April 2024 in MENA: A free expression round-up produced by IFEX's Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Calls for global action to address the safety of Palestinian journalists grows. Jordan and Egypt curb pro-Palestine protests. Bahrain and Iran free prisoners of conscience. Sudan’s communication blackout persists.
The plight of Gaza’s journalists six months on
While we grapple with the shocking fact of Israel having killed of over 100 Palestinian journalists since its war on Gaza began – almost seven months ago now – the besieged territory remains largely off-limits and Palestinian journalists continue to risk their lives to share what is happening there.
Reiterating its call to the international community to step up pressure on Israel for an end to its massacre in Gaza, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) posed a poignant question: “With more than 100 journalists killed in six months in Gaza, where is the international community?”
Growing concern over Israel’s unchecked impunity has seen escalating demands by civil society groups. In March, IFEX joined rights groups calling on member states of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) to take meaningful action for the safety of journalists and access to information in Gaza:
“The collective official silence of the MFC member states as a group regarding these killings, with increasing evidence of journalists being specifically targeted, along with the lack of actions to ensure that international journalists can access and report from Gaza, seriously diminishes our collective ability to credibly stand up for media freedom globally.”
Despite ongoing appeals to open the Rafah border crossing, entry into Gaza remains largely restricted. According to RSF, Israeli authorities have allowed only a handful of Gazan journalists to be evacuated in the past six months. These journalists reported that other civilians were afraid of being near them.
“During the evacuation of Gaza City [in October], some people didn’t want me to be near them for fear that I would be targeted as a journalist,” reported AFP’s photojournalist Mahmoud Hams. “Others refused to rent us houses to live, work and rest in because they had the unshakeable conviction that all journalists in Gaza were targets.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for independent investigations into Israeli attacks on journalists, including one on four journalists reporting from the Nuseirat refugee camp. CPJ also demanded a probe into an incident at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where at least eight journalists were injured by an Israeli strike that hit a tent encampment outside the hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on 31 March.
Taken and detained by Israeli forces in December, Gaza bureau chief for Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Diaa Al-Kahlout who has since evacuated to Egypt, described what he faced during 33 days of being held in Israeli custody: “I was subjected to torture called ‘ghosting’ daily, which involves being handcuffed with the hands upward or behind the back while blindfolded, in addition to significant psychological torture alongside physical torture. Even going to the bathroom was on their schedule.”
Thousands of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails after six months of administrative detentions, including academics and community activists, described unprecedented abuse. In a chilling report marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) warned that for the thousands of prisoners kept in detention by the Israeli army, physical, sexual and psychological abuse were routine.
Meanwhile, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a law professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was suspended and detained last month after she made anti-Zionist comments on a podcast in March. Palestinian rights group Adalah called the professor’s arrest: “an egregious violation of her rights, motivated by an agenda of incitement, political persecution, and racism. Her opinions and speech are protected under the right of freedom of expression and academic freedom”.
Amidst all the adversity, Palestinian photojournalist Mohammed Jad Salem’s poignant image, capturing the grief of a Palestinian woman holding the body of her five-year-old niece at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, earned him the prestigious World Press Photo of the Year award.
Regional clampdown on pro-Palestinian protests
In Jordan, the Israeli onslaught in Gaza continued to ignite widespread anger and mobilisation. Last month, thousands of Jordanians took to the streets in solidarity with Palestinians, demanding decisive action from their government to support Gaza, including severing ties with Israel and cancelling economic agreements.
Authorities have responded predictably, with detentions of demonstrators and political activists, as well as journalists covering the protests. According to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Jordan’s Cybercrime Law of 2023 is providing the legal framework for authorities to curtail freedoms and censor expressions of solidarity with Gaza, with many peaceful protesters facing charges related to their social media posts and calls for further demonstrations.
Similarly, in Egypt, expressions of support for Palestine have been met with heavy-handed repression by security forces. Protests outside the UN Women office in Cairo, condemning the atrocities in Gaza and demanding accountability for war crimes, were swiftly dispersed, and several women activists, including prominent figures like Lobna Darwish and human rights lawyers Mahienour el-Masry and Ragia Omran, were briefly detained.
Sudan’s communications blackout
One year into Sudan’s civil war, the country’s media continues to grapple with grave threats. Since fighting erupted on 15 April last year, journalists have faced assaults, arrests, and killings at the hands of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Communications blackouts have further stifled reporting, leaving many journalists stranded or unable to transmit news from besieged areas, and the country is submerged in a toxic information battle. Authorities suspended the work of three news outlets last month, in what the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate called a “clear violation of freedom of expression and the freedom of the press.”
In a joint editorial, the Sudanese Media Forum (SMF), a collective of Sudan’s independent journalists and media organisations, said:
“Beyond silencing free media, the warring parties wage a parallel information war. Propaganda, hate speech, and fabricated news manipulate civilians and obstruct access to truth. Severed communication networks further isolate citizens from loved ones and essential resources.”
“It is like we are back to the dark ages,” lamented Ataf Mohamed, editor-in-chief of local independent newspaper Al-Sudani on the scope of the blackout and its impact on news coverage. “At this point, it might be easier to rely on pigeons to send messages across the country, but I am sure that they would be hunted down by the RSF and sold as food at very expensive prices.”
Iran: Environmentalists released, repression persists
Iran’s security forces have been accused of grave human rights abuses, including rape, torture, and sexual assault, during the repression of widespread protests in 2022 and 2023, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The investigation documented instances of detainees, particularly from minority regions, being subjected to brutal treatment to extract false confessions. Survivors, including women, men, and children, described harrowing experiences of rape and torture at the hands of security forces.
Recent developments have only served to underscore the urgent need for accountability and protection of fundamental rights in Iran’s grim civic space.
After six years in detention, four environmentalists were pardoned as part of an amnesty. Welcome news, but their delayed release has done little to shift Iran’s repressive climate, especially in a month that saw imprisoned rapper Toumaj Salehi receive a death sentence for his expression. In November, Iran’s Supreme Court had revoked Salehi’s six-year prison sentence and released him on bail, only for security forces to rearrest him 12 days later.
Rasoul Galehban, editor-in-chief of Urmiye24 Kurdish News, was arrested on unknown charges, and cartoonist Atena Faraghdani was violently arrested by security forces while trying to exhibit her critical cartoons. Student journalist Dina Ghalibaf was detained after reporting on social media incidents of sexual abuse and violent mistreatment by morality police agents against herself and other women.
Authorities also filed lawsuits against several newspapers and journalists, reportedly on charges of “disturbing public opinion.”
Bahrain’s largest prisoner amnesty
Last month’s unconditional release of over 1,500 prisoners in Bahrain, including political detainees, marked the largest royal pardon since the 2011 Arab uprisings. Prominent human rights defender Naji Fateel and journalist Mahmoud Abdulridha Al-Jazeeri were among those released, following years of advocacy efforts by international organisations. Observers say the surprising move reflects efforts by the country to address human rights concerns that have strained relationships with Western allies.
However, concerns persist as hundreds of political prisoners remain detained, including members of the Bahrain 13 group, prompting calls for their release and improved conditions. IFEX members continue to raise the cases of prominent human rights activists like Hassan Mushaima, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and Dr. Abduljalil Alsingace, who has been on a liquids-only hunger strike for over 1,000 days and continues to be denied medical treatment.
Iraq: LGBTQI+ activity criminalised, social media influencer killed
The Iraqi parliament passed an amendment criminalising LGBTQI+ activity, potentially sentencing individuals to up to 15 years in prison for same-sex activity. The law also penalises “practices imitating women” and bans organisations promoting LGBTQI+ rights. Meanwhile, authorities launched an investigation into the killing of social media influencer Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, known as “Um Fahad,” after she was shot outside her home in central Baghdad. In February 2023, she had been sentenced to six months in prison by a court that determined her videos contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”. Her death follows a pattern of violence against prominent social media figures in the country.
Also Noteworthy
- Over the next two months, IFEX members SMEX and 7amleh will collaborate to address pressing challenges in the digital realm. SMEX’s Unconference Bread&Net Online: Digital Rights in Times of War, will take place from 13 to 15 May and delve into digital rights in times of conflict, including topics like internet access, content moderation, misinformation, and data privacy. On 4 and 5 June, 7amleh’s Palestine Digital Activism Forum will examine the use of Artificial Intelligence in targeting systems and facial recognition technologies during wartime.
- SMEX’s latest report, “From Sharing to Silence”, analyses the content moderation policies and practices of social media platforms regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) content in the WANA region.
- A new paper from 7amleh looks at “Youtube’s Impact on Palestinian Digital Rights during the War on Gaza” and how the dissemination of problematic content increased incitement to hatred and violence against Palestinians.
