...Or Does It Explode?

"Three Years for Six Words"

A detailed report on the sad case of Tariq Baissi:

On May 5, Tariq Baissi was convicted to three years of prison for "weakening the national feeling and the national ethos." The  State Security Court in Damascus cut Baissi's sentence in half from the original six years. Baissi's crime was to have posted six words on the online forum, 'I am a Muslim,' in which he criticized Syria's state security apparatus...

Throughout the trial, Baissi has denied posting the comments, saying that he works in a computer company and has nothing to do with politics. He said the phone line, through which the website was accessed, did not even belong to him but to another resident in the same building. Those claims were rejected by the Syrian government.

Rights groups and Syrian bloggers have condemned the sentencing of Baissi. In a recent press release, the London-based Syrian Human Rights Committee said, "Posting a phrase comprised of six words may cost you a six-year prison sentence [in Syria."]

Pathetic.

Three Years for Tariq Baiasi

Down goes another Syrian blogger:

The State Security Court in Damascus has sentenced Tariq to three years after lessening it from six years to three years (originally, Tariq received three years for each of the following charges):

1- Dwindling the national feeling.

2-Weakening the national ethos.

The militarily security arrested Tariq on 7-7-2007 for leaving a comment on websites considered “suspicious” by the Syrian government.

And in Further Moroccan News...

The regime is sort of shutting down Al Jazeera:

Reporters Without Borders calls on the Moroccan authorities to reverse their decision to stop the pan-Arab satellite TV news station Al-Jazeera from broadcasting a daily news programme covering the Maghreb countries from its studios in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

"The attitude of the Moroccan authorities is incomprehensible," the press freedom organisation said. "Al-Jazeera has been broadcasting its special programme on the Maghreb for the past year and a half without any difficulty. The suddenness of this measure and the lack of a valid reason suggest that it was a political decision."

On 6 May, Al-Jazeera's Rabat bureau received a fax from the National Agency for Telecom Regulation (ANRT) saying the frequency it used for broadcasting the Maghreb programme was being withdrawn because of "technical and legal problems."

Casualties of Iran's Campaign against Hip-Hop

"Hip-hop, you don't stop!" goes the old refrain, but the mullahs have other ideas and rappers are going underground:

Soroush Lashkari is regarded by his fellow musicians as the godfather of Iranian rap, but he must meet his fans wherever he can: one day in a park, another day in a street and the next in a studio, if he is lucky enough to find one.

He performs under the nickname Hichkas – meaning “nobody” – and his conventional dress and black beard make him look more like a religious zealot than a counter-cultural icon...

But the 22-year-old singer has been forced to keep a low profile after the Islamic government launched an official campaign against rap music at the end of last year. Some members of his band spent a few days in jail last May and have received official warnings to stop their “decadent” music...

In one song called “The Law”, to the accompaniment of police sirens, he says: “It’s tough on the street ... The weak die, the strong remain aloof ... Open your eyes and let me explain the law ... We live in a police state where the constitution is trampled upon. Let me shout that I’m a victim of this jungle! ... Don’t handcuff me!”

"Don't handcuff me!" could be the "Don't tase me, 'bro!" of the Iranian struggle for hip-hop liberty.

Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies Ranks Media Freedom by Country

Interesting results:

Qatar ranks third in a press freedom report on the Arab region released yesterday by the Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS). Mauritania and Kuwait topped the list of 18 Arab countries. Syria, Saudi Arabia and Libya occupy the lowest ranks.

Supervised by Yahia Shukkier, a journalist and prominent press freedom activist, the report denounces a setback in the level of media freedom in the region with the recent endorsement by Arab information ministers of a new charter controlling the contents of media broadcasters...

The report shows Arab countries have failed to reach a state of legal and practical compatibility with the international criteria of the freedom of the press and the best democratic practices. It recommends a number of measures, including revoking imprisonment penalties on journalists, amending Arab penal laws, respecting the right of citizens to know and guaranteeing the right of criticism of civil servants, public figures, and parliamentary deputies by the press.

"Arab countries should also abandon the mentality of trusteeship and hacking of websites, and to understand the technological developments in the world," it added.

Click the link above to see the complete rankings.

Three Months in Jail for... Saying the Wrong Thing in a Taxi

Or, as the Jordan Times calls it, lesé majesté:

The State Security Court (SSC) on Tuesday sentenced a French national to three months in prison after convicting him of lesé majesté. The defendant, identified as Muntaser S., who holds dual nationality, yesterday admitted in court that he was guilty of the charge.

Based on his plea, the SSC sentenced him to one year in prison, but immediately reduced the sentence to three months “to give him a second chance in life because he was a foreign national who lived away from his home“. The defendant was released after substituting the court sentence with a fine, a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The court said the defendant, who also holds Palestinian nationality and works as a math teacher at a French university, was visiting Jordan at the time of the offence. The court said the defendant insulted His Majesty King Abdullah and the country while riding in a taxi from his hotel to a currency exchange outlet on January 29.

Algeria: Two El Watan Journalists Sent to Slammer

"The use of the judiciary to settle political scores and to  intimidate journalists:"

The appeal court in Jijel, nearly 224 miles (360 kilometers) east of Algiers, upheld the convictions of Omar Belhouchet, editor of El Watan, and columnist Chawki Amari. Both were convicted of defaming and insulting the governor of Jijel. The court also upheld a 1 million Algerian dinar ($15,000) fine...

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the governor of  Jijel after El Watan published a column by Amari in December 2006 in which he accused the governor of using public funds to buy a car for his mistress, said the paper’s lawyer. Belhouchet and Amari were prosecuted for defamation and insulting comment. They were sentenced on December 24, 2006, to three-month jail terms and fined 1 million Algerian dinars (US$15,000) by a misdemeanor court in Jijel.

The two journalists, who had not been informed about the prosecution and court hearing, appealed the verdict. They were granted a retrial on May 27, 2007, and had their sentences reduced to two months.

Yeah, it might be nice if the Algerian authorities at least condescended to let journalists know when their show trial is going to be held. Then again, if the whole exercise is a farce anyway, why even bother showing up?

UAE Blocked Facebook?

So says Casual PR. While the ban, if any, is likely not still in effect, it's yet another illustration of how dictatorships are struggling to come up with the right formula to tame the net.

The Satellite TV Code

The Club of Dictators has issued a nice Orwellian joint policy statement:

During their meeting in Cairo on February 12, Arab ministers of information adopted “Principles for Organizing Satellite Broadcast and Television Transmission and Reception in the Arab Region.” The document, introduced by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, calls on the regulatory bodies in Arab League member states to ensure that satellite channels broadcasting from their jurisdictions do not “negatively affect social peace, national unity, public order, and public morals” or “defame leaders, or national and religious symbols [of other Arab states].” Only Qatar and Lebanon publicly opposed the document and its proposed restrictions.

Female Journalists under the Gun in Tehran

The body-count of shuttered publications and detained journalists continues to mount:

Iranian authorities' decision to shut down an influential women's magazine for "damaging society" and painting a gloomy picture of life in Iran has sparked criticism at home and in the West.

The closure is notable in that the monthly, "Zanan," is widely regarded as a moderate magazine that cautiously avoids politics and focuses exclusively on women's issues. That strategy had allowed it to survive the political pressure and crackdowns that had led many other publications in Iran to be shuttered by authorities.

Iran's Commission for Press Authorization and Surveillance revoked "Zanan's" license on January 28, saying the magazine offers "a somber picture of the Islamic republic" that "compromises its readers' mental health" by "publishing morally questionable information."

...The "Zanan" closure was followed by a court summons for female journalist Jila Bani Yaghoub on January 23. The daily "Sarmayeh" reporter is being prosecuted for reporting from a women's demonstration in March 2007, when she was arrested and held for three days. Bani Yaghoub was also charged with "activity against national security."

Female Internet journalists Maryam Hosseinkhah and Jelveh Javaheri were sent in November-December to Tehran's Evin prison on similar charges. They were released weeks later when their relatives posted considerable bail.

Come to think of it, there are tons of magazines in circulation that "compromise" the "mental health" of their readers (US Weekly, anyone?). But Zanan rises above tabloid tawdriness and actually offers thoughtful apolitical insight. But a frank discussion of women's rights in Iran - "a sombre picture" indeed - is evidently "morally questionable," at least to the guardians of the glorious revolution.