Photo Credit: AFP

Al Jazeera describes the “chaos” that the Syrian National Council (SNC) faces, amid a failed Arab League conference in Cairo, the resignation of leader Burhan Ghalioun, and the threat from the Local Coordination Committees to leave the SNC. Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) says he believes the White House is moving increasingly closer toward a military intervention in Syria. “Every day that passes more people get killed,” Lieberman said. “It’s our moral obligation to help them … Right now [all] they’re asking for is…the weapons.” Leon Wieseltier explores the common themes that have cropped up regarding U.S. response to Syria: complexity, time, and fatigue of war. Wieseltier says, however, that the Obama administration is making excuses to not do more, and those decisions are impacting Syria negatively.

The violence continued in Syria as a roadside bomb exploded about 150 yards from a U.N. convoy carrying the head of a Syria ceasefire monitoring mission, Major General Robert Mood. No casualties were reported in this incident. Elsewhere, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a Syrian army shelling killed 16 people, including children, in the town of Souran in the central province of Hama.

In other news, Reporters Without Borders released a statement expressing shock to learn of the death sentence passed on citizen journalist Mohammed Abdelmawla al-Hariri for “high treason and contacts with foreign parties.” Al-Hariri was arrested shortly after giving an interview to Al Jazeera. “Such a verdict is unacceptable and out of all proportion to Mohamed al-Hariri’s so-called crime of giving an interview to Al-Jazeera,” the press freedom organization said.

Photo Credit: The Guardian

Defense lawyer Mohammed Ahmed said bail had been set for arrested human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, but he still must appear in court for a hearing next week. Rajab’s own lawyer, Mohamed al-Jishi tweeted that Rajab also has a travel ban, and the trial will be resumed on May 23rd. Tens of organizations signed a joint letter to the King of Bahrain, calling for an end to the assault on freedom of speech, and the release of all human rights defenders and netizens. The letter specifically mentions Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who remains on hunger strike, his daughter Zainab al-Khawaja, who was arrested after protesting for the release of her father, and Rajab.

Meanwhile, the government of Bahrain wrote a letter to the editor of Al Jazeera regarding its recent article, “Autopsy finds torture behind Bahrain drowning.” The article claimed to have received an exclusive independent autopsy report in which it was revealed that Yousef Mowali, who had been in police custody, showed signs of electronic torture before drowning.  Fahad A. AlBinali of the Information Affairs Authority discredits the validity of the independent autopsy that was conducted, and accused Al Jazeera English of writing stories that are “acquired through unprofessional methods and unethical behavior.”

In Bahrain, protesters gathered in solidarity against the potential Saudi-Bahrain union. Bahraini opposition groups feel that the union is just another step toward crushing dissent.

Photo Credit: Foreign Policy

Egypt’s military chiefs are expected to issue a constitutional declaration redrawing the powers of the presidency before polls open Wednesday for the country’s first presidential vote. Stephen McInerney, executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy said, “There is some speculation that SCAF [Supreme Council of the Armed Forces] would limit the powers of the presidency and retain some key protection for themselves.” Egypt’s election commission vowed that the election will be free and fair, as Deputy Chief Hatem Bagato showed reporters a number of new security measures that will be used to ensure the vote is transparent and fair.

Meanwhile, concerns are running high leading up to election day, partially due to uncertainty. NPR speculates that Amr Moussa is the front-runner among candidates, and David Kenner agrees. Kenner says that holding an election is a positive step, but adds, “there is still a core of Egyptians who find legitimacy in the streets and will  protest en masse should they believe their revolution is being stolen from them.” On the other hand, James Zogby writes of the uncertainty that comes with new elections, and says no front-runner has emerged. Zogby also reminds readers that beyond the competition surrounding elections, Egypt’s economy is another factor that cannot be forgotten, and that must be addressed as a national priority. Howard Steven Friedman saysthe people of Egypt are both excited and fearful, and he remains hopeful, quoting a friend who said, ”Let’s hope for the best and be thankful that we are living in exciting times.” Mohamed El Dahshan writes of his disappointment with the elections, describing them as “uninspiring” and “bitter.” Dahshan says Moussa is one of the front-runners in current opinion polls, but is hopeful for a surprise winner and adds, “In a way, that might be this election’s silver lining: For the first time, perhaps in centuries, we don’t know who will win the elections before they’ve taken place.”

The Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund budget request of $770 million was fully supported by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama, but excluded in the House Appropriations State and Foreign Ops Subcommittee report. Though the entire $770 million was not included, the Committee did approve $175 million under the same heading, $25 million under Foreign Military Financing, “to promote regional peace and security, political and economic reform, and stabilization efforts in the Middle East and North Africa.” Within this funding, the Subcommittee’s report specified $70 million to go to the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), $5 million to USAID’s Office of Middle East Partnerships, and not less than $50 million for Jordan.

Josh Rogin writes in Foreign Policy about the hope that is now upon the Senate to pass the Incentive Fund which the House declined. There has been significant debate around the Incentive Fund, Rogin says, particularly due to the ambiguity of how the money would be used. Stephen McInerney, executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy, says the administration fell short in “pitching [the Incentive Fund] to the Hill,” and adds, ”This fund should be a signature initiative of the administration to respond to the historic events in the region, and these funds could be essential to the administration’s ability to respond to events that haven’t yet unfolded in places like Syria, where there is no existing U.S. assistance package in the budget.” Rogin says the Incentive Fund does have one power staunch supporter: Senator John Kerry (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. ”We’re witnessing a period of historic change in the Middle East, and it’s impossible to predict what will happen next month, let alone next year, which is why the State Department should have the flexibility to deal with unforeseen contingencies,” Kerry said.

On Thursday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion titled “QDDR in Action: Civil Society Sustainability in U.S. Foreign Policy.” The event featured Scott Busby director for the Office of Multilateral and Global Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor; Alyse Nelson, president and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership; Lisa Schirch, director of 3P Human Security; Chris Seiple, president of the Institute for Global Engagement and Tomicah Tillemann, senior advisor for Civil; Society and Emerging Democracies. The discussion was moderated by Steve McDonald, consulting director of the Africa Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

For the full text of the notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF.

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Blade file photo/Michael Key

On Thursday, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), writing an op-ed in the Washington Post, called for U.S. action to prevent further human rights abuses in Syria. Nine months after President Barack Obama called for the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, Lieberman suggests the U.S. has been absent from facilitating Assad’s removal. Lieberman Noted the strategic importance of Assad’s fall as a measure to further isolate Iran, and intervening as a way to block any possible foothold, stressing,  ”stopping Syria’s slide into civil war and anarchy is not just a mission of mercy but also an imperative for U.S. national security.” Lieberman called for a “comprehensive and coordinated effort” involving a coalition to support the opposition with weapons, tactical intelligence and other lethal aid. “The way to avoid this outcome is for the military balance inside Syria to change, quickly — and once again that depends most of all on U.S. leadership,” stated Lieberman.

In related news, Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary-general, blamed al-Qaeda for last week’s bombings in Damascus. “A few days ago there was a huge, serious, massive terrorist attack. I believe that there must be al-Qaeda behind it,” said Ban. Meanwhile,  the U.N. Security Council reported North Korea is suspected of shipping illicit arms to Syria. The ship in question’s cargo “contained brass discs and copper rods used to manufacture artillery munitions and aluminum alloy tubes usable for making rockets,”  the panel said.

Elsewhere in Syria, following the raid at Aleppo University – which left 28 wounded and 200 detained – massive demonstrations are being staged, with live updates posted by the Guardian. “Thousands of people demonstrated in various districts (of Aleppo) despite the repression,” said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In response, Syrian forces have opened fire on protesters. “I am more convinced than ever that no amount of violence can solve this crisis,” said Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, leader of the U.N. observer team.

Photo Credit: al-Akhbar English

According to lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi, Bahraini dissident Abdelhadi al-Khawaja is well, but will continue his fast to protest his life sentence handed down by Bahraini military courts. He has been fasting for more than three months, and after meeting with his client for the first time in more than 45 days, al-Jishi said that al-Khawaja “is conscious and moves around normally.” His lawyer added, “His health has slightly improved because he was force fed.” Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that an autopsy illustrated signs of electric torture prior to the drowning death of Yousef Mowali in early January 2012. An original autopsy report stated that there were no signs of “suspicious injury,” but a second autopsy performed by an independent forensic pathologist concluded that torture had occurred. Mowali’s family made an elaborate effort to have the second autopsy performed after seeing what they believed were signs of torture after seeing their son’s corpse.

Bahraini King Hamad Al-Khalifa was invited to Buckingham Palace to spend time with sovereign monarchs from around the globe. According to The Telegraph, Labour MP Denis McShane said, “‘The [British Foreign Office] should protect the British Queen rather than expose her to having to dine with a despot.” Additionally, Bahrain and Iran have exchanged numerous statements regarding the proposed union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with Iran rebuking the effort as an “ill-fated plot” and Iranians staging a protest against the proposal. In response, Bahrain issued a statement to warn Iran against meddling in its affairs.

Finally, Max Fisher of The Atlantic released “A Crackdown in Crayon: Bahrain’s Children Draw Their Country’s Crisis,” an effort from Human Rights First that features numerous drawings from Bahraini children in the midst of the country’s crisis. Fisher says when looking at the drawings “ it’s hard not to perceive some sense loneliness as these children struggle with their grief, their loss, and the question [ ...] of why their father or brother or uncle had to go away.”

In POMED’s latest policy brief, Atiaf Alwazir argues that the United States should be utilizing this historic moment in Yemeni politics to shift its policy from a narrow focus on counterterrorism to a wider range of economic and political support.

With a new president in power, Yemen has the opportunity to fundamentally restructure its political and military system, but multiple obstacles stand in its path. The Yemeni military remains a disjointed body split by corrupt and self-serving officials, many of whom are supported by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. With its counterterrorism-based ties to the Yemeni security sector, the U.S. appears reluctant to forgo these relationships for a reform process. Alwazir argues, however, that the United States’ counterterrorism efforts have been counterproductive and have provided fuel for terrorist groups’ recruitment efforts. To achieve true long-term stability, the U.S. should focus on providing economic support and development, encouraging fundamental restructuring of the Yemeni military, tying military aid to this restructuring process, and recalibrating the U.S-Yemeni relationship to be less military-centric.

Atiaf Alwazir is a Yemeni-American researcher and development consultant with ten years of experience working with civil society organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, where she implements programs related to social justice and blogs at womanfromyemen. She is currently working on several assignments in research and her work has been featured in several outlets including Arab Reform Initiative, Foreign Policy, and Jadaliyya.

Click here for the full text of the policy brief, and click here to sign up to receive future briefs via email.

On Wednesday, the Brookings Institute and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted the event “ Previewing the G-8 and NATO Summits: An Examination of the Summits’ Top Agenda Items.”  The first discussion “Previewing the G-8 Summit,” featured Michael Froman, deputy assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affair, Bruce Jones, a senior fellow at the Managing global order at Brookings, and Justin Vaisse, a senior fellow at the Center on the U.S. at Brookings. The moderator was Martin S. Indyk, vice president and director on Foreign Affairs at Brookings. The second discussion, “Security in Afghanistan and the Greater Middle East,” featured Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at Brookings, and Suzanne Maloney, a senior fellow at Brookings. The discussion was moderated Daniel Byman, the director of research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy.

For the full text of the notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF.

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In an Ahram Online article, Yasmine Wali discusses the impact of opinion polls on the presidential race. “These polls can manipulate undecided voters, for example, dictating their political responsiveness by portraying the same group of candidates as ‘frontrunners’ at the expense of others,” says Said Sadek, a political scientist at the American University in Cairo. The article discusses, as an example, a poll by the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Centre, which had former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq with a narrow lead. The article notes that upper class Egyptians accounted for nearly a third of the poll, despite their small percentage of the overall population of Egypt. Underscoring the different results of polls, Egyptian paper Al Akhbar released (Arabic) a poll Thursday which shows Shafiq with 44% of popular support.

Meanwhile, the Carter Center says it will be unable to say whether the Egyptian presidential election is free and fair because their movements are being restricted by authorities. The Carter Center’s field director in Egypt, Sanne van den Bergh, said that the group was also unable to witness candidate nominations, voter registration or voter registration. The April 6 Youth Movement announced on Wednesday that it will spearhead an election observation campaign for the elections. The monitoring initiative will rely on photos taken by citizens that show election violations. The Presidential Elections Commissions General Secretariat is considering combining electoral districts, due to the low number of judges to supervise the elections.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton addressed civil society representatives from around the world during the Civil Society 2012 Summit. Referencing a speech she gave in 1998, Clinton compared society to a three-legged stool. Each leg being represented by a responsive, effective, accountable government; a dynamic, job-creating, free market economic sector; and a strong civil society. The case for creating a strong civil society lies in individual freedoms, “because government cannot and should not control any individual’s life, tell you what to do, what not to do.”

A troubling trend in too many countries is that civil society now finds itself threatened, according to Clinton. ”Each time a reporter is silenced, or an activist is threatened, it doesn’t strengthen a government, it weakens a nation,” remarked Clinton. As the U.S. attempts to block the trend of governments infringing on civil society, Clinton laid out some of the steps the State Department is taking to reverse the flow against personal freedoms. Embassies are expanding their reach by setting up working groups, which will help matriculate ideas and opinions of local civil society groups. Efforts are also being made to engage the large section of civil society comprised of faith-based organizations, so  religious communities can bolster democracy, human rights, and respond to humanitarian needs. To any view that may have not been encompassed, plans are being implemented to facilitate discussions among governments, businesses, and labor groups ensuring all are represented.

During the question and answer session, Clinton said one of the long-term solutions for counter terrorism was building a strong civil society, which provides a feeling of empowerment. “Their voices are heard; they don’t need to turn to violence because they can participate fully and equally in a political process,” stated Clinton. Crediting civil society in partnerships with government, Clinton feels these two in tandem are a great catalyst and for private sector job creation.

The final results have confirmed that Algeria’s ruling party, the National Liberation Front, received a majority of the votes in last week’s parliamentary election. In the newly-expanded 462-seat legislature, 221 seats went to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s National Liberation Front; National Democratic Rally, the party of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, was second with 70 seats; and the Islamist Green Algeria Alliance won 47 seats. Amid allegations of voter fraud, which the government contested, voter turnout was reportedly higher than expected, but was only tallied at 42 percent.

Meanwhile, Algerian women won at least 145 parliament seats in the recent election, taking almost a third of the seats and making the national assembly the most gender-balanced in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated, “These elections — and the high number of women elected — are a welcome step in Algeria’s progress toward democratic reform.” Michele Bachelet, executive director of the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, called the increase of women in parliament “a welcome step in Algeria’s progress towards democratic reform and gender equality.” Conversely, one Algerian women said, ”Whether it’s a man or a woman who gets elected doesn’t matter. What’s important is that the elections are fair, and they were not fair. A woman who wins thanks to a quota imposed by the law or thanks to fraud is not legitimate. The same goes for men.”

Writing for Al-Jazeera, Jeremy Keenan called the election a “fraud” and believes the ‘real’ voter turnout around 14 percent is a more likely representation. “The obvious point is that it is absolutely impossible for some 500 foreign observers to keep an eye on 48,546 polling stations. Neither can opposition party observers cover this number of stations. The opportunity for ballot stuffing and other irregularities, especially in remote areas, is immense.”

Photo Credit: Reuters

Burhan Ghalioun was re-elected yesterday to remain president of the Syrian National Council (SNC) for another three months. However, due to increased pressure from mounting criticism internally, he announced his resignation today. “I am announcing my resignation as head of the Council. I call on the Syrian opposition to break the cycle of conflicts and preserve unity,” Ghalioun said, “I declare my resignation as soon as a replacement is found through elections or consensus.” Fueling the internal conflict, the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) threatened to pull out of the opposition bloc while accusing the SNC leadership of “marginalizing council members, monopolizing power, and not coordinating closely enough with activists on the ground.” The LCC is not alone in its frustrations, as Bassma Kodmani, a Paris-based senior figure in the SNC, said that the LCC concerns were “justified and legitimate.” But Kodmani also said differences within the Syrian opposition were “natural and healthy” and a sign of democracy, “otherwise we would be just like the Baath Party and the Assad regime.”

Rouba al-Fattal Eeckelaert lists a multitude of reasons for why the Syrian people should not recognize Bashar al-Assad‘s new constitution. Eeckelaert argues that the new constitution is riddled with loopholes that benefit Assad and his family, and “comes from the point of lost political and moral legitimacy, it comes under continuous violence, and it does not fit Syria’s future.” “What fits Syria now is a democratic constitution that would put an end to tyranny, injustice, and corruption, and would clearly set new Syrian Election Laws that would answer the aspiration of the Syrian people,” Eeckelaert says.

AFP

More than a year after that the street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself alight,  Abdelaziz Barrouhi assessed (French) the Tunisian situation, insisting the economic and social issues are the “real problems.” Barrouhi expressed concerns that the economic situation has worsened in one year because of the constant strikes and demonstrations. Food prices have risen, notably because of the speculation made by ‘mafias’ who have taken advantage of the social instability.  Barrouhi blamed the EU for not committing to their promise of providing funds to sustain the democratic process, whereas the U.S. has helped Tunisia extensively. The journalist called for an end of demonstrations and of “civil disobedience” so that the government could focus on drafting the constitution and prepares the elections in 2013.

Yesterday, Prime Minster Hamadi Jebali announced (French) a program to calm the social environment by proposing a complementary financial law, a measure later adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The law focused on investments that would create additional employment. Today, the Tunisian government submitted 102 projects of development to International donors attending to the “Financial Development Project of New Tunisia” that will require $12  billion dollars financed by the state and foreign entities. The economic program is associated with political reforms engaging with good governance, social equity and democracy. However, observers expressed concerns on the sustainability of the projects.

In an editorial for Tunisia Live, Peter Laufer depicted the contradictions regarding freedom of press in post-Ben Ali Tunisia. Laufer pointed out that in the same day the owner of Nessma TV, Nabil Karoui, was  found guilty of “violating sacred values” and “disturbing public order” for bradcasting the movie Persepolis, Tunis was hosting UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day. During the UNESCO event, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman took a stand against the verdict against Karoui and said “No laws will put us down even if it takes us ten more revolutions.”

On Tuesday, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) held a luncheon discussion exploring the linkages between political and economic reform in the Arab world. Steve Clemons, Editor at Large of The Atlantic, moderated a panel featuring Larry Diamond, director of Stanford University Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law; Michelle Dunne, director of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East; and John D. Sullivan, the executive director of CIPE.

For the full text of the notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF. Read more…

Photo: AFP

On Tuesday, a convoy of U.N. monitors found themselves caught in a violent clash between protesters and Syrian government forces. Arriving in Idlib province to observe the checkpoints of Syrian forces, the monitors came across residents mourning a man who had been killed by government forces in Hama. Emboldened by the observers presence, the protesters came closer than normal to the checkpoints, leading government forces to open fire. The U.N. monitor’s vehicles were reportedly struck by a roadside bomb.

Additionally, efforts paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the U.S. have led to opposition forces receiving high quantities of quality weaponry in recent weeks, including antitank ammunition. “We are increasing our nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we continue to coordinate our efforts with friends and allies in the region and beyond in order to have the biggest impact on what we are collectively doing,” said an anonymous senior State Department official. Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal called into question the effectiveness of Kofi Annan’s peace plan. “Confidence in the efforts of the envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League has started to decrease quickly,” said al-Faisal. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky also referenced Kofi Annan as strongly urging “the [Syrian] government to accept the conditions for a scaling up of humanitarian assistance without further delay.”

In similar news, Doctors Without Borders released a press statement accusing government forces of targeting their medical personnel.  ”Being caught with patients is like being caught with a weapon,” said an orthopedic surgeon. “The atmosphere in most medical facilities is extremely tense; health care workers send wounded patients home and provide only first aid so that facilities can be evacuated quickly in the event of a military operation.”

Photo Credit: AFP

Nabeel Rajab, who was in court today, told the judge that his detention is a political act aimed at weakening the uprising against the ruling family, and said authorities seek to muzzle free expression as part of crackdowns against opposition groups. His lawyer, Mohamed al-Jishi, posted a picture on Twitter, showing “More than 50 lawyers attending court in solidarity with HRD Nabeel Rajab.” Additionally, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) reported mass arrests this morning of pro-democracy activists whose houses were stormed. Al Jazeera obtained an exclusive report that included an independent autopsy of 23-year-old Yousef Mowali, who had been in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department. The autopsy revealed Mowali had been electronically tortured and was unconscious when he drowned.

Meanwhile, following the announcement regarding a potential Saudi-Bahrain union, the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council of Iran called for demonstrations protesting the decision. Also, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani was quoted by the official Iran news agency as saying: “If Bahrain is supposed to be integrated into another country, it must be Iran and not Saudi Arabia.” Iran’s actions caused anger in Bahrain, whose foreign ministry described Larijani’s statement as, “blatant interference in Bahrain’s domestic affairs and a gross violation of its independence and sovereignty.”

Adam Curtis gives an historical account of Britain’s involvement with Bahrain, and says, “British advisers to the Bahraini royal family, backed up by British military might, were central figures in the creation of a ruthless system that imprisoned and sometimes tortured any Bahraini citizen who even dared to suggest the idea of democracy.” Robert Mackey adds that the U.S. hypocrisy of resuming arms sales to Bahrain parallels the support maintained by Britain that Curtis details.

Photo credit: Christian Science Monitor

President Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order today that would give the Treasury Department authority to freeze the U.S.-based assets of anyone who “obstructs” implementation of the political transition in Yemen. According to one authority, the order is a proactive “deterrent” to “make clear to those who are even thinking of spoiling the transition” to think again. The order comes at a time when there are multiple ongoing threats to Yemen’s transitional stability and security. The leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Ayman al-Zawahri, labeled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi an agent of the U.S. in an attempt to sway public opinion. Additionally, AQAP released a guide titled “Expectations Full,” that is geared toward Western recruits, which urges them to “consider attacking America in its own backyard,” instead of traveling to Yemen. These targeted strategies are some of the reasons Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens and Peter Neumann argue that al Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate is the most “dangerous franchise.” Furthermore, Yemen faces a dire humanitarian crisis that has left 22 million people without adequate food. U.N. representative in Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said the result of the political turmoil left “a much more profound and much more deep humanitarian crisis than what we have been describing.”

In other news, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called upon Yemen’s Press and Publications court to drop all charges against Al Jazeera correspondents Ahmed al-Shalafi and Hamdi al-Bukari, who were arrested while covering last year’s protests. ”The court’s revival of a politicized case from the [Ali Abdullah Saleh] era sends a clear message to all journalists in Yemen that nothing has changed for the press,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.

On Tuesday, the new America Foundation hosted a conference titled “The Civil Insurgents: The Arab Uprisings and Civil Society.” The discussion was focused on the role of civil society in the Arab Spring and in the future of the Arab states. The conference was moderated by Leila Hilal, co-director of the New America Foundation Middle East Task Force. The panelists were Abulnabi Hasan Alkery, President of the Bahrain Transparency Society, Allam Jarrar, steering committee member of the Palestinian NGO Network, Kinda Mohamadieh, programs director at the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) and Salah al-Jourchi a Tunisian journalist, writer and human rights activist.

For the full text of the notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF.

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The ongoing uprising in Syria entered into its 15 month, and the fight between the anti-government rebels and the President Bashar al Assad’s regime, has  killed more than 12,000 people, according to the UN. Today, an additional 15 civilians and one rebel fighter were murdered as the regime cracked down on the eastern province of Deir Ezzor and in Damascus

An article in the New York Times explores the ‘strategy’ developed by the Syrians to resist the “government’s effort to divide and conquer, whether on sectarian, ethnic, class or geographical lines.” The government has targeted health professional or continuously warned of the threat of Islamist militants hijacking the uprising in order to quell the upheaval.  However,  hundreds have joined secret networks in order to provide supplies and money to victims of violence.  Meanwhile, the UN continues the attempt to negotiate with the Syrian government in order to gain entrance into areas in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

In an interview with CNN journalist Anderson Cooper, Sen John McCain (R-Ar) expressed discontent with the current US administration for not handling the Syrian crisis, ‘Where is the President of the United States?” said McCain calling for providing weapons to the opposition “to defend themselves in their freedom.” McCain added that it was “shameful not to act.”

In a communique, the Islamist group al-Nusra front denied involvement in last Thursday’s  suicide bombing that killed 55 civilians in Damascus, saying that the video showing the group claiming responsibility was fraud.  BBC observed that “the authenticity was extremely difficult to verify.”

However, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said “Al Qaeda stands behind the terror attacks in Syria.”

The Syrian regime targets medical workers and injured  civilians, reported the NGO Doctors Without Borders (DWB). Dounia Dekhili, an official from DWB said, “We are in a very particular situation in Syria: no impartial humanitarian aid can be brought in, and the harassment of the wounded and doctors is part of the regime’s police strategy.” DWB, which is not authorized to work in Syria, sent teams into the country secretly. They reached the restive areas of Homs and Idlib and have reported that medical workers were missing whereas the NGO discovered that the regime does provide medical care to its supporters.

Meanwhile, Syrian election committee chairman Khalaf al-Izzaoui said  that 51 percent of the eligible voters voted in the May 7 parliament elections. The opposition contested the credibility of these elections. There was no independent monitor of the electoral process.