Israeli security forces forcefully push out Palestinian protesters near a barrier blocking access, outside the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, 25 April 2021, AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images
April 2021 in Middle East and North Africa: A free expression roundup produced by IFEX's Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Palestinian protesters battle barricades, forced displacement, and cyber-espionage. Fake news laws target journalists and activists throughout North Africa. The impact of Egypt’s prison-industrial complex. And how Syria became a black hole for media workers.
Palestine: Apartheid, forced displacement and cyberattacks
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a defining report that concluded for the first time that Israel is committing crimes of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians in the occupied territories. Drawing on years of documentation and testimonies, the report highlighted how Israeli authorities have used draconian military laws to suppress non-violent activism, targeting Palestinians for their “anti-occupation speech, activism, and affiliations, jailing thousands,” as well as banning hundreds of civil society organizations, and shutting down dozens of media outlets.