Our contacts in Cairo tell us that it was eerily quiet most of the morning and that all mobile phones went out a few hours ago. Friday prayers are now underway with a huge security presence in the streets. Police, security forces and groups of plain-clothes thugs are surrounding every mosque in the city. Protests will begin shortly, when prayers end, and people are starting to pour into the street now. ...

The National Iranian American Council released a letter Thursday, signed by a variety of Middle East experts and human rights and democracy advocates including POMED's Executive Director Stephen McInerney, calling on the Obama administration to "reinvigorate" its diplomacy and engagement with Iran as the upcoming round of multilateral nuclear talks draws near: "Diplomacy is the only sustainable means of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, avoiding the dangerous folly of military confrontation ...

Michael Collins Dunn, posting at the Middle East Institute's Editor's Blog, describes the Tunisian government's campaign of website, E-mail, and Facebook hackings as a move to silence its critics.  Other social media sites, such as YouTube and Flickr, are also being blocked.  In response, Nawaat, a Tunisian opposition group, has posted at its blog a guide (French) on how to circumvent government internet restrictions.Amira Al Hussaini, writing at Global Voices, described the latest government attacks on internet freedom ...

In a three part series at Tehran Bureau, Dr. Afshin Marashi explores the complex relationship between the rulers of Iran and the press going back to the early 19th century. The establishment of newspapers by the expatriate communities in places like Baku and London helped spread discontent with the Qajar Dynasty (1794-1925), eventually leading to the Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911). In the early years of the Pahlavi Dynasty (1935-1979) the number of media ...

Human Right Watch released a statement Sunday calling for the release of Palestinian blogger Walid Hasayin, who was arrested by the Palestinian General Intelligence Services on October 31, 2010. Hasayin has not been charged with a crime, but is suspected of posting statements on his blog criticizing Islam and other religions. Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said "The Palestinian authorities' claim that Hasayin offended Muslims is no ...

At The Guardian’s Comment is Free, Amira Nowaira writes that while the NDP is virtually guaranteed a significant victory on Sunday, it is clear that the ruling party’s control over the Egyptian political system is eroding. “The time when citizens were relegated to the spectator seats is gone,” Nowaira writes, adding that new technology has opened the door for Egypt’s youthful population to participate directly in politics. The Associated Press’ Hadeel al-Shalchi reports that the ...

After spending four years in prison, prominent Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil (who wrote under the name Kareem Amer) has been released, ten days beyond the end of his sentence. He was the first blogger in the country to be jailed specifically for his writings, and was charged with insulting Islam and the president. He was a vocal critic of conservative Muslims, calling Cairo’s Al-Azhar University a “university of terrorism" ...

On Saturday, a Saudi official announced that Facebook would be blocked for not conforming with the government’s conservative values. According to the Associated Press, the official claimed that Facebook had “crossed a line.” The ban, however, was temporary. Yesterday, a spokesman for the Communications and Information Technology Commission denied having blocked the site, calling the access problems an “accidental” glitch, and the site is now operational again.

Earlier this week, staff from the Egyptian daily Al Dostor announced that they will continue to publish material on their website, which they have renamed “The Real Al Dostor.” The domain name for the site is registered under Ibrahim Eissa’s name – as such, it will maintain the same editorial policy as the original paper, according to the site’s managing editor Hesham Obia. Al Masry Al Youm reports that about ...

Just days after lifting the ban on YouTube, a Turkish court has once again blocked the popular video sharing site over controversial footage of opposition leader Deniz Baykal. "'We’re back to square one, basically,'" Yaman Akdeniz, a professor of law at Bilgi University in Istanbul, told Eurasianet.org’s Yigal Schleifer. Despite calls from Turkish President Abdullah Gul for reform, the country’s contentious Internet law remains in effect.

Al Masry Al Youm has set up an English language website focusing on the upcoming elections. The website includes sections for photos, video, and media monitoring. Al Masry Al Youm also has a report on the arrival of an International Republican Institute (IRI) delegation in Cairo. The delegation met with members of the National Council of Human Rights (NCHR) including the head of the parliamentary elections unit, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, ...

After two and a half years, Turkish officials lifted the nationwide ban on YouTube over the weekend. A Turkish court suspended the popular video sharing site in May 2008 because of offensive videos about the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. According to Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, whose office is responsible for Internet regulation, the offending videos were removed last week, clearing the way for YouTube to once again ...

An article in The Economist today highlights new restrictions on satellite television and other forms of media in Egypt. The government recently tightened controls over the state-owned Nilesat satellite channels, which broadcast various news programs, religious and lifestyle channels, and other programming. To some extent, the crackdown seems to be in response to an uptick in programming voicing support for conservative Salafist parties. However, the restrictions fit within a broader ...

In an article titled "Democracy in Cyberspace" published in Foreign Affairs, Ian Bremmer argues that while the internet provides a tool for reformers and democracy advocates, it is not a silver bullet: "Innovations in modern communications may help erode authoritarian power over time. But for the moment, their impact on international politics is not so easy to predict." Bremmer makes the point that "tools are value neutral; ...

In the Washington Post today, Jackson Diehl describes the role of firewall-busting technology in facilitating opposition movements in authoritarian states. One company, called UltraReach, enables people to access web sites banned by their governments, and about half of the system’s users are Iranian. With additional funding, the company’s founders say they could “effectively destroy the Internet controls of Iran and most other dictatorships,” writes Diehl. There have been some small ...

Golnaz Esfandiari at Radio Free Europe follows up on last week’s reports that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to report on his trip to Qom through photo and video footage, which has been published on his website. IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, has also been encouraging (Farsi) citizen journalism, asking average Iranians to become “honorary journalist” by reporting on events they see in their communities. Esfandiari predicts that “the ...

Al Jazeera reports that Egyptian authorities shut down 12 more private television channels on Tuesday for allegedly violating the terms of their broadcast licenses.  Egyptian Information Minister Annas el-Fiqi  said that the move by NileSat, Egypt’s main satellite operator, was a “corrective measure” necessary to protect viewers. Meanwhile on Egypt’s most popular talk show, Masr ElNaharda, commentators with close ties to the government suggested banning or passing laws to regulate Facebook. At The ...

Reporters Without Borders released its annual World Press Freedom Index today. In the Middle East and North Africa, press freedom saw mild improvements in some places, but deterioration overall. Morocco dropped 8 places in the global ranking, which the report’s authors attribute to “the arbitrary closing down of a newspaper, the financial ruin of another newspaper, orchestrated by the authorities, etc.” Tunisia's score also worsened “because of its policy of ...

Reuters quoted Iran's senior Culture Ministry official Ehsan Ghazizadeh yesterday as threatening that print media outlets will be closed if they publish information about opposition movements. Ghazizadeh, who has oversight over domestic media, reportedly said: “Those publications that publish statements and pictures of the sedition (opposition) leaders will be warned and then closed down if they continue to do so,” adding that financial support may be denied to outlets that ...

Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has implemented new restrictions on SMS service. As of Monday, private media institutions and civil society organizations must obtain a government license before sending out news alerts to readers. The new rules also allow for greater monitoring of text messages sent by private citizens.