27 November 2007

EGYPTIAN BLOGGERS PLAN FESTIVAL OF TORTURE VIDEOS


Egyptian bloggers, often at the forefront of exposing human rights abuses, are planning an online festival of torture videos to run alongside the 31st Cairo Film Festival, from 27 November to 7 December.

According to the "Middle East Times", the parallel festival is the invention of a blogger named Walid, and will feature "controversial acts of torture allegedly committed by the security authorities." Prizes, including a "Golden Whip", will be awarded to the best entrants.

Egypt's bloggers have exposed many incidents of police torture. In a rare case of security forces being sentenced for abusing detainees, two policemen got three years in jail earlier this month for torturing a man in their custody. Footage of the abuse filmed with a mobile phone was widely distributed on YouTube and sparked nationwide and international outrage.

But bloggers who are critical of the government can also find themselves as victims. Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer, who is serving a four-year jail term for insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak, has recently been tortured while in custody, reports the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRInfo). Amer, the first blogger to stand trial in Egypt for his Internet postings, has three more years left in his sentence. For more on the Amer case, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/87581/

See the "Middle East Times": http://tinyurl.com/2ouoc9

(27 November 2007)



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INTERNATIONAL: IAPA CALLS FOR ENTRIES FOR 2008 EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS 27 November 2007 INTERNATIONAL / GENDER: TAKE ACTION! TAKE BACK THE TECH: RECLAIM TECHNOLOGY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 27 November 2007 URUGUAY: SENATE PASSES COMMUNITY BROADCASTING BILL 27 November 2007 IRAQ: PHOTOGRAPHER HELD BY U.S. TO BE CHARGED; 11 RELATIVES OF IRAQI EDITOR KILLED 27 November 2007 AFGHANISTAN: INSI PROVIDES SAFETY TRAINING FOR LOCAL JOURNALISTS 27 November 2007 SRI LANKA: LEADING PRINTING PRESS GOES UP IN FLAMES; MORE MEDIA WORKERS ABDUCTED 27 November 2007 PAKISTAN: JOURNALIST SLAIN; PROTESTS AGAINST MEDIA CURBS CONTINUE 27 November 2007 INTERNATIONAL: GLOBAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN FACE OF PERVASIVE IMPUNITY 27 November 2007

Egypt

Exceptions to ending emergency law invite abuse, says Human Rights Watch 26 January 2012 Blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad freed after being held for 10 months 25 January 2012 Popular television programme censored 23 January 2012 Revived draft law would give state security control over civil society 20 January 2012 Rise in number of lawsuits filed against media professionals 4 January 2012 See all alerts: Egypt


North Africa

ALGERIA: New media law stifles free expression, says CPJ 26 January 2012 TUNISIA: Director charged for broadcasting "Persepolis"; journalists assaulted 26 January 2012


 
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