another semi-constitutional monarchy, recently issued a press law that independent-minded journalists suspect will be used against them, stipulating stiff penalties for slander. The regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan, a pro-Western enclave, is working on a similarly restrictive law. In Yemen last year, Abdel Karim Khaiwani, who edits a news website, found himself facing a possible death sentence for allegedly supporting terrorism after reporting on such issues as a bloody tribal rebellion and nepotism in President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government.
In many such cases, the state itself need not dirty its own fingers. Pro-government lawyers in Egypt filed a barrage of private lawsuits last year against editors who had, among other things, rubbished the ruling party and speculated on the state of President Hosni Mubarak's health; four were imprisoned. Plaintiffs in Kuwait, supposedly acting as private citizens, succeeded in winning hefty damages from the al-Jazeera satellite network because it had allegedly insulted their country. In tightly-controlled Tunisia, a journalist who had dared to air widely whispered rumours of corruption among President Ben Ali's relatives was charged with public indecency and insulting a state official after what appeared to be a staged altercation with police. He was sentenced in January to a year behind bars.
Older methods still work, too. According to Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based lobby, more than 200 media workers have lost their lives in Iraq since 2003. In the same period, prominent journalists in Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Libya and Sudan have been killed or gone missing in suspicious circumstances. In the past two months alone, the authorities in Gaza, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have summarily jailed reporters or internet bloggers.
Non-Arab Iran continues to lead the region in banning newspapers. Under the fundamentalist government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dozens of reformist publications have had their licences revoked. The most recent victim, a popular women's magazine, was accused of “threatening the psychological security of society” and of having “weakened military and revolutionary institutions”.
In January, after several participants in a call-in television show criticised a recent salary increase for government employees as too small, the Saudi authorities stopped any programme from being beamed live. The kingdom's minister of information then barred journalists from seeing himself questioned in the kingdom's all-appointed proto-parliament, the Shura Council. Saudi Arabia, like Iran, Syria and Tunisia, extensively monitors the internet, blocking tens of thousands of websites, ostensibly to protect public morality. Even Yemen, with its less sophisticated electronic means, has joined in. In recent weeks, half a dozen opposition news sites have suddenly become inaccessible to local users.
With satellite dishes proliferating even in remote villages across the Middle East, television has proved harder to control by such means. Governments have instead put pressure on the states that host stations. A recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, for instance, has produced a marked toning down of news about the kingdom on al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar. The mooted new rules on incitement to terrorism may have been partly intended to stop the channel, still by far the most popular across the region, from broadcasting statements by Islamist militants. But the last time al-Jazeera aired a video from al-Qaeda's fugitive leader, Osama bin Laden, Islamist radicals fumed that the footage was so heavily edited that it completely distorted the message.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Saudi royal gives boost to women journalists
A Saudi princess said on Tuesday she was offering prizes and scholarships worth 270,000 dollars a year to boost female journalists in a country where women are subjected to a host of restrictions.
The goal is "to encourage Saudi women to work in journalism and help them develop their professional skills through training and practice," Princess Hassa bint Salman told AFP.
Hassa, daughter of Riyadh governor Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, a half-brother of King Abdullah, said she would allocate 160,000 dollars a year for scholarships for study and training in a specialised centre which will launch a special section for women.
Prize money of 54,000 dollars will be awarded every year to women journalists whose careers span more than 15 years.
Two prizes of 27,000 dollars each will be awarded for the best journalistic work of the year and for a woman journalist who has distinguished herself, the British-educated princess said.
"Women journalists are best placed to promote cultural communication between men and women in Saudi society in a manner compatible with sharia (Islamic law) and moderate social norms," she said.
She said her initiative was aimed at making up for the absence of women's journalism departments in Saudi universities and training institutes for women, and noted that some Saudi female journalists had "excelled despite working in difficult social and professional conditions."
Women in Saudi Arabia, which applies a rigorous doctrine of Islam known as Wahhabism, face a host of constraints, including a ban on driving. They are forced to cover from head to toe in public, and cannot mix with men other than relatives or travel without written permission from their male guardian.
- Agence France-Presse
The goal is "to encourage Saudi women to work in journalism and help them develop their professional skills through training and practice," Princess Hassa bint Salman told AFP.
Hassa, daughter of Riyadh governor Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, a half-brother of King Abdullah, said she would allocate 160,000 dollars a year for scholarships for study and training in a specialised centre which will launch a special section for women.
Prize money of 54,000 dollars will be awarded every year to women journalists whose careers span more than 15 years.
Two prizes of 27,000 dollars each will be awarded for the best journalistic work of the year and for a woman journalist who has distinguished herself, the British-educated princess said.
"Women journalists are best placed to promote cultural communication between men and women in Saudi society in a manner compatible with sharia (Islamic law) and moderate social norms," she said.
She said her initiative was aimed at making up for the absence of women's journalism departments in Saudi universities and training institutes for women, and noted that some Saudi female journalists had "excelled despite working in difficult social and professional conditions."
Women in Saudi Arabia, which applies a rigorous doctrine of Islam known as Wahhabism, face a host of constraints, including a ban on driving. They are forced to cover from head to toe in public, and cannot mix with men other than relatives or travel without written permission from their male guardian.
- Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Egypt: Government releases Al Jazeera producer
Howayda Taha, a documentary producer for Al Jazeera, has been released after being held for 15 hours by Egyptian police.Taha was arrested on Monday for allegedly filming without a proper licence, her lawyer and police said.
She is already appealing an earlier jail sentence after reporting on alleged torture in police stations.
Taha was working on a film about farm labourers in a low-income neighbourhood in Cairo when police detained her early on Monday and questioned her late into the evening.
Ahmed Helmi, her lawyer, said on Tuesday she had all the necessary papers issued to her from the Egyptian press centre.
Police confiscated her tapes and sent them to be inspected by the department of artistic inspection, Helmi said. It was not clear if any charges would be raised."She is under a constant police watch, they want to ban her from working in Egypt," he said.
Police said four other people were arrested with her, including three crew members and an Egyptian human-rights activist.
Taha was sentenced in absentia in May to six months in jail and fined $5,600 for working on a documentary highlighting torture in police stations.
She has appealed against the sentence. The appeals court is due to deliver its ruling on February 11.
- Al Jazeera News Service
She is already appealing an earlier jail sentence after reporting on alleged torture in police stations.
Taha was working on a film about farm labourers in a low-income neighbourhood in Cairo when police detained her early on Monday and questioned her late into the evening.
Ahmed Helmi, her lawyer, said on Tuesday she had all the necessary papers issued to her from the Egyptian press centre.
Police confiscated her tapes and sent them to be inspected by the department of artistic inspection, Helmi said. It was not clear if any charges would be raised."She is under a constant police watch, they want to ban her from working in Egypt," he said.
Police said four other people were arrested with her, including three crew members and an Egyptian human-rights activist.
Taha was sentenced in absentia in May to six months in jail and fined $5,600 for working on a documentary highlighting torture in police stations.
She has appealed against the sentence. The appeals court is due to deliver its ruling on February 11.
- Al Jazeera News Service
Monday, January 28, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Female Journalists Seek Fair Treatment
RIYADH - While Saudi female journalists are fighting for other people's rights through their writings, their own rights have been violated for years.
However, Princess Hussa, daughter of Riyadh Emir Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has requested female journalists to submit any complaint they might have regarding their work conditions to her. "I will forward your complaints directly to Prince Salman," promised Princess Hussa during a press conference held Saturday announcing three awards by the Prince Ahmed Bin Salman Institute for Applied Media, for Saudi female journalists.
The awards will be for the best female journalist, the best female writer, a woman pioneer in the print media.
Journalists attending the press conference were delighted that they would be finally be recognized and their work appreciated.
"I think this is a very good step forward in encouraging women in the media," said Fatima Ba Ismaeel, a journalist for Arabic daily Al-Eqtisadiah.
"Especially in a society that looks down on women pursuing such jobs," said Asma Al-Mohammed, managing editor of the Saudi news page at Arabia.net.
Applicants for the awards must be Saudi national writing for a local publication, for at least 2 years and be between 22 -28 years of age.
However, Princess Hussa said that these conditions are still in the primary stage and can be altered.
The journalists appreciated the support of Princess Hussa and Prince Salman and said they would take up the offer and send their requests and complaints directly to Princess Hussa.
Low salaries, lack of transportation, health insurance, benefits and training are the biggest violations against female journalist and media professionals in the Kingdom, the Saudi female journalists complained.
While a female journalist earns around SR3000-5000 a month, their male counterparts earn double if not more.
"I am always surprised at how low the salaries of journalists are," said Al-Mohammed. "Turki Al-Sedeari, editor-in-chief of Al-Riyadh Arabic daily had said that a newspaper in the Kingdom has to make SR30 million a year to become successful," Al-Mohammed noted.
"Most newspapers make double and even triple this amount per year, but they still pay their reporters and especially their part-timers and freelancers crumbs!"
The majority of print and audio media in the Kingdom relie heavily on freelancers and part-timers, making it very difficult for female journalists to gain a full-time job that includes allowances, health insurance and social security.
Fatima Al-Anizi from Radio Riyadh complained about working for 17 years as a freelancer without being hired full-time, supporting her family on a minimal salary.
Along with the low amount, she didn't receive her salary on time - and once her salary was delayed for four months, she said.
"There is a hunger among Saudi female journalists to work and there is a hunger for news on Saudi women, so we find ourselves running from one event to another," said Al-Mohammed. "Sometimes we freelancers cover 2-3 events a day and still we are paid chicken feed."
Lack of protection was another problem that journalists as a whole face in the Kingdom, complained Aisha Al-Feefee from Okaz Arabic newspaper. "The Saudi Association for Media and Communication was established four years ago but it has yet to provide any service to us media professionals."
"There is basically nowhere to go if you have a complaint against a news organization," said Feefee. With many of the leading editors in SAMC, journalists do not feel safe to complain to SAMC about their plight, worried that they might have to face the consequences when they get back to the office.
Last year, Anizi along with Wafa Baker Younis, a presenter on Saudi TV Channel 1 had spoken about their plight at the Second Forum of Saudi Women in Media and were fired from their jobs for complaining publicly.
Only after the intervention of Prince Salman did the two journalists regain their positions.
"Prince Salman was very upset over the repercussions against the two journalists for complaining at a forum that was established to address such issues," said Princess Hussa.
The majority of Saudi female journalists work as freelancers without any health benefits, but even those with full-time positions don't mean that they get treated on par with their male colleagues when it comes to health insurance.
One female journalist was informed by her organization that their health coverage doesn't cover her delivery while it covers a "male employee's delivery."
"I asked them how can male employees ever give birth? They told me they don't but their wives do and their wives are covered," said the journalist who wished to withhold her name.
"I asked why the wife of an employee had better rights and coverage than I did - and I was their employee."
In addition to low wages, lack of benefits and protection, lack of training is another complaint "Female journalists get into journalism without any training and there's very limited on-the-job training, said Ba Ismaeel.
In her 12 years as a journalist for prominent Saudi newspapers, the only training Ba Ismaeel received was what she paid for herself.
Lack of transportation or the very low transportation allowance given to female journalists was also a problem.
"Since we can't drive, our news organizations should provide transport - with drivers to take us to and back from field work, or provide us with an allowance that covers our transportation cost," said Ba Ismaeel.
Transportation allowances is mostly around SR300 which is very low compared to the SR1,200-1,500 some female journalists pay for a private driver, a company driver or a taxi to take her to conferences and interviews for a month.
- Saudi Gazette
However, Princess Hussa, daughter of Riyadh Emir Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has requested female journalists to submit any complaint they might have regarding their work conditions to her. "I will forward your complaints directly to Prince Salman," promised Princess Hussa during a press conference held Saturday announcing three awards by the Prince Ahmed Bin Salman Institute for Applied Media, for Saudi female journalists.
The awards will be for the best female journalist, the best female writer, a woman pioneer in the print media.
Journalists attending the press conference were delighted that they would be finally be recognized and their work appreciated.
"I think this is a very good step forward in encouraging women in the media," said Fatima Ba Ismaeel, a journalist for Arabic daily Al-Eqtisadiah.
"Especially in a society that looks down on women pursuing such jobs," said Asma Al-Mohammed, managing editor of the Saudi news page at Arabia.net.
Applicants for the awards must be Saudi national writing for a local publication, for at least 2 years and be between 22 -28 years of age.
However, Princess Hussa said that these conditions are still in the primary stage and can be altered.
The journalists appreciated the support of Princess Hussa and Prince Salman and said they would take up the offer and send their requests and complaints directly to Princess Hussa.
Low salaries, lack of transportation, health insurance, benefits and training are the biggest violations against female journalist and media professionals in the Kingdom, the Saudi female journalists complained.
While a female journalist earns around SR3000-5000 a month, their male counterparts earn double if not more.
"I am always surprised at how low the salaries of journalists are," said Al-Mohammed. "Turki Al-Sedeari, editor-in-chief of Al-Riyadh Arabic daily had said that a newspaper in the Kingdom has to make SR30 million a year to become successful," Al-Mohammed noted.
"Most newspapers make double and even triple this amount per year, but they still pay their reporters and especially their part-timers and freelancers crumbs!"
The majority of print and audio media in the Kingdom relie heavily on freelancers and part-timers, making it very difficult for female journalists to gain a full-time job that includes allowances, health insurance and social security.
Fatima Al-Anizi from Radio Riyadh complained about working for 17 years as a freelancer without being hired full-time, supporting her family on a minimal salary.
Along with the low amount, she didn't receive her salary on time - and once her salary was delayed for four months, she said.
"There is a hunger among Saudi female journalists to work and there is a hunger for news on Saudi women, so we find ourselves running from one event to another," said Al-Mohammed. "Sometimes we freelancers cover 2-3 events a day and still we are paid chicken feed."
Lack of protection was another problem that journalists as a whole face in the Kingdom, complained Aisha Al-Feefee from Okaz Arabic newspaper. "The Saudi Association for Media and Communication was established four years ago but it has yet to provide any service to us media professionals."
"There is basically nowhere to go if you have a complaint against a news organization," said Feefee. With many of the leading editors in SAMC, journalists do not feel safe to complain to SAMC about their plight, worried that they might have to face the consequences when they get back to the office.
Last year, Anizi along with Wafa Baker Younis, a presenter on Saudi TV Channel 1 had spoken about their plight at the Second Forum of Saudi Women in Media and were fired from their jobs for complaining publicly.
Only after the intervention of Prince Salman did the two journalists regain their positions.
"Prince Salman was very upset over the repercussions against the two journalists for complaining at a forum that was established to address such issues," said Princess Hussa.
The majority of Saudi female journalists work as freelancers without any health benefits, but even those with full-time positions don't mean that they get treated on par with their male colleagues when it comes to health insurance.
One female journalist was informed by her organization that their health coverage doesn't cover her delivery while it covers a "male employee's delivery."
"I asked them how can male employees ever give birth? They told me they don't but their wives do and their wives are covered," said the journalist who wished to withhold her name.
"I asked why the wife of an employee had better rights and coverage than I did - and I was their employee."
In addition to low wages, lack of benefits and protection, lack of training is another complaint "Female journalists get into journalism without any training and there's very limited on-the-job training, said Ba Ismaeel.
In her 12 years as a journalist for prominent Saudi newspapers, the only training Ba Ismaeel received was what she paid for herself.
Lack of transportation or the very low transportation allowance given to female journalists was also a problem.
"Since we can't drive, our news organizations should provide transport - with drivers to take us to and back from field work, or provide us with an allowance that covers our transportation cost," said Ba Ismaeel.
Transportation allowances is mostly around SR300 which is very low compared to the SR1,200-1,500 some female journalists pay for a private driver, a company driver or a taxi to take her to conferences and interviews for a month.
- Saudi Gazette
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