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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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Middle East

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 57 for 13 - 19 January 2006

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

EGYPT: Interview with Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Essam al-Arian
EGYPT: Women activists slam early retirement plan
EGYPT: UNHCR granted more time to interview Sudanese
EGYPT: 250 Sudanese detainees released
IRAQ: Call for release of newspaper editor in Kurdish north
IRAQ: Activists call for protection of academics
IRAQ: Shortage of fuel resulting in prohibitive prices
IRAQ: Questioning election results, Sunni parties demand re-vote
IRAQ: Flooding in southern city displaces hundreds
IRAQ: New offensive in Anbar leads to more displacement
IRAQ: Power shortages continue to affect millions
IRAQ: Suspected bird flu case in northern Iraq
IRAQ: Rise in numbers living with HIV/AIDS, says health ministry
JORDAN: Year in Brief 2005 – A chronology of democratic developments
JORDAN: Year in Review 2005 – Democratic developments
JORDAN: Researcher denounces inaccurate rights terminology in textbooks
LEBANON: Trial of human rights defender postponed
LEBANON: Disabled remain marginalised, study finds
LEBANON: No reduction in medical care for refugees, says UNRWA
LEBANON-SYRIA: Arrival of new UN investigator gets mixed reaction
SYRIA: Year in Brief 2005 - A chronology of democratic developments
SYRIA: Year in Review 2005 - Developments in democracy
YEMEN: Conference encourages women to vote, run for office

EGYPT: Interview with Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Essam al-Arian

The Muslim Brotherhood made major gains in Egypt’s parliamentary elections in December 2005, making it the biggest opposition to the ruling National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak, which has dominated politics in the country for more than two decades.

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EGYPT: Women activists slam early retirement plan

Reforms permitting optional early retirement for women from the semi-private industrial sector will result in increased marginalisation of female workers, according to women’s groups.

Full report

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EGYPT: UNHCR granted more time to interview Sudanese

The Egyptian government granted UN refugee agency UNHCR an unspecified amount of time to continue interviewing hundreds of Sudanese. They are still being held in detention centres after their involvement last month in a violent confrontation with police.

Full report

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EGYPT: 250 Sudanese detainees released

Late on Wednesday afternoon 250 Sudanese detainees were released in Cairo, following intensive negotiations between the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the Egyptian government.

Full report

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IRAN: Year in Review 2005

During 2005, Iran was on a rollercoaster ride of earthquakes, disasters, major political reshuffles and high-profile human rights cases. And all of this overshadowed by an escalating nuclear crisis and a new Islamic fundamentalist president

Full report

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IRAQ: Call for release of newspaper editor in Kurdish north

The Kurdish Association of Journalists (KAJ) has continued to express concern over the imprisonment of a writer accused of committing libel against the Kurdish authorities in the north and sentenced last month to 30 years in jail.

Full report

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IRAQ: Activists call for protection of academics

A network of human rights activists and journalists has called for the protection of local academics and higher level educational institutions.

Full report

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IRAQ: Shortage of fuel resulting in prohibitive prices

Ongoing shortages of fuel and constant attacks on oil refineries are causing abrupt increases in official fuel prices as well as price hikes on the black market in the capital, Baghdad

Full report

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IRAQ: Questioning election results, Sunni parties demand re-vote

Sunni political parties are demanding an opportunity to recast ballots after the disqualification of 227 ballot boxes on Monday due to alleged fraud in the 15 December parliamentary elections.

Full report

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IRAQ: Flooding in southern city displaces hundreds

Hundreds of people have been displaced by severe floods in the southern city of Safwan, some 45 km southwest of Basra.

Full report

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IRAQ: New offensive in Anbar leads to more displacement

Nearly 200 families have been displaced in the western governorate of Anbar as a result of a military offensive launched by US troops backed by the Iraqi Army on 15 December.

Full report

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IRAQ: Power shortages continue to affect millions

Lengthy power cuts over the past two weeks due to insecurity and a decrease in oil production are seriously affecting the lives of Iraqis in the capital, Baghdad.

Full report

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IRAQ: Suspected bird flu case in northern Iraq

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday announced the death of a 14-year-old girl, suspected to have died from the avian virus, or “bird flu,” in northern Iraq.

Full report

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IRAQ: Rise in numbers living with HIV/AIDS, says health ministry

The health ministry has announced an increase in newly reported cases of HIV/AIDS over the past few months, the first such pronouncement since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

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JORDAN: Year in Brief 2005 – A chronology of democratic developments

The population of Jordan is divided into two main groups: Transjordanians (East Bankers), the original inhabitants of Jordan, and Palestinians (West Bankers) who have settled in Jordan since the creation of Israel in 1948. No official figures are available on the numbers of Jordanians of Palestinian origin, which remains a highly sensitive issue, but conservative estimates put the figure at some 50 percent of the population.

Full report

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JORDAN: Year in Review 2005 – Democratic developments

When King Abdullah II bin al Hussein began his reign in 1999 after succeeding his father, the late King Hussein, the young monarch promised to deliver on democratisation and political liberalisation.

Full report

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JORDAN: Researcher denounces inaccurate rights terminology in textbooks

Jordanian authorities should revise national school textbooks in order to avoid erroneous human rights terminology from being taught, a researcher from the quasi-governmental National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) said.

Full report

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LEBANON: Trial of human rights defender postponed

The trial of a prominent human rights lawyer due to appear in a Beirut court earlier this week has been adjourned to 20 March due to procedural errors.

Full report

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LEBANON: Disabled remain marginalised, study finds

Disabled people in Lebanon continue to be marginalised in terms of education and employment, according to a new report released on Saturday

Full report

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LEBANON: No reduction in medical care for refugees, says UNRWA

The UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) refuted accusations that it had reduced the quality of medical care for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, following reports of deteriorating health services.

Full report

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LEBANON-SYRIA: Arrival of new UN investigator gets mixed reaction

With the imminent arrival of Serge Brammertz, the United Nation’s new chief inspector mandated with investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a broad cross section of Syrian society remains skeptical

Full report

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SYRIA: Year in Brief 2005 - A chronology of democratic developments

June 2000 - President Hafez al-Assad dies of heart failure after 30 years as president, ushering in a new political age. The Regional Command of the ruling Ba’ath party nominates al-Assad’s son, Bashar, for president. The national constitution is amended to lower the age requirement for president to allow Bashar to stand

Full report

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SYRIA: Year in Review 2005 - Developments in democracy

Over the past number of years a series of events has served to accentuate Syria's isolation both regionally and abroad, according to analysts.

Full report

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YEMEN: Conference encourages women to vote, run for office

A civil society group held a meeting on Wednesday that brought together 150 women to discuss the most effective ways to raise awareness about the importance of female participation in upcoming elections.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Democracy

Other recent MIDDLE EAST reports:

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 61 for 10 - 16 February 2006, 16/Feb/06

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 60 for 3 - 9 February 2006, 12/Feb/06

Journalists hoping to improve reporting on HIV/AIDS, 9/Feb/06

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 59 for 27 January - 2 February 2006, 5/Feb/06

Gulf support for quake likely to continue into reconstruction, 2/Feb/06

Other recent Democracy & Governance reports:

ZIMBABWE: Mugabe delivers broadside to neighbours, 21/Feb/06

SYRIA: US funding offer for NGOs draws mixed reactions, 21/Feb/06

UGANDA: Official campaigns end two days before polls, 21/Feb/06

SOUTH AFRICA: Govt adopts more focused approach to help orphans, 21/Feb/06

ANGOLA: Ready to play larger security role in Africa, 21/Feb/06

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