Hundreds of websites are about to be blocked in Jordan, as the government made claims that they were not properly registered under the country’s Press and Publications Law. Last Sunday, The Jordanian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) ordered local Internet providers to block all websites that lacked licenses. Activists began to distribute lists of alternative internet servers, as...

On Friday, September 7, 2012, Jordanian activists held demonstrations in cities across the nation calling for the monarchy to step down and protesting the rising cost of living.   A video of the demonstration in Tafilah shows protesters holding banners ridiculing the monarchy. One banner stated: “It was Rania’s [Queen of Jordan] birthday, her gift was a private jet, now they raised...

On July 13, 2010, formerly imprisoned Egyptian democracy activist, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, wrote:   "A small group of activists in the Middle East have attacked CyberDissidents.org because some of its members are Israeli.  I serve as an advisory board member to this marvelous organization and I am saddened by the attacks on it.  CyberDissidents.org promotes freedom of...

BAHRAIN King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa announced on March 20, 2012, that “significant progress” has been made in implementing democratic reforms demanded by protesters during the Bahraini uprising last year, though the Kingdom’s opposition parties doubt that the future holds justice for the thousand-plus protesters who were imprisoned over the course of the past year. Prior to the...

Jordanian journalists gathered outside the Jordanian Press Association headquarters to plan legal action against the police who took part in the brutal assault on journalists on Friday. People were greatly angered by the targeting of journalists by police members. Over 400 people protested outside of Prime Minister Maaruf Bahkit’s office on Saturday, demanding that he be brought to trial....