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A woman waves the Egyptian flag during a protest in Egypt
Photograph: Noha Atef
In the initial months of 2011, the Facebook Revolution was the hottest headline around the world - modern, relevant and easily digestible for a western audience. But what role did social media really play in bringing down Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak?
Yemen: Foolish email offer to spy for Israel brings a death sentence in Yemen
Lebanon: As the Officer said to the Poet: "We Lebanese are good at two things. Fighting. And shopping"
Iraq: Kurdish writer tortured and shot in the head for mocking leaders
:
: Women Without Men - a moving Iranian picture
Morocco: The Sahara's new cargo: drugs and radicalism
Yemen: 'Hafez knew he would be forced to lie face down on the ground inside the prison, and then guards would shoot him through the heart.'
: Honduras
Egypt: Citizen bloggers 'white-anting' the Mubarak regime
Iran: How German sniper scopes secretly sold to Iran, were given to the Taliban and brought down a major Italian arms smuggling ring
More...
Jerusalem - - First and foremost, Muthaffar explains of the difficulties faced by Palestinian filmmakers in the occupied Palestinian territories, given the lack of Palestinian funding. "Palestinian directors have to be their own producers." Her work is edgy and "lately, I tend to be sarcastic about the whole situation," she says. Much of her work is screened internationally and in the occupied Palestinian territories, mostly in refugee camps across the West Bank.
"Because of everything, it's hard to get Palestinians to view films. I am lucky, I have freedom of movement. I can be there, and it's important."
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More than seven months into the disputed June 12 presidential elections in
Iran, the trend of arresting and intimidating the country's journalists
continues unabated. Tens of journalists, members of editorial boards, and the
head of Iran's Association for the Defense of Press Freedom are in detention;
the offices of the country Association of Journalists is sealed off on orders of
former hardline prosecutor Mortezavi; and many journalists are out of job. But
even these reporters continue to face daily intimidation and are summoned by the
ministry of intelligence and Tehran's police, are interrogated and are
threatened.
During these turbulent seven months, many journalists have
chosen forced exile and await a review of their applications by the UN's high
Commissioner for Refugees in neighboring countries. Amongst those who have
remained in Iran, many have opted to switch jobs and work as secretaries or
drivers: but the threats and intimidation still continue. Journalists who
continue to work despite the serial warnings by ministry of Islamic guidance,
repeated circulars of the supreme national security council, and the summons,
threats etc that bombard them from security officials is the subject of this
Rooz interview.