News and Views by Region
Yemen: 'Tawakkul Karman as Cause and Effect'
Political activist Tawakkul Karman has brought Yemen’s revolution to New York, speaking directly on October 20 with Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and organizing rallies at the United Nations headquarters in lower Manhattan, the largest of which is slated for the afternoon of October 21. The purpose of her visit is to keep pressure on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that reflects the aspirations of the overwhelming numbers of Yemenis who have sustained peaceful calls for change for the nine long months since protests began in late January. Arriving newly anointed by the Nobel Committee, which named her as one of three recipients of the 2011 Peace Prize, Karman fears -- as does much of the Yemeni opposition, in its many forms -- that the UN will merely reiterate the approximate parameters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative put forth in April.
Tunisia: 'In the Name of Democracy - What Secularists and Women Have to Lose in the Tunisian Elections'
On the eve of the elections in Tunisia that will shape the future of the country and even that of the Arab world as well, Western do-gooders and Islamic fundamentalists hand in hand rejoice in ‘Tunisia’s first free elections’ and its access to ‘ democracy’. The recent history of Iran and Algeria have taught us better… And women in Tunisia watch in horror the rise of Muslim fundamentalists, as a possible replication of the Algerian scenario of 1989 .
Bahrain: Rula al-Saffar Tells How She Was Tortured and Jailed for Treating Injured Protesters
![Rula al-Saffar, a medical professor who volunteered at a hospital when it was overwhelmed with injured protesters. [Guardian]](/files/images/Rula-Al-Saffar-007.thumbnail.jpg "Rula al-Saffar, a medical professor who volunteered at a hospital when it was overwhelmed with injured protesters. [Guardian]")
When a Bahraini hospital started to take in casualties from the violent crackdown on protesters earlier this year, Rula al-Saffar was one of the first to volunteer. As a medical professor and president of the Bahraini Nursing Society, she was not on the staff of the overwhelmed Salmaniya hospital, but doctors needed all the help they could get.
Saffar could not have known at the time that in stepping in to help save lives she was endangering her own.
Tunisia's Election Through the Eyes of Women
![Tunisia's fledgeling democracy offers particular challenges and opportunities for the nation's women [REUTERS]](/files/images/Tunisias%20Fledgling%20Democracy%20-%20Reuters.thumbnail.jpg "Tunisia's fledgeling democracy offers particular challenges and opportunities for the nation's women [REUTERS]")
Al Jazeera speaks to Tunisian women from across the political spectrum about their hopes and fears for Sunday's poll.
The role of women in the new Tunisia has been a controversial issue throughout the transitional period, with some fearful that they would lose precious rights from the previous era, and others arguing for a return to traditional values.
Early on in the democratic transition, an ambitious was introduced to ensure women would have a voice in the constituent assembly.
For some, however, this law did not go far enough. There are no gender quotas for seats in the assembly, for example.
Iran: 280 Activists Condemn Flogging Sentence for Marzieh Vafamehr
A issued on behalf of 280 Iranian cultural and social activists is expressing their support for Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who has been sentenced to flogging for her role in “My Tehran for Sale.”
Vafamehr has been sentenced to one year in prison and 90 lashes for playing the lead role in the film by Geranaz Mousavi.
The project was conceived as a 40-minute film, for which the filmmaker had acquired permission from Iran’s Ministry of Guidance. It was completed as a feature-length film and was distributed in Tehran after completion.
Iran: A Long Run to Comply with Human Rights Obligations
Geneva, 18th October 2011. The Human Rights Committee sent a clear message to the Iranian delegation during the review of the third periodic report on 17 and 18 October 2011. The lack of transparency in the written information sent by the State, as well as the deviating responses during the review, prevented this mechanism to yield its potential as a space for constructive dialogue.
The Committee had a fruitful exchange with the civil society on issues of concern in Iran hours before the Review.
Iran: Film Actress Sentenced to 90 Lashes
An Iranian court has sentenced an Iranian actress to one year in jail and 90 lashes related to her role in an Australian-made film portraying social alienation, artistic repression and drug use in Iran, according to an Iranian opposition website.
"In an outcome that could have been lifted from the pages of the movie's script"--""--the film's lead actress, Marzieh Vafamehr, "was arrested in July and received her sentence at the weekend, according to reports quoting Iranian opposition website kalameh.com," the Sydney Morning Herald .
Yemen: Women Attacked During Peace Prize Celebrations
Dozens of women were reportedly injured in Yemen’s second-largest city on Sunday after government supporters attacked an anti-government rally celebrating Yemeni activist and winner .
According to reports, pro-government “thugs” threw stones at women who were taking part in a peaceful women’s march in the south-western city of Ta’izz.
“Yemeni authorities must protect the right to freedom of expression, which includes not tolerating violent attacks on peaceful marches,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program.
Lebanon: Engaging Men in Ending Violence Against Women
“Ending violence against women and having a society that truly espouses the principles of gender equality can only be done when men and women work together, side by side, as partners in achieving that goal.”
In an ever changing world, new Dimensions are needed in the fight to end violence against women and create a gender equal society. ABAAD (Dimensions) Resource Center for Gender Equality, a recently established Lebanese non-profit, non-politically affiliated and non-religious civil society organization, is working toward gender equality as an essential condition for sustainable social and economic development in the Middle East.
Yemen: Women Toppling 'Tradition'
The leading participation of Yemeni women in their country’s revolt is raising hopes that regime change may bring along a mini revolution in the public and political role of women
Taiz — Yemeni women did not merely challenge the taboos surrounding their blackchadors, and break away from the isolation of their homes as they marched to the various liberation squares across the country. They may be precipitating a minor revolution against Yemen’s conservative customs and traditions.