Stories about Middle East & North Africa from November, 2012
Life Sentence for Qatari Poet for Insulting Amir
The poem is said to praise the Arab Spring, drawing comparisons to other countries living in repression and under dictatorship. According to Qatari journalist Abdulla Al Athbah, Al-Deeb's poem was...
Syria Plunges Into Total Info Darkness
On Thursday, the US-based internet connectivity monitoring firm, Renesys, reported that internet was cut off in Syria. All of Syria's 84 IP address blocks were inaccessible, “effectively removing the country...
In Case of Disconnection: Preparing Gaza for an Internet Shutdown
For days, rumors have abounded that Israel—which controls the telecommunications infrastructure of Palestine—plans to shut down the Internet in Gaza. While thus far the rumors have proven false, various organizations...
Blogging on behalf of Hamid
Antonella has not blogged since long time. Her last blog post was on April 25, 2012 in which she wrote: “Dear Hamid, Every day I discover how vast a...
Anonymous Twitter Account Leads Major Protests in Kuwait
Tens of thousands showed up in the areas of Mishref and Sabah Al-Salem protesting the Kuwaiti Amir's amendment of the voting law which allows a citizen to vote for one...
Egypt: Online Porn, Here to Stay?
The ongoing battle over the future Egyptian constitution and the more-than-a-month long strike of Egyptian medical workers are among the most pressing issues in the country at the moment… or...
Egypt To Block Porn Sites… Again
On Wednesday, November 7, the Egyptian Public Prosecutor decided that online pornography was “inconsistent with Egyptian traditions and values.” He ordered a general ban of all porn sites in Egypt.
Six Month Jail for Insulting Bahrain King on Twitter
One of four Twitter users, detained in Bahrain and reportedly charged with insulting the country's king, was sentenced to six months in prison today. Bahraini lawyer Mohammed Abdulameer tweets [ar]:...