Algeria: A TV Show Closed for Denouncing Corruption

On 17 April this year, a satirical show covered the purchase of a 800,000 euros apartment on the Champs Elysées in Paris by the daughter of Algeria's Prime Minister, Rym Sellal. The information was based on the book "Paris-Alger, une histoire passionnelle", which the Al Jazairiya presenter, Abdou Semmar had judged fundamental to bring to the attention of his "fellow citizens". During the following episode, the presenter announced that the show was no longer going to be broadcasted. Semmar affirmed on Canal+ and in Algérie Focus that it was the pressure exerted by the government that led the direction of the channel to close its satirical program. "We believed in this country," he explains. "We understood that Algeria would never evolve, flourish without real freedom of expression. A freedom of expression that gives us the opportunity to question our leaders, to confront them with verified and confirmed facts, to respond to the concerns and anxieties of our compatriots."

Djibouti: A Journalist Victim of Numerous Reprisals for Covering Demonstrations

On 8 August 2014, Mohamed Ibrahim Waiss was covering a demonstration organised by the opposition in Djibouti city, when the police came and arrested him. Beaten and wounded by the policemen, he did not receive any medical attention and had to wait for several days before being allowed to see his lawyer. Mohamed Ibrahimhad already been the object of several attempts of intimidationby the authorities, including numerous instances of arbitrary detention. Last year, he was charged with "participation in and funding of illegal demonstrations". Following Alkarama's urgent appeal to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) he was released on 21 August 2015 and the charges were dropped.

Egypt: Journalists Accused of "Spreading False News" Sentenced to Life in Prison for Fulfilling their Mission

Abdullah Ahmed Mohammed Ismail Alfakharany is a 25-year-old journalist and human rights activist. The news network he co-founded – Rassd News Network (RNN) – has been an extremely influent media during the 2011 revolution. While he was visiting a friend on 25 August 2013, a dozen of agents from the State Security forces entered his friend's house and arrested them both without any warrant. After being beaten up and subjected to degrading and humiliating treatments, Abdullah was sentenced to life in prison on 11 April 2015, together with two other journalists, under accusations of "spreading false news" and "incitement to chaos". They are currently detained in Tora prison. Arbitrary detention and torture are amongst the most used practices reserved to silence journalists and activists in Egypt and it is believed that he was arrested in retaliation for his activism and work with RNN. To bring their attention to his case, on 22 July 2014 Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders (SR HRDs)asking him to intervene with the authorities so they release Abdullah Al Fakharany.

On 12 December 2014, another journalist, Mohammed Ali Hassan was arrested together with his wife and their two-year-old daughter, who were threatened while the policemen beat him. He was charged with "incitement to violence through the newspaper" and "spreading false news", accusations related to alleged leaks of official government figures' conversations, released on the Turkish channel Mekameleen TV. Mohammed Ali has continuously rejected these accusations, reiterating that he has no relation with this TV and mostly works with Egyptian News Network (ENN). On 2 April 2015, Alkarama called upon the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (SR SRT) to ask the Egyptian authorities to guarantee Mohamed Ali Hassan's physical and psychological health and allow him to see his family and to thoroughly and independently investigate the reports of torture he made. He is still detained to date and his trial has not been held yet.

Jordan: Growing Restrictions on Freedom of the Press

Journalists in Jordan have witnessed growing restrictions on freedom of press over the last few years. In 2014, Jordan was ranked 141 out of 180 for freedom of the press by Reporters Without Borders. In 2013, the Jordan Media Commission shut down 300 websites on the basis of the Law on the Press and Publications which, following its amendment in 2012, now requires an administrative authorisation for all websites, thus allowing the Jordanian authorities to exercise control over the news relayed in the media, preventing the latter to play its role of fourth estate – that is to act as the guardian of public interest and as watchdog on the activities of government. Because they had called for protests against these restrictions, four activists were accused of "inciting hostile sentiments against the political system." Today, two of them, Bassem Al Rawabedah and Thabet Assaf, are again being prosecuted for their participation in a peaceful demonstration, despite a previous Opinion (No. 53/2013) by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) which considered their detention as arbitrary since it resulted from the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Kuwait

In March 2015, Dar Al Watan Printing and Publishing Company was subjected to reprisals – including the withdrawal of its license and the closing of its premises – as retaliation for its free editorial line. Before that, the Company management has been put under pressure to make its editorial line less critical of the authorities, through various forms of indirect threats and unofficial warnings. Since Dar Al Watan did not succumb to the authorities' pressure, it was eventually closed despite a court order suspending this administrative decision, in violation of both international and Kuwaiti law. Al Watan TV, which belongs to the same media group, is also under the imminent risk of being subjected to the same fate for the same reasons.

For the past year, the status of freedom of expression and of the press in Kuwait has significantly deteriorated, leading to the prosecution of activists and journalists for merely expressing peaceful criticism. The case of Dar Al Watan is exemplifying these violations and is directed against a media widely appreciated in Kuwait for its independence and integrity. On 18 March 2015, Alkarama brought the case to the attention of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (SR FRDX) requesting him to schedule an official visit to the country to evaluate the situation.

Morocco

On 11 May 2013, the journalist and activist Moustafa Al Hasnaoui was arrested in Casablanca, after being repressed by the Turkish authorities in Istanbul where he had gone to report on Syrian refugees camps. While initially released, he was arrested again five days later. His activism in defense of human rights in Morocco led him, on 11 July 2013, to be condemned to four years in prison under terrorism charges – more specifically of "constituting a criminal gang to commit terrorist acts as part of a collective enterprise aimed at seriously undermining the public order by intimidation, terror or violence". Moustafa has documented and exposed many cases of violations of human rights in the country, particularly in Islamist circles victims of a broad crackdown following the Casablanca bombings of 2003. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) considers that Mustapha is arbitrarily detained, notably because of the legitimate exercise of his right to freedom of expression and for defending the rights of people persecuted for their opinions and thus asked for his immediate release.

Oman

Mohammad al Fazari is an Omani journalist and human rights activist, Editor-in-chief and founder of the electronic magazine, Al Mowatin ("The citizen"), a journal that discusses issues related to civil and political rights and citizen participation in political debates. Arrested several times by the Omani Royal Police in Muscat for his activities as a journalist, Mohammad is still victim of retaliation measures, including arrests, a confiscation of his identity papers and a travel ban. To Alkarama, Mohammad has suffered these reprisals, because he is a well-known journalist and critique who has been defending the political and civil rights of Omani citizens. His online magazine is an open platform for citizens to be informed and to discuss subjects related inter alia to politics, rights and society. Since 2011, Oman experienced alarming restrictions of civil and political liberties and a systematic repression of any peaceful political dissent or critique. Alkarama has been following up the situation of Mohamed Al Fazari with several UN Special Procedures.

Syria: 3 Journalists who Played a Major Role Documenting Human Rights Violations in Arbitrary Detention for Over 3 Years

On 16 February 2012, the Syrian Air Force Intelligence raided the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) and arrested its staff. Whilst most of them were released, SMC's Director, the journalist Mazen Darwish, and two of his colleagues, Hani Al Zitani and Hussein Gharir were kept in detention. A year later, they were charged with "publicising terrorist acts" by the Anti Terrorism Court. Although, on 9 June 2014, the government announced a general amnesty that covered their charges, the three journalists were not released; still detained arbitrarily, they are waiting for their trial. The SCM is an important non-governmental organisation working to disseminate information regarding the human rights situation in Syria including on media freedom and freedom of expression. On 16 February this year, Alkarama and 70 other human rights organisations called on the Syrian government to release them immediately.

Alkarama believes that freedom of press is a fundamental human right, as enshrined in Comment n.34 to art.19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): "A free, uncensored and unhindered press or other media is essential in any society to ensure freedom of opinion and expression and the enjoyment of other Covenant rights. It constitutes one of the cornerstones of a democratic society." Alkarama therefore calls upon all governments in the Arab world to reconsider their decisions and release these journalists that were only fulfilling their essential mission.

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