http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/headlines.cgi?q=3&s=25 en http://www.cyberdissidents.org/images/logo.jpg http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/headlines.cgi?q=3&s=25 http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1254&q=3&s=25 Fri, 10 May 2013 08:31:08 +0500 The president of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, Fozan Al Harbi, https://twitter.com/fowzanm  was summoned today by Riyad?s Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution. Al Harbi was questioned, and will have to endure an official investigation on Saturday May 11th. Fozan is one of Saudi?s preeminent human rights defenders, helping political prisoners and their families recognize their rights. Activists in Saudi Arabia believe that their government is targeting Fozan as a part...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1253&q=3&s=25 Thu, 09 May 2013 08:51:05 +0500 Cyberdissidents.org Blogger Board Member Maikel Nabil writes "If you?re an atheist, then you?re lucky you aren?t in Bangladesh this week. Last Sunday, violence exploded in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, leaving at least 30 people dead. The violence was organized by a coalition of Islamic groups calling themselves ?Hefazat-e Islam,? which means in Arabic ?Protectors of Islam.? Islamists took the streets chanting ?Hang Atheists,? aiming to abolish the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1252&q=3&s=25 Thu, 02 May 2013 12:04:27 +0500 According to an article in FreeArabs.com, Imad Eddin Habib, a 22 year old Moroccan Atheist Activist, is wanted by Moroccan police for questioning. The article descibes his recently created facebook group "Council of Ex-Muslims in Morocco," an Atheist activist group that has gained notoriety in the country. Habib was recently forced underground because of this, something Cyberdissidents.org Blogger Board member Kacem El Ghazali knows all too well. El Ghazali was...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1251&q=3&s=25 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:57:55 +0500 Cyberdissidents.org co-founder Nir Boms wrote for the Wall Street Journal on the continuing conflict in Syria: "They come in every day now, the body counts from Syria, consistent and painful: 141, 201, 152, 81 (a lucky day, that was). This past Sunday, 566 bodies were found, 483 of them in Damascus and its suburbs alone, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activist groups. Twenty-three bodies were found in Aleppo, 21 in Idlib, 15 in Homs, 12 in...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1249&q=3&s=25 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:58:23 +0500   Saudi authorities continue to hint at a willingness to restrict or even ban the social media site so many activists rely on. Saudi Arabia?s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Alsheikh, said on March 23rd that twitter has become ?a gathering place for every clown and corrupter who post tweets that are illegitimate, false and wrong.? His remarks are part of a string of statements that Saudi authorities have made criticizing the social networking site and its users and may point to future action...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1248&q=3&s=25 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:57:09 +0500 A Saudi activist launched a campaign on Twitter to release three Saudi political prisoners, Turki Al Hamad, Hamza Al Khashgri, and Raef Badawi. The activists used the hashtags #??????_????_????? , #??????_????_?????? , #?????? _????_???? translated as ?Release Turki Al Hamad, Hamza Kashgari and Raef Al Badawi.? Saudi writer and intellectual, Turki Al Hamad, was arrested on charges of apostasy in December 2012, after posting controversial tweets that provoked religious extremists in his country....]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1247&q=3&s=25 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:48:24 +0500 From Movements.org: Around the world today, human rights activists and authoritarian regimes are locked in a PR battle for your hearts and minds. The battleground? Twitter. Recently, a new hashtag has emerged in Egypt that roughly translates to "#tweet_like_an_egg." It's an attempt to fire back at Muslim Brotherhood tweeters who are trolling the activists. Confused? That seems to be the point. Here?s what?s going on:   Popular protest movements across the Middle East have used twitter...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1246&q=3&s=25 Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:16:53 +0500 It?s known as the ?hair crackdown,?  and is the latest campaign in stifling people?s freedom of expression in Gaza. As many as two dozen young men donning long locks or wearing gel in their hair have been targeted in recent weeks en masse. Hamas police are forcing the young men out of their cars and shaving their hair, and in some extreme cases, are beating them as well. Hamas officials have played down the campaign. Gaza deputy prime minister Ziad al-Zaza said the head-shaving ?was a very...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1239&q=3&s=25 Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:41:44 +0500 Saudi Bahia Sulaiman Al Rashoodi has been sentenced to four months in prison for calling for the release of her father, Sulaiman al Rashoodi, who has been detained since 2011. Former judge and president of the Saudi Association of Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), the 76-year old Sulaiman, was most recently detained in 2007 and later convicted in 2011 for attempting to establish a human rights organization in Jeddah. As a vocal activist, Rashoodi is no stranger to being detained for his...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1224&q=3&s=25 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:59:35 +0500 Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent Iranian human rights defender representing Iranian opposition activists and politicians, is serving a six-year sentence in an Iranian prison and is banned from practicing law for ten years. She is accused of allegedly spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security, and is considered a serious threat to the Iranian authorities, because she defends the right to freedom of speech and expression. As a cause of this, she has been separated from her...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1210&q=3&s=25 Tue, 13 Nov 2012 10:58:50 +0500 On Tuesday, November 6, the Interior Ministry of Bahrain issued an order that stripped 31 Shiite Bahraini activists of their citizenship.  Activists have spoken out against this order via twitter: Mohamad Al Jaafri tweeted:         "To take the citizenship from 31 Bahrainis, before that taking it from a UAE citizen?! Are we living in a state that issues citizenship according to our adoration of the ruler, and not our loyalty to the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1205&q=3&s=25 Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:31:51 +0500 Eight Iranian female political prisoners halted their hunger strike after a week protesting sudden violent searches by prison guards. The prisoners started the strike after female guards at Evin prison in northern Tehran carried out unannounced inspections that included body searches, beatings and verbal insults. Cyber activists have been reacting to this news by creating slideshows like the one shown below to highlight the activists and their various backgrounds:                    ...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1204&q=3&s=25 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:17:04 +0500 When the dignity of a citizen collapses while he lives in his own country, then the whole of humanity collapses. For me, it collapsed twice. The First Time Wednesday, January 15, 2012: A patrol of state security personnel broke the main gate of my building and stormed into my family?s apartment. They threatened my family while they were sleeping in their beds, and began to search the house without any warning. When my mother asked them to identify themselves and present a warrant, they tied her...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1200&q=3&s=25 Fri, 19 Oct 2012 08:54:48 +0500 The following article first appeared on ForeignPolicy.com; to access it click here. On October 7, 2012, the office of the Egyptian General Prosecutor decided to start an official investigation accusing me of "blasphemy" -- or, as they call it, "insulting Islam." My crime was expressing my atheist beliefs on my Twitter account. The Egyptian authorities also arrested my friend Alber Saber on similar charges. He remains in jail to this day. Egypt has signed...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1197&q=3&s=25 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:51:37 +0500 Yosra Mohamad, a Kuwaiti feminist news anchor on a program called Al Samim (In Depth), is being harassed by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Media for airing a recent episode that investigates the prostitution of minors.  This episode, which the Ministry of Media considered to be ?indecent,? prompted them to sue Yosra for ?assaulting public sentiment.? The episode focused on an investigative report which provided factual examples of the exploitation of young girls by grown men in Kuwait. Despite...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1196&q=3&s=25 Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:12:44 +0500 On October 9, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi released a statement pardoning all those who were arrested since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution in February 2011.  As a former political prisoner who spent four years in jail under Hosni Mubarak, I had two contradicting feelings.  First, I was thrilled that civilians who spent months in prison following military trials that lacked justice and legitimacy would finally be freed.  But I also was extremely worried.   My...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1195&q=3&s=25 Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:20:41 +0500 The day I created my e-blog on the net, I didn?t know I would sink in a borderless sea, a sea with no shores, no ports to be found? only waves, treasures and deeply sunk secrets. I didn?t realize then I would enter a true war, using totally different weapons, not less dangerous than the ones used by soldiers in -deadly and all covered by blood- battle fields, neither knew I that because of my writings, I?ll be persecuted, threatened to death, expelled from school, and charged in court, then...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1194&q=3&s=25 Fri, 05 Oct 2012 07:34:27 +0500 The following article first appeared on The Wall Street Journal. To access, click HERE. On Sunday, the Hirschhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., will open the first major American exhibition of art by Ai Weiwei, one of China's most famous dissidents. Among its works: an approximately 3-by-6-foot magnetic-resonance image of his brain bleeding from a police beating in 2009. Washington diplomats, journalists and art lovers will attend the exhibit before it moves to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1193&q=3&s=25 Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:53:38 +0500 The North African country has locked up musicians deemed to be critical of the state. Now one jailed rapper?s entourage is fighting against time to get his message out and rally the country?s floundering democracy movement.? On Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death, the forthcoming album from dissident Moroccan rapper El Haqed "whose name means ?the Enraged? "one track stands out amongst the ambient tones and deceptively lighthearted chimes. Called ?El Habs,? or ?Prison,? the song features...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1192&q=3&s=25 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:52:38 +0500 Iranian authorities have restored access to Gmail a week after blocking Google's popular email service. The Islamic Republic blocked Gmail last week in response to video clips posted on YouTube of an anti-Islam film that set off deadly protests across the Muslim world -- a ban that sparked a slew of complaints from Internet users and officials in Iran. Iran has an estimated 32 million Internet users out of a total population of around 75 million. On Monday, Mohammad Reza Aghamiri, a member of...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1191&q=3&s=25 Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:53:06 +0500 Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York for the annual UN General Assembly; however, this visit will be his last.   This is the final year of his two term presidency, but he has shocked many by suggesting otherwise. Recently, an Iranian national TV reporter pointed out that, ?This is your last year in office;? to which Ahmadinejad responded: ?Says who? People chose me and I?ll be in office as long as they want me to be.? As scary a thought as this may be, as it stands, this...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1189&q=3&s=25 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:39:48 +0500   The following post was taken from the #FreeAlber Facebook page:   #FreeAlber Alber's mother said that he's well educated, cultured and a political activist. He participated in the revolution. He's a personal friend of all the political forces and all his friends are Muslims. When he went to Tahrir square, she used to tell him, "I know that you are coming back and god will protect you". Despite that he was wounded many times in Tahrir square, he didn't feel despair for...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1188&q=3&s=25 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:37:34 +0500 As Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in New York for his last official visit to the United Nations, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has released a short video demonstrating and highlighting systematic cover-ups accompanying the marked rise in human rights violations over the eight years of his presidency. ?Every time Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes to New York, the human rights community hopes that the international community will hold him accountable for the human...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1182&q=3&s=25 Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:16:53 +0500 Canada has closed its embassy in Iran and expelled the remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada, according to a statement released by Foreign Minister John Baird. The announcement was met with shock among both Iranian and Canadian citizens. Barbara Slavin, the Washington Correspondent for Al-Monitor, a Middle East-focused reporting service, tweeted: ?explain how making it more difficult for Iranians to travel to Canada and for Canadian-Iranians to go to Iran helps solve the nuke issue?? Iranian...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1177&q=3&s=25 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 08:12:35 +0500 CyberDissidents.org would like to encourage our audience interested in Iran and the Middle East to participate in CUNY BA?s Conference on October 17th, 2012. CUNY Baccalaureate is organizing a conference on the Political Future of Iran. We invited faculty, commentators, journalists and students with first-hand experience on Iran. Our guests will share their expertise to further the understanding of current events in the country. We will attempt to cover a broad range of issues concerning modern...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1176&q=3&s=25 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:01:39 +0500 The following excerpt was taken from MECN.org. For many months, a young Syrian Christian woman, just 20 years of age, has been speaking candidly about the situation in her country and her personal experience opposing the government of Syria as a democracy activist. As early as March 2011, when anti-government activity was hardly measurable and could hardly be called a protest movement let alone a popular revolution, a student named Hadeel Kouky (also written Kouki; Arabic: ???? ????) was...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1171&q=3&s=25 Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:24:11 +0500 ,]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1165&q=3&s=25 Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:00:49 +0500 Just before 5PM local time on August 11, 2012, two large earthquakes with respective magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.3 hit the northeastern region of Iran within eleven minutes, causing a continuous string of aftershocks and over 300 deaths. In response to the poor coverage of the tragedy by Iranian State-sponsored television, citizens and lawmakers swiftly organized search-and-rescue groups via Facebook. The speed of this cyber campaign fostered an effective citizen-based recovery effort, mobilizing...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1163&q=3&s=25 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:42:19 +0500 The following article first appeared on The New York Times. To access, click HERE.   Thirty-six universities in Iran have banned women from 77 fields of study.   The ban, which was first reported Aug. 6 by Iran?s semiofficial Mehr News Agency, came as the results of university entrance exams for the coming academic year were being announced. The restrictions were not noted in previously distributed university leaflets but will affect students for the coming year. Subjects now open only to...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1156&q=3&s=25 Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:46:25 +0500 The following article first appeared on Huffington Post. To access, click HERE. During the women's Olympic gymnastic competition on July 29, Lynn and Rickey Raisman were proud to watch their daughter Aly compete in the arena. Their nervousness and joy in their daughter's achievements was a familiar scene for many parents, but it is only a dream for others around the world -- particularly in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although the Iranian government has permitted some women's teams to...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1149&q=3&s=25 Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:21:55 +0500 The following was posted on July 22, 2012 By The Sandmonkey.  To view the original click here. Going back to read Charles Dickens? masterpiece on the French revolution ?A Tale of Two Cities? messes with my head, specifically due to how relevant it is to what we went through for the past 18 months, and continue to go through. All of this truly has happened before, and will happen again, and no one will learn from anything. I am leaving you with a few quotes, and as always, just let me know...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1148&q=3&s=25 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:02:07 +0500 The following article first appeared on The Huffington Post. To access to the original, click HERE. As the 1979 revolution was reaching a climax, for those who were euphoric over its possible triumph, few had imagined worrying about Ayatollah Khomeini's implementation of compulsory hejab. "Bringing down the tyrant!," they chanted. This was the rallying cry from a wide spectrum of Iranian citizens. It is commonly assumed that those involved in the Revolution were a bunch of Islamists...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1146&q=3&s=25 Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:44:35 +0500 The following article first appeared on CNET. To access, click HERE. Iranian officials are hoping to team up with Facebook in an effort to remove Pages and Groups that feature pornography or are soliciting prostitution. More broadly, the Iranian police force has announced plans to cleanse the Internet of content its country deems inappropriate. The new tidbit comes from the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA (via the Associated Press), which interviewed Commander Kamal Hadianfar, the head...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1142&q=3&s=25 Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:22:34 +0500 The following was taken from Rantings of a Sandmonkey on July 18, 2012. Morsy, the Human Being Originally Published in the Daily News Egypt During the first and second round of the presidential elections I always had a problem with regarding President Mohamed Morsy as a real human being with real dreams, real fears and ambitions. I always viewed him as something unreal and virtual, a construct representing the Muslim Brotherhood. It naturally didn?t help that he was an alternate...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1141&q=3&s=25 Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:10:27 +0500 A deadly attack on Wednesday, July 18, delivered the harshest blow yet to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, bringing the bloodshed into his inner circle. Three top officials were killed and a number of others were wounded in an explosion at a national security building in Damascus, state TV reported. Iranian journalist Borzou Daragahi tweeted:   #Syria: Opposition activist says blast was targeting Bashar, injured Maher, carried out by commissioned officer bit.ly/NZGrlD Borzou Daragahi...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1139&q=3&s=25 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:18:20 +0500 The following article first appeared on International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. To access, click HERE. Iranian officials should cease spreading lies and disinformation about the existence of political prisoners as they are simultaneously imprisoning hundreds for exercising their legal rights, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. The Judiciary should also immediately release all political prisoners and stop imprisoning individuals for expressing their...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1138&q=3&s=25 Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:04:21 +0500 The following article, first appeared on CNN Ireport. To access, click HERE. Bahman is still in solitary confinement, and my mother says: ?The  weather?s very hot. How can he tolerate that claustrophobic cell in the  basement of Rajai-Shahr prison? A cell without air conditioning or a  cooling system? My mother tells me: ?Write to the officials in  charge of Evin Prison?s Security Justice Office and explain to them that  Bahman is only a journalist and should not be...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1135&q=3&s=25 Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:56:56 +0500 Imprisoned Iranian journalist, Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, was put in solitary confinement in Iran's Rajaii Shahr Prison by government officials. Some believe he is being punished for his resistance. Mana Neyestani, an Iranian cartoonist, presented this picture Bahman:              ]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1134&q=3&s=25 Thu, 05 Jul 2012 10:12:34 +0500 An Iranian court allowed a gang of rapists, responsible for five rapes, to go free. According to Tabnak.ir, the rapists were caught one night in June when a young woman ran into a Pakdasht Police Station, covered in blood, because she had been sexually assaulted. She died later that night in the hospital, but not before identifying the rapists. Police have since uncovered four other rapes that were committed by the same culprits. While they could face execution for these crimes, they?ve been...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1125&q=3&s=25 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:44:10 +0500 The following was taken from The Sandmonkey, to view the original, click here. In my humble opinion, today concludes the end of the first chapter of the Egyptian revolution. I know that other people have it divided into sections in regards to original 18 days, elections, parliament and presidential elections, but I don?t subscribe to that. We went into the revolution with the same thinking that people like me had back in 2005: we must remove Mubarak, stop his son from inheriting us, and...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1124&q=3&s=25 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:01:05 +0500 An Iranian blogger, Masoud, recently wrote a blog post highlighting the pressure Islamic law puts on women in Iranian universities. ?A friend of mine studies at one of Iran?s largest universities? Masoud wrote.  ?I called her yesterday and she wasn?t very happy. Apparently, one of the university?s morality officials summoned her and banned her from taking her finals as a punishment for wearing nail polish in the university.?   ?Because she only had one semester left before graduation,...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1103&q=3&s=25 Thu, 24 May 2012 09:20:54 +0500 Marzieh Rasouli, an Iranian journalist who was released from Evin prison recently, wrote the following post on her blog: ?My body wouldn?t cooperate with me [in solitary confinement]. I?ve never been alone for this long and as a result, I ended up focusing on my body and its pains. My back, feet, and hips hurt if I sat down for too long, but there was only enough space to take three steps if I?d walked. ?I was angry at my body for not understanding that sitting was the only thing one can do in...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1085&q=3&s=25 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:18:09 +0500 Fatemeh Shams, an Iranian poet and activist in Oxford, wrote recently on her blog: ?Wherever I go these days, regardless of the situation (if I?m giving a lecture or at a party), as soon as people know I?m Iranian, they ask: ?Do you think Iran will be attacked this year?? My answer is, ?I hope not,? while I mull over the fact that my nationality is now tied with prospects of war. I also think of Iranians who were abroad during the Iran-Iraq War [1980-1988]. How did it feel for them to wake up...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=1050&q=3&s=25 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:13:53 +0500 A Separation is an Iranian movie that depicts a common dilemma among Iranian families to emigrates or stay in Iran. The movie, written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, received the Oscar for The Best International Film,  the Golden Bear for Best Film, and the Silver Bear for both Best Actress and Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival. It has received rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. Simin (Leila Hatami) wishes to emigrate...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=987&q=3&s=25 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:21:31 +0500 On December 8th, a state-run television channel in Iran triumphantly showed off the US drone that Iran claims to have captured. Chinese and Russian experts immediately asked Iran for access to inspect the drone. Iran?s capture of such a high technology aircraft quickly became a hot topic in the media, but Iranian reactions to this event have differed on social media outlets. Iranians have been making jokes about the regime?s reaction to the drone. Bahman, an Internet user, said on the Mamlekate...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=978&q=3&s=25 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:28:33 +0500 The following article first appeared in The Wall Street Journal. To access it, please click HERE. If you want a good laugh, read the holiday card sent out by Saudi Ambassador to the United States and public relations genius Adel al-Jubeir. Citing a Quranic verse, he writes "Behold, the angels said: 'O Mary, God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=974&q=3&s=25 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:20:57 +0500 To view the original blog posted below, click here. 12/20/2011 Prison had never changed an idea... Subduing an idea had never delayed tomorrow. Militarists sentenced me last Wednesday to 2 years in prison (as if I?ll live all that period on a hunger strike)? They also fined me with 200 Egyptian pounds, I won?t pay it off because I don?t recognize this ruling from the first place and I won?t contribute in funding the occupying army of Tantawi? They also fined me with 300 Egyptian...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=955&q=3&s=25 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:24:52 +0500 Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi was arrested yesterday while trying to leave Syria via the Jordanian border. Razan was on her way to a conference in Amman about defending the freedom of the media in the Arab World when she was detained. Razan has a master?s degree in comparative literature from the University of Balamand in Lebanon, and she is the author of http://razanghazzawi.com/ where she defends freedom of expression. Additionally, she has been one of the few Arabic activists who advocates...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=917&q=3&s=25 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:32:24 +0500 Former Iranian dissident and member of CyberDissidents.org?s board, Ahmad Batebi wrote the following on his Facebook page: ?Sources from Iran say that 'the greens? [the Green Movement?s supporters] abstained from participating in the census. This is a new way to protest that creates a serious problem for the government because they didn?t expect it. Accordingly, the people replied to the census officers: ?When the regime doesn?t respect my vote, why does it bother to know about my existence?!??]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=918&q=3&s=25 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:20:03 +0500 The failure of the 1979 Iranian revolution to bring greater freedom and equality is an important reason Iranians fear revolting again. Mohamad Zohrabi, an Iranian youth, alludes to this fear on his Facebook page. ?Dear Dictator, please don?t force us to revolt! Not because of your future but also for our future,? he writes.]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=904&q=3&s=25 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:15:25 +0500 Iranian journalist, Masih Alinejad, posted the following on her blog and Facebook account ?Take a look at this picture. His name is Artin, and he suffers from human rights abuses in Iran in silence. If I start censoring his picture and voice in order to protect children?s rights, I would do more damage than if I did not share his story at all. Artin is two years-old and the son of two Bahai who are currently imprisoned for trying to teach in Iran?s Bahai Institute, a school that enrolls young...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=890&q=3&s=25 Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:39:15 +0500 Despite the ousting of Mubarak, tyranny continues to plague the Egyptian people. On Sunday October 9th, approximately 26 Egyptian Coptic Christian protesters were killed by the Egyptian army. The demonstration took place in Maspero, which is located in downtown Cairo.  Demonstrators called for equal rights in Egypt and condemned the recent attack on a church in Aswan.  Many protesters were struck down by military vehicles and others were shot by the Egyption army. Reports vary on the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=886&q=3&s=25 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:59:55 +0500 Iranian officials lashed Peyman Aref, a law student in Tehran University and students? rights activist. Aref was lashed 74 times yesterday, before his release from Evin prison, where he spent the past year. The lashing occurred in front of his wife, who went to welcome her husband from prison. According to the judge, this was supposed to be a symbolic lashing.  The lash was not supposed to injure the prisoner, but intended instead to embarrass him.  This was not the case....]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=874&q=3&s=25 Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:03:00 +0500 In the years following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran saw one of the largest influxes of emigrants in the world. While many Iranians fled the country to escape the Revolution, war with Iraq, as well as pervasive political turmoil, corruption, and poverty, many returned to their homeland at the invitation of former President Mohammad Khatami. Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?s ascension to the presidency"and particularly after his notoriously contested second electoral ?victory? the number...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=864&q=3&s=25 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:50:36 +0500 Ali-Reza Mola Soltani was publicly hanged in the city on September 21th of Karaj for the murder of popular athlete Rouhollah Dadashi in July. He was 17 years old. Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and other human rights activists have condemned the execution of the Iranian minor: "Unfortunately, Iran has the highest rate of execution of persons under the age of 18 in the world; this is a disgrace to its establishment," Ebadi told Free Radio Europe. According to FRE, an Iranian...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=860&q=3&s=25 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:30:27 +0500 On Sunday, September 25th, the Right2Dignity sent the following press release.   Yesterday, on the 24th of September 2011, The Initiative has received unfortunate news about Mrs. Najlaa Al Hariri, who was called upon by the Authority of Prosecutors Committee. Mrs. Al Hariri has recently appeared on MBC TV channel where she was interviewed about the women driving issue in Saudi Arabia, the programme has shown video clips of her driving her car in the streets of Jeddah. We believe this is...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=855&q=3&s=25 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:13:39 +0500 Dear friends everywhere, Thank you for your continued efforts for my freedom and for our country freedom. Till now, I didn?t eat or taste any food for 28 days.  In my point of view, this is not a heroic act, but it?s the only thing I can do from my confinement to resist military rule. In 9th September I made a thirst strike to support your effort at Tahrir Square, the prison administration refused to register that thirst strike. I wish I could be there with you, to work together...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=846&q=3&s=25 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:13:21 +0500 ?The slogan ?I only love Iran, Not Gaza, Not Lebanon? that we shouted at a protest on 2009 Quds Day didn?t mean much to me until I came to Lebanon. I?m stunned by how much beautiful nature there is here. The land is surrounded by mountains and the sea. I also visited a city full of skyscrapers and factories. I saw people driving luxury cars that even the richest people in Iran can?t buy - here in Lebanon, people don?t even pay their installment for first year and everyone owns two cars! I...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=843&q=3&s=25 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:10:19 +0500 Formerly imprisoned blogger, Kareem Amer, has put out a passionate plea about his friend Maikel Nabil Sanad who is currently in Egyptian prison for insulting the military.  Those concerned about Egypt's future should begin by rallying for the immediate release of this young blogger.  Freedom of expression is not a crime.  Transcript of video message: For the past two weeks, Maikel Nabil, held in prison for expressing his opinion, has been on a water, food, and medicine...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=839&q=3&s=25 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:04:29 +0500 Egypt Blogger Maikel Nabil began a thirst strike on Tuesday to protest the proceedings of his trial and his arrest for writing a blog post critical of the Egyptian military. His life is in extreme danger, as he wrote that his strike will continue until freedom or death. Iran The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is in ?grave danger of physical and psychological harm,? as he has been in complete isolation for the past 42 days....]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=837&q=3&s=25 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:27:14 +0500   Yesterday, cyber activists in Syria circulated a video aired by Mohamed Adnan al Bakour, the first attorney in Hama to announce his resignation. In the video, al Bakour claims that he is leaving for the following reasons: 1. Killings of more than 72 prisoners, including political activists and protesters, and burying them in mass graves in Hama on July 31st. 2. Knowing that security forces have killed over 420 people who were then buried in a local public park. Later, security asked al Bakour...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=836&q=3&s=25 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:18:27 +0500 Famous Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer, who spent time in jail for criticizing Islam and ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak, posted two pictures of himself to document his radical transformation from a dedicated Salafi to one of the most liberal voices in Egypt. Amer explains the significance of the pictures: ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? : ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ... ???????? .. ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????????????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ???...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=835&q=3&s=25 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:50:02 +0500 Bahrainis have come together after Eid Al Fitr, marching in streets and calling for the ousting of the ruling regime of Bahrain. Not surprisingly, the authorities responded against the demonstrations with violence. A 14 year old boy, Ali Jawad Ahmad al Shaikh, was killed after a tear gas canister hit him in the head. Upon hearing about Jawad?s death, protesters clashed with the police. Bahrainis and their supporters also took to Twitter to express their grievances and frustration with the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=832&q=3&s=25 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 07:33:35 +0500 Syria?s best-known cartoonist, Ali Farzat was driving home at around 5am through Ummayad Square in Damascus on Thursday when masked pro-regime Shabiha militiamen seized him. He was beaten up badly and thrown out of the vehicle. Bozorgmehr Hosseinpour is an Iranian cartoonist and art director who has been active since 1990. He drew this cartoon (below) to support Ali Farzat which says: ?Wake up, friend! You haven?t finish drawing me yet.?                                       Another Iranian...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=831&q=3&s=25 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 07:08:17 +0500 A series of massive protests have taken place in Orumieh, in northwestern Iran, since August 28. People in Tabriz have followed with their own demonstrations. The unrest is a result of the parliament?s recent decision refusing to allocate money to save Orumieh Lake. Orumieh is the world?s third-largest salt water lake that has dryied up in recent years, pushing many species to the brink of extension. In response to the unrest, authorities sent heavy security to patrol the town. The protests...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=828&q=3&s=25 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:42:22 +0500 Libya Rebel troops are inching closer to capturing Moammar Gaddafi and his key officials, including his son Seif al Islam. Earlier in the week, rumors were spread through social media that al Islam had been captured, creating confusion. However, many Twitter users demanded better proof:  acarvin Andy Carvin: Video, photos, anything will do. Just saying it won't make it true. RT @Libya_United: Saif Captured ... We need a Video ...21 Aug Syria The Arab League announced they will be holding...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=825&q=3&s=25 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 07:26:52 +0500 The following first appeared on MidEast Youth. To Access the original, click here.  Maikel Nabil has begun today a hunger strike in his cell in Marg Prison, north-east Cairo. Maikel Nabil Sanad, an Egyptian blogger, and both MEYEnglish and MEYArabic member, was arrested on the night of Monday 28th March 2011 from his home in north Cairo, by the military police, for allegedly defaming the armed forces. Thirteen days later, and after a Kafkaesque military trial...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=824&q=3&s=25 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:54:02 +0500 The following first appeared on Movements.org. To access the original, click here. Using Facebook, YouTube, and QR Codes the forces behind MidEast Youth have launched an interactive campaign in response to the Iranian governments practice of preventing different groups of people (Baha'i, activists, feminists, human rights defenders, etc) from receiving a higher education. Read the full case study here.]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=823&q=3&s=25 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:48:17 +0500 Iranians reacted with joy to Gaddafi?s effective demise today.  Several Iranian online activists wrote notes about  ??how happy Libyans should be? and that ?the dictator?s time will soon be up.? From a plethora of comments on Facebook, blogs and Twitters, two stood out: ?It feels good to wake up and see that another dictator has gone to hell. It is finally becoming possible to think that a dictator?s life can end overnight. Only the dictators themselves don?t realize this yet!? wrote...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=822&q=3&s=25 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:21:04 +0500 ]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=821&q=3&s=25 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:29:39 +0500 According to some reports, the Libyan rebel flag is now flying in Martyr?s Square in Tripoli.   After six months of civil war between  the rebels and pro-Qaddafi forces, it seems that the Libyan dictator has finally lost control of his stronghold. The Libyan Youth Movement posted a YouTube clip on its Twitter feed showing the rebel takeover of Tripoli and the celebrations that ensued. Following the news, several countries officially recognized the rebel National Transitional Council?s...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=819&q=3&s=25 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:02:19 +0500 Tens of thousands of Indians have poured onto streets across the country in support of the jailed activist Anna Hazare. Hazare, 74, is a social activist who is known for his role in the anti-corruption movement. Mahboube Hosainzadeh is one of many Iranian journalists who moved to India after being arrested. Hosainzadeh, who also took part in the feminist movement in Iran, is now continuing her studies in India. Regarding the events currently taking place in India, she posted the following on...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=818&q=3&s=25 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:45:03 +0500 Syria President Barack Obama and many other world leaders have asked Syria?s Bashar Assad to step down, but the Syrian dictator is continuing his relentless crackdown.  The group Local Coordination Committees puts the death toll at over 2,500 since the start of the uprising, the vast majority being civilians. As the protests continue to spread, Syria Free Press posted an alarming update: ??? ??? || ???? || ???? || ??? ???????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ??????? ? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=817&q=3&s=25 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:55:02 +0500 Sexual harassment is unfortunately all too prevalent in Iran. Some experts believe that is the result of separating men and women in public places.  An anonymous writer recently penned a short essay that describes the pain that such harassment can cause for women. Nazli Araghi published the essay on her Facebook page. Below is a translation of the post. ?I?m in a taxi. The passenger next to me constantly leans on me and keeps looking for something in his pocket. I press myself to the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=816&q=3&s=25 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:47:15 +0500 The Iranian police has once again started to confiscate television satellites from citizens. This is common practice, as they are banned in the country, but it has become more difficult for police to enforce the ban as the number of dishes has increased drastically in recent years. This year, the police took a new approach to confiscating satellites - they barged in people?s homes and rappelled down the walls to dismantle the units. Many foreign Persian-language channels, such as BBC Persian...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=815&q=3&s=25 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:42:53 +0500 In this disturbing video, first uploaded on Facebook, police in Tehran arrest a woman whose dress they deemed inappropriate. She asked for her handcuffs to be removed, a request that the policemen ignored and responded by stuffing her into their car.  ]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=813&q=3&s=25 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:51:07 +0500 Muslims commemorate the month of Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset.   People who do not fast usually do not eat in public in Islamic countries out of respect for those who do.  Some countries, like Iran, do not explicitly prohibit non-Muslims from eating in public.  Muslims are also permitted to break the fast if they are travelling, breastfeeding, or ill. Iranian blogger Vorujak witnessed a disturbing event and shared it on his blog: ?I?m coming back from Seye-Shohada...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=810&q=3&s=25 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:04:07 +0500 The Syrian government continues to crack down on protests in Lattakia. Witnesses claim that at least 35 people have been killed since the assault began on Saturday. Sources in the city say that the government has targeted the Sunni areas of this predominantly Shia city, namely the Palestinian refugee neighborhood of al-Ramel. Below are several videos from the besieged city, compiled by the Syrian Revolution Digest. Soldiers and tanks comb through the city: Stores go on a general strike to...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=809&q=3&s=25 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:36:16 +0500 The following is a post from the blog Egyptian Chronicles. To read the original, click here. You probably know Asmaa Mahfouz , famous activist and former was summoned to the military prosecution today to find herself facing charges, dangerous charges for real: Inciting violence against the military and insulting the members of SCAF. These dangerous accusations was based on status on Facebook and twitter and a phone call in TV show. After interrogation Asmaa was bailed out for LE...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=808&q=3&s=25 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:19:24 +0500 The trial of ousted Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak resumed today after a week and a half long hiatus. The big news coming from the trial was not the judge?s decision - postponing the trial until September 5 in order to give lawyers on both sides time to review the documents that were submitted - but that TV cameras were ordered out of the courtroom until the conclusion of the case. The decision was made by presiding judge Ahmed Refaat, who deemed the courtroom unmanageable. Over 150 lawyers...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=807&q=3&s=25 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:23:27 +0500 Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a long history of talking before thinking. Some of his statements, like ?we don?t have homosexuals like in your country,? made people laugh. Other statements, like calling Iranians ?dirt and dust? when they were angry after the 2009 presidential election, made them angry. It looks like his new gaffe has made Iranians (at least those on the web) speechless. Iran?s president spewed vicious diatribe at England?s police for repressing the protesters. ?I...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=806&q=3&s=25 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:54:04 +0500 Yemen As the turmoil in Yemen continues, protesters recently demonstrated against the clashes in Arhab, a town 20 miles north of Sana?a downtown district. Arhab?s local tribe leaders are key negotiators, seeing themselves as mediators between the protesters and Saleh loyalists. Though the clashes resulted in dozens of deaths from both sides, one Twitter user reported that the revolutionaries may be starting to get the upper hand in the fight: @gamalking?????? ???????   ????? . ???? ?????...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=798&q=3&s=25 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:01:13 +0500 Highlighting gender inequalities in Iran, one woman wrote on her Facebook status: ?A girl has been born. Even though she won?t have a comfortable life in our patriarchal society, I am always happy about another woman?s birth. I?m happy that I?m a woman; it is important to fight for our rights, even though the struggle may go on for a long time.?   ?The world?s strongest people aren?t the ones who can lift 250 kilos (550 pounds) at one time. The world?s strongest people are Iranian women because...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=805&q=3&s=25 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:29:36 +0500 Anonymous, a group responsible for hacking numerous government and company websites in recent months, has allegedly declared war on the Egyptian military. In a YouTube video, Anonymous accused the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) of fighting against the April 6 opposition movement.   A robotic voice narrating the video promises to fight SCAF ?as we fought the Mubarak regime.? While one could dismiss the video, which is poorly made and only has about 2,400 views on YouTube, a...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=804&q=3&s=25 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:17:33 +0500 Syrian cyber-dissident and women?s rights activist Hanadi Zahlout was arrested by Syrian security services a week ago. Several sources have confirmed that she was placed in solitary confinement and subjected to severe psychological torture as prison officials brutally beat her friends in front of her. Zahlout was one of the leading Alawite voices in Syria - the religious sect that to which President Bashar Assad and many top army officials belong. Since she was arrested, she has been denied the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=803&q=3&s=25 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:12:18 +0500 A video showing a mosque being destroyed has surfaced on the web. The minaret of mosque, which is named after caliph Uthman ibn Affan, collapses at 2:28. ]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=797&q=3&s=25 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:24:00 +0500 Iranian journalist Amin Bozorgian analyzed the recent arrests of youths playing with water guns in a park and described why he thought the police became so hostile to those involved in this harmless event: ?The regime didn?t like the water gun festival. One could say, the palace heard the sound of laughter. From the regime?s point of view, unwarranted laughter not monitored by the police and the regime is suspicious. It?s no surprise that Tehran?s police call these types of events ?putting the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=796&q=3&s=25 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:23:02 +0500 Iranian netizers were infuriated over the arrests that occurred after a joyous day in Ab-o-Atash Park in Tehran. What made them even angrier were the false confessions that participants were forced to make on state-run TV, claiming that they gathered in the park and played with water pistols deliberately to weaken Islamic values. ?They?ll squeeze your clothes to see if you?ve played with water gun!? wrote Mitra Khalatbari on her Facebook status, alluding to a famous political poem that says,...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=795&q=3&s=25 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:17:59 +0500 Syria?s military has begun an offensive against the northeastern city Deir al-Zour. After hitting Hama, Syrian President Bashar Assad commanded tanks and armored vehicles to roll into Deir al-Zour, in an attempt to control large protests that have taken place in the city over the last few months. The attacks began at dawn on Sunday, with hundreds of tanks moving into the city. Despite growing citizen casualties, peaceful protest groups persist in the city. Syrian blogger Ammar Abdulhamid...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=790&q=3&s=25 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:39:47 +0500 Hosni Mubarak?s trial has gotten attention from millions of people around the world. Though it?s a story closest to Egyptians? hearts, the outcome of the trial will affect even those countries in the region that have not seen major protests in recent months. Like Iran. Though Farsi news agencies such as BBC, VOA, and Radio Farda covered the event in detail, people helped spread the news by posting pictures of former Egyptian president and his children in a cage. Iranian netizens? opinions and...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=791&q=3&s=25 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:42:04 +0500 Yemen Although their efforts have yet to be successful, Yemeni youth continue to demand a democratic government in Sanaa. One Yemeni woman tweeted, ?If anyone is wondering why the #Yemen regime didnt fall..it's because we don't have regime!? Blogger Afrah Nasser reported that Yemeni journalist who was imprisoned and tortured remains in jail. He yelled from his cell, ?they transferred all my journalistic works to accusations. Here in Yemen, the brave and smart journalist who succeeds is...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=789&q=3&s=25 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:19:17 +0500 Syrian President Bashar Assad authorized the creation of new political parties on Thursday, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). While SANA reported that this legislation was ?aimed at enriching political life, creating a new dynamic, and allowing for a change in political power,? the French government slammed Assad for announcing this decree while consciously killing dissenters across the country, calling it a ?provocation.? One Twitter user agreed with this sentiment,...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=788&q=3&s=25 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:14:19 +0500 Deposed President Hosni Mubarak?s trial began Wednesday, along with the trials of his sons, Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, and several high-ranking police officers. Mubarak is accused of conspiring to kill protesters - a charge that may result in the death penalty - as well as profiteering and other civil claims brought forth by families of people killed during the revolution earlier this year. The Mubaraks? trial will resume on August 15. Adly reported back to court on...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=784&q=3&s=25 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:34:08 +0500 The following is a poem from prominent Saudi blogger Khaled Yeslam, initially posted on Al Bilad Daily. To access the original, click here. ?????? .. ????? .. ????????? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ?????? ???????????? ???? ? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ????????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?????...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=783&q=3&s=25 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:30:39 +0500 Blogger Ammar Abdulhamid has compiled another great set of YouTube videos showing the repression of the Syrian regime. Below is an excerpt from yesterday's post; to access the original, click here.  Hama Kafar Zita      Hama City / Alamein Street        Tanks at Al-Sibahee Square        For more, click here. ]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=781&q=3&s=25 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:38:48 +0500 ?I remember when I was a child my parents always told me, ?Whenever you?re lost or alone and afraid on the street, find a policeman fast.? ?Now, my dear son, how can I teach you the same and tell you that you can feel safe with the police when I, myself, am scared to death when I see a policeman? I hope you haven?t heard my sighs of relief whenever I pass by one of them [without being stopped].? - Iranian blog, ?Shazde Arashk? (?Prince Arashk?), a virtual diary about the daily life of the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=780&q=3&s=25 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:22:39 +0500 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh addressed his nation from his hospital bed in Saudi Arabia, where he was recovering from injuries sustained during an assassination attempt in June.    Invoking the holiness of the month, Saleh said, ?On this religious occasion, we reiterate our call to all the forces from across the national political spectrum to resort to dialogue, as it is the only way out of the crisis and the most ideal means to resolve crises, disputes, and disagreements.?...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=775&q=3&s=25 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:13:41 +0500 The following comes from Syrian Revolution Digest blog. To access the original, click here.    The current crackdown throughout Syria is not a simple act of desperation, but a calculated move on part of the Assads that reflects an internal consensus within the upper ranks of key divisions in the army and all security chiefs, and that takes advantage of following factors:   1)       the failure of the U.S. and France to obtain a UNSC resolution,...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=776&q=3&s=25 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:53:09 +0500 Today, the first day of Ramadan, the Egyptian military violently broke up protests in Tahrir Square. People were beaten, arrested and pushed out of the square. Many of those gathered were family members of people killed during this year?s revolution. They gathered in the square to celebrate the first iftar, the breaking of the fast after sunset during Ramadan, together, as one man tweeted: @iyad_elbaghdadi: Families of the martyrs will be breaking their fast at #Tahrir. Others invited to join....]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=774&q=3&s=25 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:06:09 +0500 ?Whenever I reread Mir Hussain [Mousavi?s] speeches, I realise that I have no doubt that if the Green Movement doesn?t obtain victory with him at the top, the fastest and the biggest pestilence will affect this movement - the death of morality and ethics. Mousavi is the last person who fights and communicates with the government ethically. Happy 160th day of resistance, sir!? wrote Sasan Aghai, a notable journalist from Iran on his Facebook wall. ?? ??? ?????? ?? "??????? ?????"...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=772&q=3&s=25 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:32:43 +0500 Egypt Well-known TV host Dina Abdel Rahman was fired by Dream TV for challenging a retired army general on air. Rahman pushed the general for evidence about one of his previous statements and the actions of the military in its current role. The news quickly spread to the blogosphere and a Facebook group was set up to support Rahman; in a few days, the group got over 10,000 ?Likes.? A cartoon was also created showing the general silencing the TV host. Bahrain Bahraini Twitter user Zainab Al...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=771&q=3&s=25 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:04:34 +0500 Though Iranian netizens were initially excited by news that actresses Pegah Ahangarani and Marzieh Vafamehr would be released on bail on Monday, their excitement was short-lived when they found out that the actress? families waited in vain for their daughters? releases. Ahangarani, famous Iranian actress and the daughter of two well-known Iranian directors, was arrested on July 10. Though authorities have not announced the grounds of her arrest, some believe that it has to do with her decision...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=770&q=3&s=25 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:22:18 +0500 Though it is much too early to judge the successes and failures of the Arab Spring, the uprisings did awaken a revolutionary spirit in people long oppressed by dictatorial regimes. Ahmad Humeid, a Jordanian journalist and blogger, hopes to use that rekindled fire to encourage a revolution much less talked about - a design revolution. Humeid?s website Redesign Arabia hopes to achieve just that. In the site?s manifesto, Humeid emphasizes the weakness of Arab culture in the modern world. He...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=769&q=3&s=25 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:20:50 +0500 ?Several #Iran officials incl prosecutor, interior minister have blamed media + foreign elements 4 increase in crimes & social problems in Iran,? tweeted Iranian journalist Golnaz Esfandiari.   Esfandiari?s tweet is referring to the appearance that Ahmadi Moghadam, Chief Commander of the Police, made in parliament on July 26. At the meeting, Moghadam blamed media, political parties, and foreign elements for ?increasing sexual abuse and drug and alcohol use in Iran.? Interestingly,...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=768&q=3&s=25 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:12:18 +0500 ?This car has been taken into in custody because of its driver?s inappropriate dress and because it created noise pollution,? says the sign on this car. The picture was taken in Iran and has been circulated on Twitter and Facebook, drawing many outraged comments.   ?Would they take mosques into custody for creating noise pollution? Never has a car blared its music at 4am and bothered people?s rest [like a mosque],? commented one user on the picture?s Facebook page. ?I hope one day the cars of...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=766&q=3&s=25 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:44:10 +0500 Islamic Alumni Association member and political activist Amin Ahmadian posted a picture of Ahmad Zeidabadi and Majid Tavakoli in a prison courtyard on his Facebook page. Zeidabadi (far left) is a journalist, political analyst, and notable figure in the Iranian reform movement. He is the winner of the World Association of Newspapers? Golden Pen for Freedom Award for 2010 and UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in 2011. He has been arrested multiple times for his journalistic work in...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=765&q=3&s=25 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:59:38 +0500 Dozens of protesters participating in anti-Assad demonstrations in Damascus were arrested by the regime?s armed forces this weekend. Since the Arab Spring spread to Syria, over 1,400 civilians have been killed, countless injured, thousands arrested, and many more have fled the conflict-torn country, taking refuge in neighboring nations. Though the protests have largely been removed from the country?s capital, it seems that protests are now spreading to Assad?s stronghold. Arrests continued...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=764&q=3&s=25 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:49:00 +0500 Jordan: As a result of the Jordanian police beating protesters in Amman last Friday, the public?s anger is steadily rising. Nine  journalists were attacked by police for covering the protest. Like neighboring regimes, the Jordanian authorities have accused the Mossad of fomenting unrest in the country. A video posted on YouTube graphically showed last week?s police brutality. Protests continued this week, with demonstrators calling for amnesty for those arrested at last week?s clash:...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=763&q=3&s=25 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:49:11 +0500 The following comes from LCCSyria. To access the original, click here.    Siweda: demos in Alquryya today Idlib: demos in Taftanaz today Idlib: today?s demos in Saraqeb]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=761&q=3&s=25 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:28:54 +0500 On Wednesday, Egypt?s military rulers lay down the first steps for the country?s upcoming parliamentary elections. Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) leaders have ordered a top judge to create an electoral commission and set a general time frame in which elections would occur sometime around November. Many are unsatisfied with the way SCAF has handled Egypt?s supposed transition from dictatorship to democracy.  Elections were originally slated for September but were pushed off for...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=759&q=3&s=25 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:20:13 +0500 Yesterday, a number of people in the Syrian city of Homs were shot by security forces for participating in a funeral for victims of Assad's regime. Another video available here. Dissidents in Homs also released a video showing the destruction from shells that were fired by the military at protesters. Though Aleppo?s citizens have not participated in the uprising to the extent that their counterparts in other cities have done so, a subversive anti-Assad graffiti campaign is underway in several...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=758&q=3&s=25 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:02:22 +0500 A new grassroots research platform, R-Sheif, is attempting to make the news coming out of the Arab world more accessible.   R-Shief, which takes its name from the Arabic word for archive, is a self-described ?hub? for research and analysis on how the Internet treats news coming out of the Arab world.  It provides a macro view of the tweets, news stories, and comments regarding breaking events in the Middle East and North Africa.   The site lists its goals as bridging the...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=756&q=3&s=25 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:04:06 +0500 On Wednesday, July 13, Interior Minister of Egypt Mansour El-Eissawi announced a major reshuffle of military personnel and police. Bloggers like Hossam El Hamalawy have been criticizing these moves; El Hamalawy titled his blog post on the subject, ?MOI reshuffle: Another musical chairs game.? El Hamalawy is disgusted that many military officers who retired were not prosecuted for committing crimes during their time in office at the Interior Ministry. Additionally, he comments on several...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org) http://www.cyberdissidents.org/bin/content.cgi?ID=757&q=3&s=25 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:58:42 +0500 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. One man tweeted: @ManAbuTaleb: Protesters In Jordan Beaten By Riot Police...]]> info@cyberdissidents.org (CyberDissidents.org)