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"Now, after street protests and change of power, we are at the third stage of the revolution. This is characteristic not only for Yemen, but for all Arab countries where revolutions took place. This is the stage of struggle with corruption."
So says Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman in this interview.
Read the interview at The Voice of Russia. Also, read WoMen Dialogue's interview with Ms. Karman.
Merwa Abdelkadar, the Saudi representative at the G(irls)20 Summit speaks about global challenges.
"I think one of the most important things in the world that needs to be fixed is the unfair situation of women specifically in the Arab world (...) Unfortunately, although women constitute more than 50 percent of the population, their potential is stifled as they struggle to maintain their rights."
Read more at Forbes.
On 15 June 2013 a District Court i Saudi Arabia sentenced two human rights defenders, Wajeha Al-Huwaider and Fawzia Al-Oyouni, to ten months in prison. Also, a two year travel ban was imposed.
Al-Huwaider campaigns to abolish the male guardianship system and stop forced marriages of young girls in Saudi Arabia. Fawzia Al-Oyouni campaigns for women’s right to drive.
Read more at the Gulf Centre for Human Rights.
For an in-depth coverage, read Journomania’s coverage.
June 12 marks the one-week anniversary of an ongoing sit-in by prominent Egyptian writers, filmmakers, performers and intellectuals seeking the removal of Minister of Culture Alaa Abdel-Aziz. They broke into the ministry building on June 5 to protest what they see as efforts to 'Ikhwanize' the arts.
Read more at Al Monitor.
For more on this, read Al Monitor's Minister of Culture Wages Campaign Against Egyptian Artists.
While Egypt is still discussing its future NGO law, which may hinder e.g. human rights organisations in working freely in the country, a court in Cairo has sentenced 43 people to between one and five years in prison for working for unregistered NGOs in Egypt.
Twenty-seven defendants, all of whom were tried in absentia, received five-year jail sentences. Eleven received one-year suspended sentences, and five received two-year sentences.
Read more at Ahram Online.
Men overwhelmingly dominate the Arab Spring countries, but women, enabled by advances in literacy and higher education, are increasingly asserting themselves.
In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, they have been on the front lines of revolution. These nations will not succeed unless women are fully incorporated into political and economic life.
Read more at QNA.
The Islah Party – the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood – has won greater success than other parties in engaging women in politics.
The Islah Party has experimented with nominating some of their female members as candidates for the elections. Still, it was a rare occurrence for one of them to actually win. Due to the event, the current Yemeni parliament has but a single, lone female member: Oras Naji.
Read more at Al Monitor.