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NL Oppression of Tunisian political dissidents: opposition leader sentenced to three years in prison
Photo: Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahda party - Flickr On 31 January, Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouci was sentenced to three years in prison. Ghannouci, who is 82, is the leader of Tunisia's largest opposition party, the Ennahda Party. Ghannouci received this sentence over allegations that Ennahda received illegal foreign contributions. The [...]
Israel-Lebanon: a second front?
Photo: Meeting during Hezbollah leader Nasrallah's speech in November - Wikimedia Commons Hamas' attack on Israel, on 7 October, has caused increasing tensions and risk of escalation in the region, including in the Israel-Lebanon border region. (Air) attacks back and forth are claiming lives of soldiers and innocent civilians. Hezbollah [...]
In conversation with Egypt correspondent Eduard Cousin: "Due to huge inflation, poverty on the streets has become increasingly visible"
There are presidential elections in Egypt from 10 to 12 December. Incumbent president Sisi, himself brought to power by a coup in 2013, has stood for re-election. Economically, Egypt is doing badly and there is a lot of unrest in society about this. Nevertheless, Sisi's position does not seem to be in danger and he will [...]
Come too! Q&A with Eduard Cousin on the political situation and elections in Egypt
On Tuesday 5 December, at 14:00, writer and journalist Eduard Cousin will be our guest at the FMS to answer questions about the political situation in Egypt! Presidential elections are coming up in the country (10-12 December), in addition the country is also in the spotlight because of the war between Israel and Hamas. Eduard [...]
Concerns over violence Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank
Photo: An Israeli settlement in the West Bank under construction in 2017 - Ronan Shenhav/Flickr The bloody war between Hamas and Israel has now been going on for more than 5 weeks and there is no end in sight. Reporting on the conflict currently focuses mainly on Gaza. Nevertheless, it is important [...]
Turkey's 'secular decline'
Photo: Statue of Atatürk looks down on a meeting of Erdogan - Wikimedia Commons Last week marked Turkey's 100th birthday. On 29 October 1923, national hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded the Republic of Turkey, a secular state built on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. However, the celebrations have been scaled down, leaving many [...]
10 years after Lampedusa: a history that need not be repeated
Ten years ago, two terrible shipwrecks occurred off the island of Lampedusa. At least 368 refugees died during the first shipwreck on 3 October. Just eight days later, during a second disaster, at least 268 more refugees, including 60 children, drowned. The high death toll is not only explained by the [...]
Netherlands and Canada start case against Syria at ICJ, implications for Syria on world stage?
Photo: International Court of Justice in The Hague - UN Photo/Andrea Brizzi At the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Tuesday 10 October, the trial of the Netherlands and Canada against the Syrian regime began, Syria omitted. The aim of the trial is for the court to rule that Syria has violated the international covenant [...]
Israel-Palestine: extremism, violence and Western political unwillingness to reach a lasting solution
Photo: Jerusalem from the South-West - Flickr The violence between Israel and Palestine has flared up in recent days, after Hamas fighters invaded Israel and killed hundreds of Israeli civilians. The subsequent retaliatory bombing of Gaza has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians on the Palestinian side. The attacks came as a surprise to Israel, [...]
In memory of Mahsa Amini's 23rd birth anniversary - how are things in Iran now?
Photo: Mural of Mahsa Amini - Domingo Alves, Creative Commons Today would have been Mahsa Amini's 23rd birthday. Unfortunately, her life was gruesomely ended last year, 4 days before her 22nd birthday. She was arrested by the morality police for not covering her hair in the prescribed manner. After her [...]
