During his inauguration address, Iran’s new president Hassan Rouhani promised peace and a push towards a more open dialogue with the West. Although it is far too soon to gauge whether his promises will transform into policies as he pushes against Iran’s convoluted theocracy. Small Media reports
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Third Square movement hopes to unite Egyptians
Amidst Egypt’s conflict and division, a third group has emerged between the military and the Morsi supporters — one whose members hope to re-unite Egyptians behind the common cause of “a free, democratic and civil Egypt.” Shahira Amin reports
Saudi liberal blogger sentenced to 600 lashes and seven years in jail
A Saudi activist is being punished after calling for a “day of liberalism”, Padraig Reidy reports
Hamas shut down media bureaus over Egypt coverage
Gaza’s de-facto Hamas government closed the office of Al Arabiya, Palestinian network Ma’an news and the local production company Lens on Thursday....
Yemeni journalist released from prison
Abdul-Elah Haider Shaye was freed last night in Yemen after being kept in prison for three years at the request of Barack Obama. Iona Craig reports
Egypt, the military and the media: Worse yet to come?
After the fall of Egypt’s Islamist president this month, security officials shut down media linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. With a history of biased media and an increasingly divided nation, the future in Egypt looks grim. Shahira Amin reports
Free speech sidelined in Morocco
Despite promising reform and introducing a new constitution in 2011, Morocco’s treatment of dissidents indicates the changes were just window dressing, Samia Errazzouki writes
#withoutwords provides safe space for Syrian artists
A new London exhibition displays fine arts and visual installations from Syrian artists influenced by the conflict engulfing their country, Melody Patry writes
Egyptian army shuts down media outlets
Media outlets in Egypt sympathising with the now ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi have been shut down. Sara Yasin reports
The cost of tweeting in Bahrain
A Bahraini teenager has been given jail time for a tweet. Sara Yasin looks at how the country has pursued users of the popular social networking site