Polictical uncertainty pushes the government to roll recent free speech gains and muzzle independent voices. Ashraf Khalil asks, will Facebook be next?
Egypt tightens the screw
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Ashraf Khalil
Egypt tightens the screw
These are uncertain times in the Arab world’s most populous nation. President Hosni Mubarak is 82, fresh from major gall bladder surgery and in uncertain health. There’s a parliamentary election coming next month, a crucial presidential vote next...
Middle East: A bad month for media freedom
Ashraf Khalil: A bad month for media freedom in the Middle East
Middle East: A bad month for media freedom
It's not going well for maverick, boundary-pushing journalists this month. In Morocco edgy magazine Nichane closed its doors, with the publisher claiming it was the victim of an advertising boycott ordered by the royal palace. In Syria, a young...
Ashraf Khalil: Editor’s prediction comes to pass
Ashraf Khalil: Editor’s prediction comes to pass
Editor’s prediction comes to pass
Ibrahim Eissa, the iconic editor-in-chief of Egypt’s al Dostour daily newspaper, practically telegraphed his own professional demise. In a column last week, discussing the recent shutdown of a satellite news programme, Eissa made ominous...
Egypt’s “Emergency Law Martyr”
Ashraf Khalil: Egypt’s “Emergency Law Martyr”