Opinion: The physical and ideological fight against sexual violence in Egypt

At the core of new initiatives against sexual assault in Egypt is a drive to create a safe space for women to ensure their participation in society and politics, says Sarah El Sirgany.

From dictatorship to democracy in Tunisia

Milestones in the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group campaign since its inception in 2004.

Creation of IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group

Back in 2005, 13 members came together as the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG) to highlight serious violations of free expression, including rampant Internet censorship in Tunisia as it...

Rights defenders targeted as authorities tighten restrictions on freedom of assembly

As four human rights defenders are brought to trial on charges of "inciting an unarmed gathering," and another is sent to jail, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and other rights groups express alarm about the increasing crackdown on human rights defenders in the aftermath of the amendments to the law on associations in December 2011.

Verdicts, lifting of emergency law not enough to guarantee free expression, say IFEX members

This past week, Egypt's 30-year-old emergency law expired and former President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for failing to stop the killing of protesters during Egypt's uprising. Yet the future for free expression in Egypt remains in doubt, say the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and other IFEX members.

Rapper jailed for video insulting police

One of Morocco's most famous rappers and activists was handed a one-year jail sentence on 11 May for "insulting the police" through a video, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Human Rights Watch and Freedom House.

IFEX members demand repeal of law banning insults of state, Gaddafi glorification

Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are urging Libya's interim government to repeal a broad new law that bans criticising last year's revolution and spreading false news or "propaganda" that endangers the state.

New authorities, old-style crackdown

Security forces marked Martyr's Day on 9 April in Tunisia by dispersing thousands of protesters - including more than a dozen journalists - with tear gas and truncheons. It is just the latest sign that despite Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali being the first dictator to fall in the Arab uprisings, old-style free expression violations continue, reports the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG), a coalition of 21 IFEX members.

Security forces launch unprecedented raids on human rights organisations

Egyptian security forces last week launched unprecedented armed raids on a series of high profile human rights and pro-democracy organisations, including the Cairo branch of IFEX member Freedom House, report the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), the Arabic Network of Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and Freedom House.

Free expression landscape in state of malaise post-Ben Ali, says IFEX-TMG

Almost a year after the overthrow of President Ben Ali, the free expression field is in a state of "malaise" due to decades of censorship and repression, said members of the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG). Meeting in Tunis last week to discuss the free expression landscape in the new Tunisia, IFEX-TMG members came up with a slew of recommendations that could help the country move forward.

Massive violence against protesters and journalists mars lead up to elections

A culture of fear and chaos permeated Egypt ahead of the elections, with street protests erupting in terrifying military violence, including the deaths of around 40 protesters and injuries of thousands of unarmed civilians, report the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and other IFEX members.

Media freedom in question after first post-revolution elections

With 90 per cent of eligible voters in Tunisia participating in a free election for the first time in 55 years on 23 October, IFEX members are calling for numerous reforms and political commitments to nurture this great yearning for democracy. Violent attacks on a Tunis TV station earlier this month have hit home the need for security, legal reform and educational campaigns.

"Bloody Sunday" as security forces fire on protesters; journalist and blogger slain

The repercussions are still being felt after what has been called "Egypt's Bloody Sunday", when army forces and mobs in Cairo that were rallied by government TV stations killed at least 25 protesters, including one journalist and one blogger, report IFEX members. The members point to larger frustrations about insecurity in Egypt, with civil society calling for the transitional government to restore the rule of law and hand over power as the country heads to elections on 28 November.

Mubarak-era media repression tactics back in force

Despite the change promised by the revolution, Egypt's transitional government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), continues to employ excessive force and repressive laws against those who share information and opinions and who take part in peaceful demonstrations, leading three IFEX members in the country to liken it to the Mubarak regime.

Journalists under attack as fighting continues

Four Italian journalists who were kidnapped in Libya were released last week, but the fate of both foreign and local journalists - including six Libyan reporters missing since the uprising started in February - remains up in the air as fighting rages on in Tripoli, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Governments attack Twitter activists

The governments of at least three Arab countries - Egypt, Bahrain and Kuwait - have launched investigations into or prosecuted Twitter activists, provoking other countries in the region to follow suit, reports the Arabic Network of Human Rights Information (ANHRI).

NATO launches airstrikes at media outlet

Three journalists were killed and 21 others injured in Tripoli after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) warplanes bombed three transmission towers on 30 July in an effort to take Libyan state television off the air. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have condemned the attack.

Military rulers ignore plural voices

In a major setback for free expression and media freedom, Egypt's military rulers have limited the participation of civil society organisations, targeted sources of funding for NGOs, banned international monitoring of elections and reinstated the Information Ministry, report the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and other IFEX members. Frustrated with this lack of progress for social justice and civil liberties, thousands of protesters marched through Cairo's Tahrir Square yet again on 23-24 July.

Strong media and civil society needed post-revolution, says IFEX-TMG

If Tunisians are to play an informed part in the country's democratic transition, they need a free and independent media and a strong, democratic and open civil society, says the first report to be published by the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG) since the fall of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year-old regime.

Military violates spirit of revolution by cracking down on critics

Journalists, bloggers and judges have been taken to court under Egypt's military regime for criticising the army's human rights violations during the uprising, its links to the Muslim Brotherhood and its lack of judicial reform, report the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) and other IFEX members. Fortunately, there is an antidote to this pattern of abuse - a coalition of rights groups and journalists are working together to put free expression rights on the national agenda.