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Arab world still lacking in individual freedom, independence of judicial system, says report
Source: BI-ME , Author: BI-ME staff
Posted: Mon June 15, 2009 1:00 pm
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QATAR. The Qatar-based Arab Democracy Foundation (ADF) yesterday marked its second anniversary.

Releasing a report in Doha on public freedom in 17 Arab countries, ADF Secretary General Mohsen Marzouq said that “a lot should be done” to reach to the average level of public freedom “especially for the independence of judicial system.”

The foundation is active in 17 Arab and five European countries.

The report said that the human rights in the Arab world “were generally violated” and that the “culture of human rights in some of the region’s areas is new.”

It said: “The laws in most of the Arab countries gave, on paper, some rights to women, but the male-dominated mentality is very much alive in the decision-makers.”

Marzouq said that the foundation was present in the recent Lebanese elections and was also able to meet the overthrown Mauritanian president in jail.

The Secretary General told the gathering that the ADF’s next report would be on fighting corruption.

Yesterday’s report said that Arab countries suffered from corruption of all types despite attempts to fight it. Many of those countries signed agreements fighting corruption, but were still awaiting implementation.

The percentage of illiteracy and poverty in the Arab world is high “in particular in war areas”, the report said.

Also, Internet use is universally monitored by Arab governments, except in Lebanon.

The report said that the security system had the upperhand in frustrating the democratic process to ensure the survival of the regimes. “The security systems have no public support and they are trying to intimidate people and to deter them from active political participation. They are being used to hide the political weaknesses of the regimes.”

It said since Arab rulers and officials were now aware that the democratic process was inevitable, they were “striding slowly” towards joining international pacts.

Some Arab regimes are trying, shyly, to combat human rights violations while others are confessing about them, the report concluded.

MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS COMMENT & ANALYSIS

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