Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)

On 6 April 2014, eight protesters belonging to the February 20 movement were arrested by Moroccan security forces during their participating in a workers’ march in Casablanca.

Former president and co-founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was sentenced to life in prison in June 2011. He continues to be denied adequate medical attention and suffers from severe medical complications as a result of his mistreatment in detention.

Three of the seven media professionals summoned by the State TV’s department of legal affairs work for the “Revolutionaries All The Way” program, the rest had expressed solidarity with the program after it was suspended. They were interrogated over accusations of protesting in front of the Minister of Information’s office as well as distributing pamphlets criticizing her.

Saudi authorities have detained three activists for posting videos on YouTube denouncing the royal family’s corruption and complaining about dismal living standards and low wages.

Mayada Ashraf, a 22-year-old Egyptian reporter for the Al-Dustour daily newspaper, was one of three people killed during protests that erupted following Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s decision to resign from the military and run for president.

Although Lebanon has long been considered to have one of the most open and diverse media environments in a region dominated by dictatorships, it is no stranger to restrictions on free expression.

On 18 March 2014, Jordanians stood in front of the House of Representatives calling for the release of detained Jordanian soldier Ahmed Dagamseh. Three hours later, security forces forcibly dispersed their peaceful demonstration.

The stall designated for the Arab Network for Research and Publishing, a leading Saudi publishing house, was closed down by the management of the Riyadh International Book Fair and the works of the late poet Mahmoud Darwish, one of the Arab world’s most prominent poets, were removed from the fair.