Arab report criticises limits of freedoms in the Maghreb
2008-12-23
The Egypt-based CIHRS releases its first report detailing the human rights situation in the Maghreb and the Arab world.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 23/12/08
 [www.cihrs.org] The new report assesses human rights and democracy in 12 Arab countries, including Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. |
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) released its first annual report last week, entitled "Exporting Terrorism to Exporting Repression". The report stresses that "the situation of human rights in the Arab world has increasingly deteriorated in 2008. Further, the already limited public and political freedoms in most countries have been subject to increased encroachments."
The CIHRS, founded in 1993 to promote human rights and democracy, evaluated 12 Arab countries, including Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
The report lauded Morocco's latest elections, calling the process "the relative best". However, it also noted that the elections revealed citizens' lack of confidence in the ability of political parties or the Parliament to "address declining living conditions, since the king is the main decision-maker."
The study was pessimistic about the transfer of power in Tunisia and Algeria. It noted that Algeria's referendum on the Constitution opened the way for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to extend his mandate to a third term.
The CIHRS report stated that the Tunisian regime has deterred political figures from running in the October presidential elections, "thus more or less turning the elections into a referendum." Only three candidates have so far announced their candidacy to challenge President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who has been in office since 1987.
The report also accused the Arab League of siding with what it called despotic regimes. "The League supported leaders of the military coup in their violation of the rights of Mauritanians, robbing them of their right to choose their rulers based on democratic criteria. … The Arab League has become a platform for attacking freedom of expression, especially in satellite and electronic media."
In a statement to Magharebia, Tunisian student Maha Ben Naser questioned the relevance of such reports. "Culprits are never held accountable, and certainly never get punished," she said. "We have never heard of any official in the Arab world being tried on grounds of human rights violations."
Conversely, student Hatem Weslati, who reviewed the report's synopsis online, noted, "This is indeed quite an important step. We have often treated criticism from international organisations as meddling in our own affairs. But when censure comes from within, we need to open our eyes to the human rights violations taking place around us."
It is noteworthy that during the current year, the Arab League-affiliated Union of Radio and Television released a Code of Conduct for Arab satellite channels. Many Arab media professionals saw it as a manacle to curb and monitor freedom of expression.
Many satellite channels, such as Al Jazeera, refused to comply.
The CIHRS report also identified several countries, such as Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as limiting religious freedom. The report frowned on many Arab regimes which failed to develop their societies, and instead forged alliances with the religious non-resistant Salafi movements.
"That, in turn, has resulted in enhancing religious extremism, and paves the way for further decline in human rights," the report concludes.
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عمر Posted 2008-12-23
Morocco is an example which should be followed in the field of human rights in the Arab World within the context of building a modern democratic society based on building new concepts based on human rights and ensuing public freedoms. An observer of the Moroccan issues would notice the wide margin of freedoms and liberties. These achievements can only be denied by a cynic.
Dziri58 Posted 2008-12-24
So where is the report concerning Egypt. Are we to assume that Egypt is a fully democratic country, therefore exampt from criticism or is it because the CIHRS are based in Egypt and consequently are too afraid to speak against their Leader for life Hosni Moubarek. According to the UN human rignts department Egypt holds one of the worst human rights records in the Arab world, so come on Magharebia get your facts right and don't mis-guide your readers by publishing biased reports from unreliable sources.
noureddine chedly guédria Posted 2008-12-24
This is a well-written article! Thank you! Have a happy new year in 2009, everyone!
مغربي Posted 2008-12-24
Which freedoms are you talking about dear Omar if a blogger was sentenced in three days to two years of prison; another teenager was sentenced because of Barça is sentenced to prison one year and a half? On the other hand, other more important cases take years in court in addition to repression against anyone who dares criticise someone. Forget about worn out and old slogans on paper. In Morocco, there was never a freedom of expression; it is not present either today. Yes they tell you there is freedom, but if you use it, prison awaits you. Look at poverty, unemployment and marginalization in popular streets and tell me which democracy you are talking about or by your Lord where do you live? The simplest human right is free medical care is this available in Morocco? It is up to you to answer this.
abdellaoui Posted 2008-12-25
This report by CIHRS is not credible because it obscures the real problems with the Maghreb.
azouzr Posted 2008-12-26
The Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is criticizing the attacks on liberties in the Maghreb – that is the best! – forgetting those in Ghaza, Somalia, Iraq and the oriental marriages with eight-year-old girls. Leave the Amazigh Maghreb to the Amazighs.
chouki Posted 2008-12-26
Go and see your Egypt my brother, Mubarak has being ruling for thirty years and you come to talk of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Go see yourselves my Egyptian brothers. You’re tired my brother.
mohamed Posted 2008-12-27
This is a bit like the groundhog that never saw his shadow. Not a single Arab country respects human rights – neither in the Maghreb, nor in the Middle East. We have to deal with the mafia, despotic, bloodthirsty regimes. All of our leaders have their sights set on their political seats, preparing their children for succession.
Ramy Raoof - CIHRS Media Officer Posted 2008-12-30
Concerning the comments made by Dziri58 and Chouki, I would like to mention that Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) reviewed in its first annual report the main Human Rights developments in 12 Arab countries including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. While we understand at CIHRS that www.magharebia.com focused on the human rights situation in the Maghreb. We would like to emphasize that the choice of countries was made in relation to their political weight and the role they play in the Arab regional order. Some countries, such as Morocco and Bahrain, were chosen due to the international perception of being most qualified for real democratic transformation. Whereas other countries, like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria, have been the subject of many international reform initiatives, while, at the same time, experiencing increasing domestic pressures for reform. Other countries were chosen because of their specific context, either as a result of occupation, as is the case in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, or because of civil wars or terrorist activities, as in Yemen, Sudan, and Lebanon, or for belonging to the both categories as in Iraq. The report dedicates a full chapter to the study of the impact of occupation and armed conflicts on the Human Rights situations in these countries. I would like to invite you all to read the report on CIHRS website: - Synopsis of the report in English: http://www.cihrs.org/Arabic/NewsSystem/Articles/548 - Report in Arabic: http://www.cihrs.org/english/newssystem/details.aspx?id=548 Ramy Raoof CIHRS Media Officer
Omar Posted 2008-12-30
There in no human rights or freedom in the entire arab world, not just in the Maghreb region, for those who claim otherwise, pretend all you like the fact is you cannot criticise any leader in all the arab world, when you do, you end up in jail or dead if you lucky. The only thing the arab world is improving at is corruption, it seems to get worse every year.
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