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Syria

Syrian propaganda, in German

general view of the state-run TV and Radio building in Syria EPA/YOUSSEF BADAWI

Everything is great in Syria - at least according to the German-language news broadcast by Radio Damascus. Syria's state broadcaster is trying to improve the government's image abroad with foreign language news.

Iran

Is Tehran planning an oil spill in the Gulf?

Oil tanker off coast of Oman (Photo: ALI HAIDER/dpa)

In response to strengthened sanctions, Iran is reportedly planning a targeted oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz, according to newsmagazine Der Spiegel. But in doing so, the country would only harm itself.

New EU sanctions for Syria, Iran

Nuclear world order triggers uncertainty in 2012

Egypt

The Salafist power struggle

A member of the Ansar Allah (Partisans of God) Salafi group, known to have links with the al-Qaeda network, waves his movement's flag during a rally in Tahrir square PATRICK BAZ/AFP/GettyImages

Egypt's largest Salafist bloc is in turmoil. Leaders are arguing over the influence of its parent organization, its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and irregularities in internal party elections.

Egypt's draft constitution comes under fire

The Egyptian president's new foreign policy

DW recommends Qantara for content on the dialogue with Islamic world

"Tunisia is attempting a democratic reconstruction"

The Victims Demand Justice

Divided Society, Polarised Politics

Egypt

Demands rising for Morsi to bring justice to Egypt

A protester throws a stone after scuffles broke out between groups of several hundred protesters in Tahrir Square

With a general amnesty for revolutionaries and moves to replace the prosecutor general, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is trying to reposition himself as a promoter of human rights. But doubts remain.

Arab World

New Libyan PM faces early test

Ali Zeidan. (Foto:Osama Faisal /AP/dapd)

Libya's congress has confirmed Ali Zeidan as prime minister. Under pressure to propose a cabinet, the diplomat and human rights activist is bound to have learned a lesson from his predecessor's mistakes.

Libyan legislators choose human rights lawyer as premier
  • Locked up

    Migrants in Libya

    Locked up

    A new report has exposed widespread human rights violations of migrants in Libya. Before the Libyan conflict, migrant workers made up almost a third of the Libyan population. Today, as the country begins to rebuild, it is once again attracting migrants seeking work. But many of them fall victim to militia groups. The migrants in this camp in Gharyan spend their days locked up in cells.

  • Waiting game

    Migrants in Libya

    Waiting game

    The migrants - mainly from sub-Saharan Africa - are held in improvised detention camps for unlimited periods. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which carried out the report, found that conditions in the camps were "inhuman and degrading." Here, inmates at a detention center in the Libyan city of Benghazi are waiting to be expelled to Egypt.

  • Detained at sea

    Migrants in Libya

    Detained at sea

    A "small minority" of the migrants are those who have been intercepted trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean. They are generally fleeing persecution in the Horn of Africa, said Messaoud Romdhani, who took part in the investigation. They are “legally entitled” to international protection, he added. These Somali women were detained at sea, hoping to reach the island of Malta.

  • Behind bars

    Migrants in Libya

    Behind bars

    The report is critical of European policies aimed at externalizing border controls to prevent the flow of refugees into EU territory. "We really have to accept that the migration issue is not just a security question but really a human rights issue," said Green MEP, Franziska Brantner. Here, a man from Liberia has been locked up in solitary confinement.

  • Racism

    Migrants in Libya

    Racism

    There is a background of deeply-entrenched racism against sub-Saharan Africans in Libya. One of the militia leaders told the investigators, "we don't want these people here anymore bringing crime and disease." Here, refugees shelter in a camp in Benghazi run by the International Red Crescent and the UNHCR.

  • Forced Labour

    Migrants in Libya

    Forced Labour

    Migrants in Gharyan leave the camp to work for a local farmer. Private employers recruit the detained migrants, in conditions that the investigators described as "forced labor." "The migrants had no idea how long they would be required to work, nor whether they would be paid," said Genevieve Jacques, of the International Federation for Human Rights.

  • Human rights

    Migrants in Libya

    Human rights

    The report recommends that the European Union should suspend its migration policies with Libya, unless they can ensure that human rights will be respected. "The most important thing is not to control migration flows but to protect the people who are entering Libya," said asylum lawyer, Caroline Intrand. This photo shows the cell where Somali women are detained.

  • 'Shared responsibility'

    Migrants in Libya

    'Shared responsibility'

    Migrants in the yard of the detention center at Gharyan. Whilst they are controlled by militia groups, the International Federation of Human Rights underlines the shared responsibility of the Libyan government, the EU and its member states in tackling the human rights violations. Photographs: Sara Prestianni.


    Author: Joanna Impey, Brussels | Editor : Rob Mudge

Syria

Citizen journalism

Constraints on journalists mean the images coming out of Syria are difficult to verify.