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HRW Renews Call to Scrap Proposed Kuwait Media Law

The Kuwaiti government should scrap a controversial media reform law, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says. Following news that the Ministry of Information suspended a popular television program, “Talk Shawk”, presented by opposition journalist Mohammad al-Washeehi late Wednesday, HRW is renewing ...

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Bahrain Officials Condemn U.S. Human Rights Report

On Tuesday, Bahrain's foreign ministry and members of its parliament rejected the U.S. Department of State's 2012 report on human rights practices in the country, released on April 19th. The foreign ministry stated that "the report lacks objectivity ...

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

Yemeni Court Opens Case Against Ex-President

Human Rights Watch (HRW) praised a Yemeni court order to investigate the country's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and 11 top aides in connection with a fatal attack on peaceful protesters in Sa'ana in March 2011 that killed 45. Calling ...

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State Department Human Rights Country Report: Kuwait

The annual State Department human rights report on Kuwait described the Gulf country's principal human rights problems as "limitations on citizens’ right to change their government; restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly, especially among foreign workers and stateless Arabs ...

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State Dept. Releases 2012 Human Rights Country Reports

The State Department released the 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. These reports provide detailed assessments of the status of human rights around the world. Uzra Zeya, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,

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Kuwaiti Jailed for Insulting Emir, HRW Writes Obama on UAE

A former Kuwaiti MP and main opposition figure has been sentenced to five years in prison for insulting the country's emir. Mussallam al-Barrak served six terms in the Kuwaiti parliament but was arrested in October 2012 for "undermining the emir" after ...

Video of the Day: Bedoon Activist Al-Fadhli Speaks after Release

Bedoon activist Abdulhakim al-Fadhli was released Sunday after being acquitted of attacking a police man. He had been held without bail for 103 days. He gave this speech shortly after his release at an event organized by the Popular Committee to Organize the Movement.

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Kuwait Passes Naturalization Bill, Extends Blogger’s Sentence

Kuwait's parliament unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday to grant citizenship to up to 4000 foreigners. MPs called on the government to use the bill, which must be signed by the emir to become law, to address the ...

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Opposition Groups Create New Coalition in Kuwait

Opposition forces in Kuwait  announced the formation of a new alliance Sunday. The Opposition Coalition will bring together a wide spectrum of political groups under one umbrella, with the objective of reinvigorating the country's protest movement. The announcement was ...

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Bahrain Dialogue, “UAE 94″ Case, Oman Hunger Strike Continue

Bahrain's national dialogue continued Wednesday evening with the pro-government participants demanding that the opposition publicly condemn street violence. The spokesman for the opposition groups, Jameel Kadhem, refused to single out the street violence, saying before the session that "all ...

Bahraini protestors clash with security forces

Bahraini Officer Killed; Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Updates

The Bahraini government reported that a police officer has been killed after being targeted by "rioters" in an "unprovoked" attack. A press release says, "Mohammed Asif was targeted by rioters in Sehla who shot a projectile that fatally ...

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Kuwait Considers Bidoon Law; Qatar Expands Regional Influence

A bill that would grant Kuwaiti citizenship to 4,000 stateless people, known commonly as bidoons, passed the first round of voting on Thursday.  Another vote will be held later this month and, if passed, will require the signature of the ...

Atlantic Council Issues Report On U.S.-Gulf Relations

The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East has issued a report titled "The United States and the Gulf States: Uncertain Partners in a Changing Region" examining the current state of relations between the U.S. and the Gulf countries and making recommendations for continued cooperation. In the report, Richard LeBaron argues that although there is "continued congruence of interests between the GCC states and the United States,"  the democratic ...

Kuwait

Gulf Countries Continue Crackdown, Nobel Winner Boycotts Dialogue

Three former members of the Kuwaiti parliament were sentenced today to three years hard labor for insulting the country's ruler. The charges relate to speeches the three men gave at a rally opposing new voting laws. Kuwait is usually viewed ...

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Obama Announces Additional Aid for the Syrian People

President Barack Obama announced Tuesday morning that his administration will provide an additional $155 million in aid to the Syrian people. The money will be used within Syria to provide food, medicine, and winter supplies, and throughout the ...

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Freedom House: “Middle East Gains Provoke Intensified Repression”

Freedom House released on Wednesday a report titled "Freedom in the World 2013: Middle East Gains Provoke Intensified Repression."   Freedom House found "impressive gains" in the past year despite being a region "notable for sectarian polarization, ...

Weekly Wire – January 14

POMED's Weekly Wire for the week of January 14 is now available. In this week's edition, we highlight these and other top stories: Kuwait Sentences Two for Social Media Insults of Emir NGOs Urge Diplomatic Pressure on Turkey U.S. "Regrets" Bahraini Activists’ Sentences Opposition Eyes Syria U.N., Arab League Seats Ros-Lehtinen to Head MENA Subcommittee To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.

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Iraq Closes Jordanian Border, Kuwaiti Unrest Continues

Iraq closed the only checkpoint linking it with Jordan on Wednesday as Sunnis in Anbar province continued to protest against Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his government. The protests, which claim that the government is treating Sunnis unfairly, have blocked the ...

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Bahrain Upholds Activists’ Sentences, Appeals Process Exhausted

A Bahraini high court on Monday upheld the verdicts against 13 opposition figures who were appealing sentences handed out by a military tribunal in June 2011. The original charges included accusations of establishing an illegal group aiming ...

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Human Rights Issues Persist in the Gulf

Kuwaitis have spent much of the last two months protesting changes to the parliamentary electoral law. According to Human Rights Watch, Kuwaiti security personnel used excessive force to disperse largely peaceful protests. Interviewed protesters said, "Masked riot police used tear ...

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