Free speech and censorship
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Press killings in Afghanistan
Afghan journalists forced to run a murderous gauntlet
In recent months, Afghanistan has been rocked by a wave of targeted killings aiming at civil rights activists and journalists. Marian Brehmer talked to Mujeeb Khalvatgar, director of NGO NAI – Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, about the dire situation currently facing Afghan journalists
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Alireza Abiz' "Censorship of Literature in Post-Revolutionary Iran"
Iranian literature – the censor’s mindset
The Islamic Republic has a strict and often arbitrary system of censoring artistic and journalistic works. An in-depth investigation by writer Alireza Abiz uncovers the details and their impact on the book trade. By Gerrit Wustmann
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Lebanon slips further into the abyss
The assassination of Lokman Slim – silencing no lamb
Lokman’s killing underlines that the space for dissent is closing fast in Lebanon. Over the past year or so, the political leadership’s tolerance for criticism has been decreasing, with an increasing number of journalists and critics taken into custody. Maha Yahya reflects
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Five years after the murder of Giulio Regeni
Europe's dangerous Egypt policy
Egypt has never been called to account for the murder of Giulio Regeni, nor for the numerous human rights violations committed by the Sisi regime. Focusing only on stability, European governments are increasingly losing touch with actual developments in Egypt, say Lars Brozus and Stephan Roll
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Interview with Ask Project initiator Corey Gil-Shuster
Ask Israelis, ask Palestinians – beyond black and white
In 2012, fed up with people expressing clear-cut opinions on the rights and wrongs of the Middle East conflict, Canadian conflict researcher and long-time Israeli resident Corey Gil-Shuster grabbed his video camera and went out onto the streets in Israel and the Occupied Territories to ask ordinary people their views. The result: the Ask project. Inge Gunther met up with him for Qantara.de in Tel Aviv
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Interview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm
The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peace
Given that the political landscape in Israel is once more expected to shift to the right in the upcoming general elections, philosopher Omri Boehm argues in his forthcoming book – "A future for Israel" – for more open discussion on alternatives to the failed two-state solution, including the taboo concept of a Jewish state. Interview by Rene Wildangel for Qantara.de
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Arab Spring ten years on
Tunisia is paralysed by a political culture of consensus
Recent unrest shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's followed Tunisia's trajectory. The image of the North African country as the only "survivor" of the uprisings in the region is misleading, writes Sarah Mersch
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27th Men's Handball World Championship
Egypt 2021, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s search for a fig leaf
Hosting major sports tournaments can confer prestige on a country, but in the case of Egypt, the 2021 Handball World Championship will do little to repair relations with either the United States, Italy, or the Arab Gulf states, argues James M. Dorsey
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Facing down Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The chutzpah of opposition politician Canan Kaftancioglu
Left-wing CHP leader Canan Kaftancioglu inflicted a humiliating defeat on Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul in 2019. Now the Turkish president wants revenge in court. Yet Kaftancioglu seems unlikely to go down without a fight, having recently sued both Erdogan and his interior minister for defamation, after they branded her a "terrorist". By Daniel Bellut
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Interview with human rights activist Rabah Arkam
Algeria's protesters continue their "Revolution of Smiles"
The coronavirus pandemic brought mass pro-democracy protests in Algeria to an abrupt end. Exploiting the distraction engendered by the health crisis, the new Algerian government has launched a crackdown on opponents and activists. Can the new constitution be instrumental in bringing about change? Elisa Rheinheimer-Chabbi spoke to Algerian-American human rights activist Rabah Arkam
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Culture and innovation in the Arab world
Where are the new Arab icons?
As the photo of Fairouz talking to French President Emmanuel Macron spread around the world, many asked if Arabs today had any contemporary stars of Fairouz's standing. In this essay for Qantara.de, Khaled Al-Khamissi answers this question and asks whether there is a place for up-and-coming stars in a world that is so hostile to creativity and originality
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Interview with Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri
"We are lucky to be alive today"
In August 1978, four men set fire to the Cinema Rex in the Iranian city of Abadan, killing more than four hundred people inside. The event is said to have started the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Shah's regime. Forty years later, "Careless Crime" by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri depicts four men planning to burn down a cinema in a contemporary Iran where ghosts of the past haunt the current society. Interview by Schayan Riaz