Today's Exclusive Columns
A New President, Now What?
Do not congratulate me if you think I am happy that a “reformist” (read with extra sarcastic emphasis) has won the Iranian presidential election in Iran. I find nothing more saddening than the message...
The Roots of Muslim Rage? Comfy Counter-Narratives Don’t Address Them!
When the Muslim community in America reaches a point of finally talking about the issues of radicalism that face Muslim youth, that’s a sure sign that we’ve progressed. Surely, intolerance and hate ar...
Mosireen Empowers Citizen Journalists
Continuing my look (aslan-media-columns/above-the-fold/item/336-poignant-crowd-sourced-film-recreates-the-palestinian-experience#.UYHBECvEpn8) at the use of crowd funding in the Middle East, in this p...
I’ve Been Lost
I have been relatively quiet these past few weeks for Aslan Media. "Why?", you ask? Because the situation in Egypt depresses me. I may not be Egyptian, but as an expat witnessing this ong...
Mideast Arts & Culture
Parkour life: Iranian Women Get Physical
On any given Friday, groups of young women across Iran can be seen jumping from rooftops, scaling the graffitied walls of apartment blocks, and catapulting themselves over stairways. They are...
Shohreh Aghdashloo, From Tehran To Hollywood
Iranian American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in "House of Sand and Fog" (2003), writes about her life journey from Tehran under siege to...
Reza Aramesh on Bringing His Images of Violence to NYC Nightclubs
In his first U.S. exhibition, the Iranian-born, London-based artist Reza Aramesh has brought his highly political works into what would initially seem, to those unfamiliar with his work, to be...
Vote4Zahra: A Virtual Candidate for Iran’s Elections (Part Two)
This is part two of our interview with Zahra’s Paradise author and co-creator Amir Soltani. Click here (arts-culture/mideast-art/21339-vote4zahra-a-virtual-candidate-in-iran-s-upcoming-elections-part-one) to read part one. Aslan Media contributing writer Roxanne Rashedi recently had a...
The Use Of The Written Word In The Art Of Shirin Neshat & Lalla Essaydi
While often perceived as a purely aural element, the word is as important a visual tool in politically-motivated art. Shirin Neshat and Lalla Essaydi, two artists known for their use of calligraphy,...
‘Indecent’ ballet? Egyptian Islamist lawmaker angers dancers
An Islamist member of Egypt’s Shura Council has stirred controversy for describing ballet dancing as “the art of nudity,” prompting objections from a number of dancers. Council member Gamal Hamed, of...
NEWSDESK
War Against Activists: Turning Saudi Arabia Into A Big Prison
- Details
- Written by Eman Jueid
- Category: In Other News
In a secret session on 10 April 2012, the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh sentenced Mohammed Saleh Al-Bajady, who was denied legal representation, to four years in prison followed by a five-year travel ban. A day later, the same court sentenced Dr. Yousif Al Ahmad, dean of the law faculty of Imam Mohamed Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, to five years in prison, a five-year travel ban, and a 27,500-dollar fine. The sentence of both Saudi political activists demonstrates a recent shift in the legal proceedings of Saudi prisoners of conscience. Not only has the imposition of travel bans as a form of punishment been alarmingly increased; peaceful political activists are also being tried in a court whose mandate is to prosecute terrorist and security-related offenses. Where the Ministry of Interior was once the sole institution that issued such punishments, today it is using the courts to give the arbitrary travel bans a legitimate façade. The ministry’s ability to render arbitrary travel bans and overstep the judicial branch are, however, still intact. In light of increasing political activism and mobilization across the Kingdom in the last year, the ministry has resorted to unwarranted travel bans and the special court to suppress freedom of speech and to give a distorted legal legitimacy to its orchestrated attack on dissent.
READ MORE AT Jadaliyya
*Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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