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May 24, 2013
in accountability, Authoritarianism, Civil Society, Dictatorships, Elections, freedom of association, Freedom of expression, Governance, Human rights, Iran, Middle East and North Africa, Opposition movements
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‘Even a soccer match needs two teams’: US questions credibility of Iran’s poll, sees ‘troubling signs’ of Internet denial
May 24, 2013
in Analysis, Arab Awakening, Arab Spring, Civil Society, Democratic transitions, Egypt, Elections, Middle East and North Africa, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs and Civil Society, Opposition movements, Protests
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Egypt’s ‘Rebels Without a Pause’ failing to capitalize on Brotherhood’s failures
The secret of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political survival and success is not only its hierarchical structure and Leninist-like discipline, but most importantly its religious cover, “which is enough to cause people to turn a blind eye to any wrongdoing …
May 24, 2013
in Authoritarianism, Civil Society, Democracy Assistance, Democracy Promotion, Human rights, Latin America and the Caribbean, NGOs and Civil Society, populism
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Nicaragua denies entry to International Democrats
Nicaragua’s Sandinista government has denied entry to a delegation from the International Democrat Union.
The group of four Latin American and European parliamentarians headed by Venezuelan former governor 
Henrique Fernando Salas (right) and opposition congressmen Carlos Berrizbeitia …
May 24, 2013
in Asia, China, Civil Society, Communist regimes, Democracy Assistance, Dictatorships, Dissidents, Freedom of expression, Human rights, National Endowment for Democracy, NGOs and Civil Society
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Sacred Right Defiled – repressing Uyghur religious freedom
Religious freedom continued to decline in China this year, according to the State Department’s 2012 Religious Freedom Report. The government “respect for religious freedom declined during the year, particularly in Tibetan areas and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Republic,” said …
May 24, 2013
in Arab Awakening, Arab Spring, Authoritarianism, Europe, freedom of association, Freedom of expression, Human rights, Islamist groups, Middle East and North Africa, Muslim Brotherhood, National Endowment for Democracy, NGOs and Civil Society, Turkey
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Turkey’s soft power ‘more soft than powerful’? Alcohol curbs raise fears of ‘creeping Islamization’
New restrictions on the sale and advertising of alcohol in Turkey are “prompting outcry from citizens concerned about the creeping Islamization of the country,” reports suggest.
Opposition lawmakers accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (above) and his ruling AK party …
May 24, 2013
in Authoritarianism, Civil Society, Communist regimes, Democracy Assistance, Dictatorships, Dissidents, Eurasia, freedom of association, Freedom of expression, Human rights, NGOs and Civil Society, Rule of Law, Russia
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Russia’s new anti-Americanism at work, as oldest rights group fights ‘foreign agent’ label
A Moscow court today rejected two appeals by one of Russia’s oldest human rights groups over prosecutors’ raids on its offices during a widespread Kremlin crackdown on civil society groups in March.
“Memorial, which has fought to preserve the …
May 24, 2013
in Bloggers, Civil Society, Cuba, Dictatorships, Dissidents, Freedom of expression, Human rights, Latin America and the Caribbean, Liberation Technology
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Internet lets Cubans transcend geography and speech curbs, dissident tells forum
New technologies are allowing Cuba’s independent voices “to narrate and to try to change our reality,” says a leading dissident.
“Here in Stockholm it has felt rather like Cuba, though certainly not because of the weather,” Yoani Sanchez writes from …
May 24, 2013
in accountability, Analysis, Arab Awakening, Arab Spring, Authoritarianism, backsliding, Civil Society, Democracy Assistance, Democratic transitions, Egypt, freedom of association, Freedom of expression, Human rights, Middle East and North Africa, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs and Civil Society
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Egypt’s NGO draft law ‘strikes fear’ into civil society, as cash-strapped Brotherhood ‘woos former regime tycoons’
Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood is trying to stifle civil society while pursuing reconciliation with bastions of the previous authoritarian regime.
“Almost three years after an uprising fuelled by the old regime’s venality, Egypt’s cash-strapped Islamist government is making amends with …
May 24, 2013
in Arab Awakening, Arab Spring, Civil Society, Democracy Assistance, Democratic transitions, Egypt, Human rights, Islamist groups, Libya, Middle East and North Africa, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen
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Supporting democratic transitions key to US counter-terror strategy, Obama says
Supporting democratic transitions in volatile regions like the Middle East will remain a key element of U. S. counter-terrorism strategy, President Barack Obama said today.
The peaceful realization of individual aspirations for freedom and dignity in countries like Libya, …
May 23, 2013
in Iran, Middle East and North Africa, National Endowment for Democracy, NGOs and Civil Society
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Iran’s Presidential Election and U.S. Policy
On June 14, the Iranian people will participate in an election to elect the Islamic Republic’s next President. While most observers do not expect the election to be free and fair, Iran’s political scene remains lively and competitive, within rigid …