Israel is hosting Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Is it acceptable to use it as a forum to address Israel’s political occupation in Palestine?
Middle East articles on Democracy Chronicles
View news about the struggle for democracy in the troubled Middle East where vast cultural change and persistent political violence cry out for democracy. Also see our World Democracy section and our articles on the ongoing Arab Spring.
Criminal Conviction Of Saudi Women’s Rights Defender Upheld in Court
Loujain al-Hathloul is a human rights lawyer who should be respected for her nonviolent advocacy in Saudi Arabia, not labelled terrorist.
Palestine’s Impossible Democracy Dilemma
If the upcoming elections in Palestine go off without a hitch, they will provide a ray of hope for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.
Lebanon Authorities Step Up Repression Against Protesters
Lebanese authorities are using terrorism related charges to prosecute protesters and pursue summoning civilians before military courts
Will Armenia’s Political Turmoil Undo Its Democracy?
For 30 years, Armenia was a regional force, able to defeat its neighbor and claim land it believed was rightfully its own. Until it wasn’t.
Iraq Imprisoning Freelance Journalists For Protest Reporting
Three Iraqi journalists were jailed as reprisal for their social media coverage of the wave of protests in the Kurdistan Region.
Will Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton Stand for Saudi Rights?
Lewis Hamilton asked to reconsider participation in the upcoming race being hosted in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
10 Years Since Arab Spring, Repression Fails To Stop New Activism
Although the Arab Spring largely failed with dictatorships still dominant in the Arab world new activism has not been stopped by repression.
Saudi Women’s Rights Defenders Should Be Immediately Released
Although Loujain al-Hathloul has been released several other women’s rights defenders remain arbitrarily detained by the Saudi government.
Bahrain: 10 years on, pro-democracy movement crushed
10 years on, the demo-optimism that drove the February 2011 movement for democracy in Bahrain as been crushed as the world looks on.