Middle East Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Middle East

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    Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer Raji Sourani on U.N. Statehood Bid, Peace Process, Gaza Siege

    As the United Nations Security Council considers the Palestinian bid for statehood, we speak with human rights lawyer, Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights.
    Sep 27, 2011 | Web Exclusive
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    7 Months After Revolution Ousted Mubarak, Egyptian Military Maintains Control, Suppressing Dissent

    Over the weekend, Egyptian political parties dropped a threat to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections, the first multi-candidate vote since the ouster of longtime president, Hosni Mubarak. The parties agreed to take part in the vote after Egypt’s ruling military council vowed to amend a voting law that would have made it easier for former Mubarak allies to return to government. But the military council’s shift fell short of ongoing...
    Oct 04, 2011 | Story
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    Yemeni Activist Tawakkul Karman, First Female Arab Nobel Peace Laureate: A Nod for Arab Spring

    In an interview, Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman said her Nobel Peace Prize is a victory for Yemen and for all of the uprisings of the Arab Spring. Karman is a 32-year-old journalist and the head of the Yemeni nonprofit group Women Journalists Without Chains. She was detained for a time during the political unrest earlier this year. She is the first Arab female to win the Nobel Peace Prize and is believed to be the youngest winner of the peace...
    Oct 07, 2011 | Story
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    Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman on Human Rights Abuses Enabled by "War on Terror"

    Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman, one of three recipients who split the award this year, spoke in New York City at the Brecht Forum last year about state violence, targeted killings, and human rights abuses enabled by the so-called "war on terror." Democracy Now! was there, and we bring you her address. [includes rush transcript]
    Oct 07, 2011 | Web Exclusive
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    Nobel Peace Winner Tawakkul Karman on Yemen and the U.S. War on Terror

    Yemeni activist and journalist, Tawakkul Karman, was one of the recipients of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize awarded Friday. Karman spoke in New York City at the Brecht Forum in September 2010 about state violence, targeted killings and human rights abuses enabled by the so-called "war on terror." Democracy Now! was there and brings you part of her address. Karman notes that by cooperating with the Yemeni government’s repression of...
    Oct 10, 2011 | Story
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    Syrian Human Rights Lawyer Razan Zaitouneh Speaks from Hiding, Says Over 4,000 Killed in Uprising

    Daily protests continue in Syria even as the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates the government has killed more than 3,500 people during the last eight months in its attempt to silence a growing popular uprising. Over the weekend, protesters carried out a general strike in several cities. We get a live report from Damascus from Razan Zaitouneh, a lawyer and human rights activist, who says she believes at least...
    Nov 14, 2011 | Story
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    Arab League Suspends Syria, Concern Grows over Foreign Intervention to End Crisis

    Today the European Union decided to impose sanctions on 18 Syrians in response to the killings of protesters by Syrian forces under President Bashar al-Assad. The move comes after the Arab League formally suspended the Syrian delegation on Saturday over its violent crackdown on eight months of protests. In a new report, Human Rights Watch accused the Assad government of "crimes against humanity" for alleged killings of protesters dating...
    Nov 14, 2011 | Story
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    Seymour Hersh: Propaganda Used Ahead of Iraq War Is Now Being Reused over Iran's Nuke Program

    While the United States, Britain and Canada are planning to announce a coordinated set of sanctions against Iran’s oil and petrochemical industry today, longtime investigative journalist Seymour Hersh questions the growing consensus on Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. International pressure has been mounting on Iran since the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency revealed in a report the "possible military dimensions"...
    Nov 21, 2011 | Story
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    Arab Spring Under the King: Bahraini Activist Ala'a Shehabi on Crackdown on Pro-Democracy Protests

    Clashes have erupted in Bahrain ahead of the release of a report investigating the crackdown on the pro-democracy uprising earlier this year. Watch Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat interview Bahraini activist Ala’a Shehabi, wife of a Bahraini political prisoner seized and jailed during the uprising.
    Nov 23, 2011 | Web Exclusive

  • As Syria Toll Tops 5,000, Activist in Hiding Urges Global Action to Stop Assad Regime Crackdown

    International pressure on the Syrian regime is increasing as the death toll there continues to rise. This week the United Nations estimated the death toll in Syria since March has surpassed 5,000, including hundreds of children. "The regime is given time after time to kill more people and more civilians," says Razan Zaitouneh, a human rights lawyer in Damascus who is living underground for her safety. "Every time, there is a new...
    Dec 15, 2011 | Story