Syrian blogger Amina Abdallah abducted

07 Jun 11 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost

Three armed men seized a Syrian blogger and forced her into a car yesterday evening (6 June), her cousin recorded the incident on her website. Amina Araf, a Syrian-American dual citizen who writes under the pen name, Amina Abdallah, discusses politics and sexuality on her blog, A Gay Girl in Damascus. She has been an outspoken critic of the Syrian government.

Editor’s note: Amina Abdallah has been discovered to be a hoax, perpetrated by Tom MacMaster, a 40 year old American studying for a masters at Edinburgh University in Scotland.

Al-Jazeera suspends Syrian bureau in response to attacks

28 Apr 11 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost

Al-Jazeera suspended its Arabic services in Syria yesterday (27 April) in response to attacks on its staff and government restrictions. The authorities have pressured Syrian nationals into resigning from the organisation and have prevented journalists from entering and reporting in Daraa, the city where the Syrian uprising began on March 15. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, unknown assailants have attacked the Al-Jazeera offices with eggs and stones for the past three days. The events mirror those in Egypt, where Al-Jazeera journalists were also subject to abuse and intimidation.