Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

High treason and contact with foreign parties (June 6th 2012)

Mohammed Abdelmawla al-Hariri the Syrian journalist who regularly provided updates to Al Jazeera has been sentenced to death. al-Hariri known as the ‘Citizen Journalist’ had the death sentence handed down on grounds of “high treason and contact with foreign parties”, however human rights activist groups claim the sentence is a further attempt to repress dissidents. The DOHA Centre claim “The Syrian League of the Defense of Human Rights dismisses the charges as “null and void”… The organisation claims that Hariri was tortured from the first day of his arrest and was forced to confess. “They broke his backbone and authorities refused to give him the proper medical care”… According to the Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, Hariri was tortured to the point of being partially paralysed. He has now been moved to the Saidnaya military prison north of Damascus. Local and international groups have criticised the death sentence of Hariri and demand it be revoked… Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is targeting the media in order to control what information is being broadcast out of the country. Foreign journalists are generally not allowed to enter the country. Other journalists who were already working in Syria had their accreditation revoked, faced arrest or were even tortured, trialed or killed.”

Inspired by DOHA Centre ow.ly/bgBSf image source Skeyes ow.ly/bgByn

Marriage between capitalism and democracy is over (November 10th)

Slavoj Žižek the 62 year old Slovenian philosopher and critical theorist has expressed concern for the future of western democratic capitalist societies. In an interview with Al Jazeera’s Tom Ackerman, Žižek analyses the contemporary mini revolutions taking place with the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the dissention in Europe with austerity issues. Žižek who is internationally recognized for his critical examination of both capitalism and socialism, states the “system [global financial and political] has lost its self-evidence, its automatic legitimacy, and now the field is open … What I’m afraid of is with this capitalism with Asian values, we get a capitalism much more efficient and dynamic than our western capitalism. But I don’t share the hope of my liberal friends – give them ten years, [and there will be] another Tiananmen Square demonstration – no, the marriage between capitalism and democracy is over.”

Inspired by Tom Ackerman http://ow.ly/7dfoJ image source Andy Miah http://ow.ly/7dfQO

Israel must clarify why it holds Allawi (September 4th)

Samer Allawi the chief of Al Jazeera Arabic’s Kabul bureau has been charged by the Israeli authorities as being a member of Hamas and having contact with its military leadership, following his arrest attempting to cross the occupied West Bank border with Jordan at the conclusion of three week holiday in his home town Sabastia. Allawi holds a Palestinian identity card was interrogated by Israeli intelligence forces about his work and management of the Al Jazeera’s Kabul bureau. Interrogated also about his personal financial status, and his relationships with work colleagues, friends, family and even his college/school days. Allawi regularly spends his summer vacation with family and friends in his occupied West Bank hometown. The Al-Jazeera Network along with human rights and press freedom groups, are demanding the Israeli authorities release Allawi immediately.

Inspired by Aljazeera http://ow.ly/69e4y image source Aljazeera http://ow.ly/69dOK

Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi the 38 year old second son of the Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi, has made a speech on Libyan state TV blaming the political turmoil in Libya on drunken and drugged tribal factions and Islamist extremists acting on their own agendas. al-Gaddafi warned of civil war causing no trade, no oil money, and a country taken over by foreigners. He blamed the foment unrest and violence in Libya on  Arab and African expatriates, vowing to fight until the last man standing. While promising reforms he vowed he would not allow Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya or the BBC to trick the population with their aim at installing Islamist rule. al-Gaddafi in his finger-wagging speech blamed the foreign media for inflating the death toll.

Inspired by Amir Ahmed, Yousuf Basil, Greg Botelho, Salma Abdelaziz, Holly Yan and Mitra Mobasherat ow.ly/43gHq image source Wikipedia ow.ly/43guq