Saudi ties tongues of it's journalists

[Sultan]

Published Saturday, June 2, 2012

Once again, Saudi Arabia has adopted a new law that goes against the global trend towards freedom.

A few days ago, the Saudi cabinet issued a law proposed by the Information and Culture Minister, Abdel Aziz Khoja, confining the practice of journalism to journalists accredited by the Saudi Journalists Association (SJA).

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Saudi_Journalists_pic_1.jpg


The law, which is now in effect, transforms the SJA into a governmental body forcing workers in this profession to request membership in the association in order to make their work legitimate. The regime will, of course, interfere in the process of accepting or rejecting applicants’ membership, which in turn will prevent some journalists from writing in Saudi media outlets.


Never in the history of the world press has journalists’ ability to write in newspapers been conditional on their membership in a trade union or association.


Bear in mind that the SJA is not a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) because it violates the organization’s conditions. It is not an independent institution and it does not respect the international standards of trade union work.


This most recent decision deprives the Saudi press of many writers that work in independent fields that are not directly related to news journalism, such as women’s issues, cultural issues like cinema, theater and newly published books in addition to Opinion-editorial columnists who are not necessarily journalists.



http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-ties-tongues-its-journalists

Very soon the Gulf is going to get it's Spring.

Very soon these kings and......................... well I cant even say queens because they have 20+ wives which would they call queen!
anyway their thrones will fall

our people are tired of dictators and thieves and being silenced and beaten as they steal our countries wealth for their families and mafias

[Conley]

I disagree with

"Once again, Saudi Arabia has adopted a new law that goes against the global trend towards freedom. "


I think the global trend is going in the opposite direction unfortunately.

[wingrider]

just curious... if you were in command and you made the rules ,, what would be your policy for freedom for all of your people.?

[roadmaster]

just curious... if you were in command and you made the rules ,, what would be your policy for freedom for all of your people.?

Good question.

[roadmaster]

anyway their thrones will fall

Yes, but the ones not afraid to stand with Jesus will not fall. He will not ever leave you nor forsake you. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” faith, hope, and love will be your foundation, put on the whole armor of God. You will have to decide to stand up for Gods words or retrieve, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

[Trinnity]

I hope the ME wants real democracy, not a takeover by the MB and other fundie Islamists.

Sorry, Sultan and moon, I have nothing against you and don't judge you complicit in anything "bad", but I really think powerful elements including AQ want a pan-Islamic empire to encompass the world. The Ottoman Empire was all about it and is to this day. Those conflicts never stopped, imo and go on to this day.

Jihadists have been pursuing this for centuries.

[Deadwood]

just curious... if you were in command and you made the rules ,, what would be your policy for freedom for all of your people.?


Well, how about the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, or the slightly more advanced Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

Let's start there....

[Sultan]

I hope the ME wants real democracy, not a takeover by the MB and other fundie Islamists.

Sorry, Sultan and moon, I have nothing against you and don't judge you complicit in anything "bad", but I really think powerful elements including AQ want a pan-Islamic empire to encompass the world. The Ottoman Empire was all about it and is to this day. Those conflicts never stopped, imo and go on to this day.

Jihadists have been pursuing this for centuries.


But YOUR now Secretary of State says you are responsible for the monster YOU created and funded and armed because they were not seen as terrorists then by your country. They were not seen as fundamentalist fanatics then by Americans even though as you say they have been that for centuries. Thats because they were YOUR jihadists. They were working for you. On your side fighting the Soviets. They were still the same mental jihadists with the same Wahabi ideology.

Back then you had no problem with them. How can that be?
At what date did they suddenly become the enemy number one where before they were allies and friends?
When did that happen?

Your intelligence services knew exactly what they were dealing with, their ideology, their taste for suicide bombing etc etc etc.
But back then they were the allies not the enemy were they not.

You made that Frankenstein stronger. You made it's nest Saudi stronger and do to this day.

Who are the real terrorists because the Saudis are saying the exact same things Americans say today.

We need to fight these communists.

Tell who are these communists who are threatening the world peace?

Russia and China who are desperately vetoing and trying to stop yet another US led war in the region?

Those guys?

[Sultan]

Here you can listen to your OWN Secretary of State admit to the world that the US CREATED the Frankenstein AQ.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifZK6SVlQ1Y

[Sultan]

This is what happens when you create monsters and fund them and support them with billions $$$$$ and weapons and building contracts then you lose control of them. Bin Laden family are one of the richest and most powerful in the region. ALL WAHABIS!!!! Their bank accounts are all in $$$$$$.

Their friends include the Bushes and other US mafia.

Here is a link to an entire book chapter by chapter on the House of Saud and Bush

Read it and you will see many things



http://www.american-buddha.com/lit.ungerhouseofbush.htm

[moon]

just curious... if you were in command and you made the rules ,, what would be your policy for freedom for all of your people.?

A good start;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Provisional_Constitution_of_Egypt
2011 Provisional Constitution of Egypt

[wingrider]

A good start;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Provisional_Constitution_of_Egypt
2011 Provisional Constitution of Egypt
that artical is superficial at best , it is only a general outline and doesn't spell out any individual rights or freedoms,, I would have to see more detail before I could make a comparative and rational observation.. but thanks for posting it.

[wingrider]

Well, how about the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, or the slightly more advanced Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

Let's start there....
good choices and I approve.. but the middle east won't accept that .. reason being no room in there for sharia law.

[waltky]

Journalists and reporters havin' a hard time of it...
:shocked:
UN Monitor Cites Human Rights Abuses of Journalists, Lawyers in Iran
October 24, 2012 — The United Nations expert charged with monitoring the human rights situation in Iran warns that there are “alarming trends” in the country’s human rights situation, including the prosecution of human rights defenders and lawyers, executions in the absence of fair trials, and the detention of journalists and Internet commentators.


U.N. Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed says in his third report to the U.N. General Assembly that the overall human rights situation in Iran is “deeply troubling.” The country has one of the highest execution rates in the world, often for crimes, such as drug offenses, which are not considered to be among the most serious and deserving of capital punishment under international standards. Just this week, Tehran announced that 10 more persons were executed for alleged drug crimes. Minors also have been subject to the death penalty.

At a news conference Wednesday, Shaheed reported figures indicating that journalists and lawyers are among Iran’s most persecuted professionals. “On the whole the human rights situation in the country still remains disturbing. For example, Iran currently detains one of the highest numbers of journalists anywhere in the world, with over 40 still in prison,” Shaheed said. Shaheed's report says at least 19 journalists were arrested between January and May of this year, 10 of whom have since been released. He says prison conditions for reporters are poor and often include periods in solitary confinement.

Shaheed says other journalists have been subjected to constant surveillance, along with the threat of arrest and detention of family members, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. Citizen journalists and Internet commentators also have been detained under laws that regulate Internet content and activities and require Internet cafés to document and store information about users and their online histories for at least six months. “New Cyber Crimes and Cyber Café laws seek to limit freedom of expression and the right to information and have apparently been employed to prosecute those who use media to criticize the government. Nineteen “Netizens” are reportedly detained, four of whom are sentenced to death,” Shaheed said.

More http://www.voanews.com/content/un-iran-human-rights/1532863.html

See also:

Number of murdered Somali reporters grows to 16
Oct 24,`12 -- The list of murdered Somali journalists keeps growing longer, and no one seems able to stop it.


The death of Ahmed Saakin Farah brought the number to 16 Somali journalists killed this year, most in targeted attacks by gunmen who know there is little chance they will be caught or jailed. Assailants shot Farah, a 25-year- old reporter for the London-based Universal TV, three times in the head around 9 p.m. Tuesday in the northern region of Somaliland. "It's a shocking murder, and part of the anti-media campaign," Abdullahi Ahmed Nor, a fellow journalist, said Wednesday. "It was a big loss for us, his friends and family."

Somalia has been one of the most dangerous places to operate as a journalist this year. The irony for journalists is that Mogadishu, on the whole, is far safer than it was when the Islamist extremists, al-Shabab, controlled most of the city from 2007-2011. African Union troops forced al-Shabab out in August 2011, leading to less violence and a general revival of business, the arts and sports. But a campaign targeting journalists has accelerated this year, and one sad fact seems likely to be fueling the murders: No suspects have been arrested for any of the crimes. Most of the killings have taken place in Mogadishu, but the latest murder, in the northern, semi-independent territory of Somaliland, could be a sign that the scourge of media deaths is spreading.

Killings of journalists during the Mogadishu conflict years was most certainly carried out by al-Shabab in retaliation for stories the group saw as negative, said Tom Rhodes, of the Committee to Protect Journalists. But since 2012, the list of potential killers has come to include business leaders and politicians, he said. "Everyone knows in Somalia that you can kill a journalist and there will be no repercussions," he said, adding: "The other problem is that some of the perpetrators of these murders may very well be those in authority so they can hide behind their positions."

Though Mogadishu is safer than in years past, and though the government is slowly gaining some strength, the time that a skilled police force and competent judicial system are in operation is far off. The media landscape is blooming, but the killings make clear that some sectors of Somali society do not want a free media. The international community has increased its calls for government officials to stop the attacks and to punish those responsible for previous killings, but no progress has been made.

MORE (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_SOMALIA_JOURNALIST_KILLED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-24-17-40-44)

[shaarona]

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-ties-tongues-its-journalists

Very soon the Gulf is going to get it's Spring.

Very soon these kings and......................... well I cant even say queens because they have 20+ wives which would they call queen!
anyway their thrones will fall

our people are tired of dictators and thieves and being silenced and beaten as they steal our countries wealth for their families and mafias

I wouldn't put much stock in nything Mariame Abdullah has to say.

[shaarona]

good choices and I approve.. but the middle east won't accept that .. reason being no room in there for sharia law.

You have spent time in Arabia and talked with jouralists there?

[patrickt]

In the U.S., the journalist in the major media would love such a law. They want "citizen journalists" shut down while they are shills for the liberals. We've heard those on the left demanding action from the FCC to shut down any opposition and fairly constant harangues against "citizen journalists". When you consider what the media doesn't tell us and the lies they do tell us we are fortunate to have "citizen journalists". Sure, some of it is crap but so is some of what the "citizen journalists" produce.

[shaarona]

In the U.S., the journalist in the major media would love such a law. They want "citizen journalists" shut down while they are shills for the liberals. We've heard those on the left demanding action from the FCC to shut down any opposition and fairly constant harangues against "citizen journalists". When you consider what the media doesn't tell us and the lies they do tell us we are fortunate to have "citizen journalists". Sure, some of it is crap but so is some of what the "citizen journalists" produce.

Frequently "citizen journalists" are FOS and don't bother with facts or vetting any story.

[patrickt]

Frequently "citizen journalists" are FOS and don't bother with facts or vetting any story.

As oppose to traditional media that manufactures bogus video and audio tapes and simply lie to promote their agenda? The popular media marches pretty much in lockstep and we need alternatives. In the U.S., professional journalism has become nothing more than shills for liberals.

And, I should mention that I don't support Monarchies either in Saudi Arabia or the U.S.

[shaarona]

As oppose to traditional media that manufactures bogus video and audio tapes and simply lie to promote their agenda? The popular media marches pretty much in lockstep and we need alternatives. In the U.S., professional journalism has become nothing more than shills for liberals.

And, I should mention that I don't support Monarchies either in Saudi Arabia or the U.S.

The Saudi monarchy is an enigma to many westerners since they rule by consensus..

My considerable direct experience with journalists in Arabia is an obligtion to be accurate.

[Deadwood]

The Saudi monarchy is an enigma to many westerners since they rule by consensus..

My considerable direct experience with journalists in Arabia is an obligtion to be accurate.


If you had done half the things you have claimed you would have to be 220 years old

[shaarona]

If you had done half the things you have claimed you would have to be 220 years old

Don't be a fool..

My experience is well documented.... and is not a slam on your ego or your lack of experience.