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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from January, 2021
Google’s plans for Saudi-based Cloud is ‘dangerous,’ says digital rights advocacy group
"With data stored in Saudi Arabia, Google and Snap will find themselves with little ability to resist government demands for users’ personal information."
Settlement pacts in Syria's Daraa: A hunt for dissidents
"Regime violations are not new...People of Dara'a were killed by air shelling and internationally-banned weapons. Thousands have been arrested. What is new is their silent death; death licensed by treaties."
Protests mount over Israeli medical apartheid during pandemic
Israel completely leaves out Palestinians under its occupation in its highly successful COVID-19 vaccination drive, already covering over a quarter of its population since mid-December.
Sudan-Ethiopia border tensions mount in conflicted al-Fashqa region
Continual clashes between Ethiopian militia groups and Sudanese farmers in Sudan’s al-Fashqa region have put the Sudanese Army on the defense.
Tunisia’s fight against COVID-19 unmasks shaky ground for digital rights
In Tunisia, local authorities have, throughout the pandemic, resorted to historical tricks by using vague, existing laws to curb freedom of expression and limit citizens’ rights to information.
Arab states’ reconciliation with Qatar leaves pro-unity Saudis behind bars
Prominent Saudis, including cleric Salman al-Odah, who spoke against the boycott of Qatar in 2017, face a long list of charges such as incitement against the ruler.
COVID-19 and shrinking freedom limits in Jordan
In Jordan, recent detentions of journalists and activists in 2020 bear the hallmarks of a police state.
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