Fighting COVID-19 goes hand-in-hand with shuttering newspapers across the Middle East

Impact of COVID-19 containment measures on human rights and civil liberties in the Middle East

UAE frees activist Osama al-Najjar after 5 years in detention

Netizen Report: Amid WhatsApp attacks, advocates launch legal challenge against Israeli malware maker

Spyware makers exploit a security flaw in WhatsApp, Singapore bans false information and Somalia plans to shut down social media during school exams.

Jailed Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor's life is at risk, after six weeks on hunger strike

Jailed UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor continues hunger strike

Two years after completing his sentence, Emirati activist Osama al-Najjar remains in detention

A lethal combination: How MENA governments use cybercrime laws and spyware to target activists

Gulf governments continue to deploy cybercrime laws as an arbitrary legal cover to target target human rights defenders.

Killing speech softly: How the world’s biggest tech companies are quietly censoring critical expression in the Middle East

The failures of tech giants in moderating content in the region is a big and complex problem.

Protesting Mistreatment in Prison, Emirati Activist Survives Six Weeks of Hunger Strike

Imran al-Radwan is serving a seven-year jail sentence for calling for reform in the UAE.

Netizen Report: Gulf States Say ‘Pro-Qatar’ Speech Now Constitutes Cybercrime

Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.

Jailed Emirati Academic Endures Hunger Strike to Protest Ten-Year Jail Sentence

"I have no choice but to go on hunger strike to restore my stolen freedom".

Emirati Hardline Nationalists Target Human Rights Defenders on Twitter

It is no longer unusual for governments to maintain a robust online presence. They understand well the power of the internet in forming public opinion and manipulating political discourse.

Global Inequality in Your Pocket: How Cheap Smartphones and Lax Policies Leave Us Vulnerable to Hacking

UAE Authorities Arrest One Rights Activist and Extend the Detention of Another

On 20 March police arrested human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor from his home. Meanwhile, UAE authorities have refused to release Osama al-Najjar, despite him having served out his prison sentence.

UAE Court Sentences Jordanian Journalist Tayseer al-Najjar to Prison

UAE authorities took issue with a Facebook post that Tayseer al-Najjar published before he had even moved to the country.

After Waiting More Than a Year, Jordanian Journalist Appears Before UAE Court

Journalist Tayseer Al-Najjar is on trial in the UAE over 2014 Facebook posts deemed offensive to the Emirati state.

Health of Detained UAE Academic Nasser Bin Ghaith at Risk, Rights Groups Say

Bin Ghaith was held incommunicado for nine months over and deprived of adequate food and clothing. Supporters are now concerned for his health.

The UAE Has Avoided an ‘Arab Spring’ by Systematically Repressing Critical Speech

Wary of an Arab-Spring like uprising within its borders, the UAE government launched an unprecedented crackdown on critics and activists.

Bad Laws Are Contagious: Demystifying the UAE’s New Information Tech Law

Preceded by a wave of VOIP blocking in various Arab countries, the new law comes as no surprise for those familiar with digital policy in the region.