UAE e-magazine ordered shut.

Victor Ngeny — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:50:18 +0000

Hetta, United Arab Emirates online magazine has been ordered shut after they lost an appeal case launched against it by the Abu Dhabi Media Company. The e-magazine which was the first of its kind when it was launched in 1996 also had its chief editor, Ahmad Mohammed Bin Gharib fined 5500 USD

According to the Arabian Human Rights Initiative website, this case emanated from a case filed against the magazine by the Abu Dhabi Media Company over user comments about an article published on the site,

The case is based on an article published by the magazine in its issue No. 55 on May 4, 2009, under the title “Abu Dhabi TV: Emirate TV only in name”; http://www.hetta.com/new/news.php?do=view_subject&id=&ids=78 by the writer Enas Borini. The article criticized the way the Emirate TV channels are being administrated. The article did not exceed the permitted criticism, but the chairman of Abu Dhabi Media considered comments on the article “defaming him” and filed a complaint to the General Prosecution, which in turn decided to refer the case under number 8585 for the year 2009 to the Court on June 14, 2009.

Gulf News also reports that comments on online articles are now considered defamatory,

The comments were considered by the complainant and the Public Prosecution as slander and defamation.

The chief editor has said that they will be appealing the decision, we'll update you as the situation unfolds.

Jordan to censor the internet

Victor Ngeny — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:00:02 +0000

Jordan's Appeal Court has extended the reach of its print and publications law to cover electronic media, meaning that it will censor sites and blogs, writing in ArabCrunch, Gaith Saqer that,

empowers authorities to prosecute or impose fines on any electronic medium of Publishing from SMS to the Internet user from Twitter user, to facebook, to journalists, bloggers and editors for publishing online material that the law finds wrong.

He quotes, Basil Okur, editor of Jordan's online news site, Ammon saying that he will comply with the law but he wonders how it will implemented considering the technical challenges the country

In the Jordan Times online paper, Hani Hazaimeh, reports thus,

Electronic media editors and activists on Thursday said the recent Cassation Court's decision to subject news websites and electronic media to the Press and Publications Law will curb Internet freedom.

It remains to be seen how the Jordanian authorities will implement the law.

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UAE e-magazine ordered shut.

Jordan to censor the internet