“Saudi doubles down with arrests” (8 April, 2019). At least 13 human rights activists and writers, including two US citizens, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in the most significant crackdown since the assassination of Saudi Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October. The campaign appears to be intended as a message from Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to the effect that the fallout from Khashoggi’s killing—which was widely blamed on the crown prince—has done nothing to blunt his power or his resolve to punish dissent. For more, see our full report (Arabic).
“Witnesses of Algeria’s past address the camera” (9 April, 2019). A new documentary by French journalist and filmmaker Dorothée Myriam Kellou, À Mansourah, tu nous as séparés (“In Mansourah, You Separated Us”), shines light on the neglected subject of the millions of Algerians forcibly displaced by French occupation forces during the War of Independence. Al-Jumhuriya spoke to Kellou to learn more about the film; for further details, see our full report (Arabic).
“Fighting addiction in northern Syria” (10 April, 2019). A new campaign has been launched by the Youth of Change group to raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse in northern Syria, which has proliferated since the outbreak of war. Al-Jumhuriya spoke to the campaign coordinator Ali al-Hallaq; Free Syrian Police officials; other activists; and drug users themselves to learn more. For further details, see our full report (Arabic).
“Netanyahu once again” (11 April, 2019). This week’s parliamentary elections in Israel resulted in yet another victory for longtime incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For analysis of the ramifications of this for Syria and the wider region, see our full report (Arabic).
“New voices in the diaspora” (12 April, 2019). Syrian poet Wafai Layla outlines the new cultural output produced by Syrian refugees in Europe, be it literary, cinematic, theatrical, or musical, from Paris to Milan to Scandinavia. For more, see our full report (Arabic).
