On 26 April 2019, Qatar co-hosted a party in Washington DC to “celebrate the importance of media freedom and integrity,” despite its own lack of such freedoms. Jassim Bin Mansour al-Thani, a media attaché for the Qatari embassy, commented that “Qatar treats media in Qatar and around the world with respect” and “believes firmly in[…]
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Jun
Jun
On 16 May 2019, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan pardoned and released activist Abdul Rahman Bin Sobeih Al-Suwaidi after public interviews where Al-Suwaidi was forced to deny the torture and mistreatment he endured in the prisons and to condemn his reform group. While the freedom of Al-Suwaidi is welcome, concerns[…]
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Jun
Jun
On 23 May 2019, FIFA announced the member associations interested in hosting the Under-20 (U-20) World Cup for 2021. The U-20 World Cup is the international men’s youth football championship for the under-20 national teams. Amongst those interested in hosting are member associations from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have[…]
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Jun
Jun
On 1 April 2019, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression published an Urgent Appeal addressed to Saudi Arabia regarding the disappearance of Yemeni journalist Marwan Ali Naji Al-Muraisy.[…]
06
Jun
Jun
This past month marked one-year since Saudi Arabia launched a wave of arrests targeting women’s rights activists as part of a larger crackdown against social reformers and those critical of the ruling family. The series of arrests specifically went after activists who publicly advocated on behalf of ending the female driving ban, which Saudi Arabia’s[…]
