· February, 2013

Below are posts about citizen media in Arabic. Don't miss Global Voices الأصوات العالمية, where Global Voices posts are translated into Arabic! Read about our Lingua project to learn more about how Global Voices content is being translated into other languages.

Stories about Arabic from February, 2013

Egypt: Armed Robbery Caught on Tape

  27 February 2013

A YouTube video of an armed robbery of a mobile phone shop in Egypt is making the rounds online. On Twitter, Ahmed Atia Aboshosha writes [ar]: سطو مسلح..المتهمون وجوههم واضحة جدا..إذا لم يقبض عليهم فليتقدم وزير الداخلية بالاستقالة..أعتذرعن ألفاظ خارجة بالفيديو @AD_Shosha: An armed robbery. The faces of the culprits...

A Monologue of Blood and Bullets Precedes Yemen's National Dialogue

  26 February 2013

Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi finally payed a long overdue visit to Aden on Sunday evening, February 24th, after four days of ongoing bloody clashes, which erupted between police and pro-independence demonstrators on Thursday. How will this effect the National Dialogue, scheduled to take place on March 18? Netizens weigh in as more violence shakes the country.

Police Torture Continues in Egypt

  24 February 2013

On Egyptian Chronicles, blogger Zeinobia talks about how the police continue to torture people. She shares the story of Ayman Mehana, who was attacked, arrested and allegedly sexually abused at the hands of police. She reminds her readers about why Egyptians took to the streets on January 25, 2011: This...

Lone Saudi Protester Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

  22 February 2013

When a Day of Rage was called for in Saudi Arabia back on March 11, 2011, only a handful of protesters challenged the heavy police presence and protested. Khaled al-Johani was the only one of them on tape. He was arrested on the same day and was held until 25 July, 2012. Many thought that he received a pardon. However, last Monday, the Riyadh Criminal Court held a session to issue the verdict in his case.

Saudi Arabia: Activist Accuses Judge of Conflict of Interest

  20 February 2013

Earlier today, February 20th, the first hearing session for Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association (ACPRA) co-founder Dr Abdulkareem al-Khadr was held at Criminal Court in Buraidah. Among his "crimes" are "calling for and inciting to break the law, spread chaos and disturb public tranquility and safety by writing and publishing a statement that calls for protesting in public squares."

Egyptians Elected Morsi Because …

  18 February 2013

On Twitter, Egyptians who voted for Mohamed Morsi in the Egyptian presidential elections in June 24 are remorseful - and their regret is evident in a new hashtag which reads: I elected Morsi because .. The hashtag [ar] #انا_انتخبت_مرسي_عشان generated tongue-in-cheek and sarcasm. Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, won the presidential runoff elections against Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister of Hosni Mubarak, who resigned after 32 years following 18 days of country-wide protests against his rule.

Saudi Charged for “Down with the House of Saud” Tweet

  16 February 2013

Bader Thawab is a Saudi Twitter user who was arrested back in September 2012 after writing tweets calling for the fall of the Saudi monarchy. Journalist Iman al-Qahtani managed to get a leaked copy of the list of charges that he faces, and published them online. Among the charges are following political dissidents on Twitter.

Saudi Women Protesters Arrested for “Impairing Development”

  13 February 2013

Last Saturday, February 9th, a small protest was organized in front of the building of Human Rights Commission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by a group of women and children including the wife, daughter and granddaughter of Suliman al-Rushoodi, the detained chairman of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association. The women were set free today - but the case against them was not dismissed. They will stand trial again on February 27.

Saudi Activist Trial Postponed Without Prior Notice

  4 February 2013

A new trial was supposed to start today [Feb 4, 2013] for Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association (ACPRA) co-founder Dr Abdulkareem al-Khudr. Two of the association's co-founders, Dr Abdullah al-Hamid and Dr Mohammad al-Qahtani, have been already under trial and contentious weekly interrogation for over the previous six months. al-Khudr is the author of several papers making the case for political and civil rights from an Islamic prospective, contradicting the state's official positions.

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