19 April 2006
ARAB REGIMES USE DIRTY TACTICS TO MUZZLE DISSENT
As civil society movements across the Arab world grow in response to public demands for democratic reform, governments are resorting to dirty tactics to quell human rights defenders and journalists, according to a new report by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRInfo).
The report highlights cases in Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia, where police have used the media to launch smear campaigns against government critics. This involves tarnishing the image of a human rights defender through groundless claims implicating them in a scandal or a crime.
Another tactic is the creation of quasi-governmental "human rights organisations" whose role is to discredit legitimate independent rights groups and to mislead the public about human rights issues.
To read the report, visit: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/re2006/
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