Excalibur
09-01-2009, 01:41 AM
Arab rights group slams Kuwait for banning 'Soatak Wasal', Egypt for halting 'Hokuma Show'.
CAIRO - An Arab rights group on Monday slammed the governments of Kuwait and Egypt for banning two television programmes satirising politicians in both countries.
"The Kuwaiti ministry of information has decided to ban the TV show 'Soatak Wasal' (Your Voice is Heard), a comedy show that criticises Kuwaiti officials and MPs, after airing three episodes," the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said in a statement.
"Following the same steps, Egyptian Information Minister Anas al-Fiqqi decided to ban a similar programme called 'Hokuma Show' (Cabinet Show), a comedy show that criticises Egyptian government officials, among them (Prime Minister) Ahmed Nazif," ANHRI said.
Both programmes were due to air during the month of Ramadan, a fiercely competitive period for Arabic television when viewing peaks as families gather around the television after breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast.
Fiqqi "decided to ban the whole programme as a courtesy to the PM, in a blatant violation of freedom of expression and an unjust abuse of power," the Cairo-based group continued.
Kuwaiti officials threatened to "pursue any show that is offensive to Kuwaiti state officials, without specifying what 'offensive' means in this context," ANHRI said.
It called on both governments to reconsider their decisions and allow the two programmes back on the air "in support of freedom of expression."http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=34013
Banning TV shows and newspapers in those countries is not very uncommon practice, but news like this always pops up in my mind following question: how countries like egypt and kuwait without minimal freedom of media can be regarded as "pro-western". Or let's put the question other way: "How important is the quality of democracy when qualifying those countries as "pro-western" ? what really means being "pro-western" country ?
CAIRO - An Arab rights group on Monday slammed the governments of Kuwait and Egypt for banning two television programmes satirising politicians in both countries.
"The Kuwaiti ministry of information has decided to ban the TV show 'Soatak Wasal' (Your Voice is Heard), a comedy show that criticises Kuwaiti officials and MPs, after airing three episodes," the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said in a statement.
"Following the same steps, Egyptian Information Minister Anas al-Fiqqi decided to ban a similar programme called 'Hokuma Show' (Cabinet Show), a comedy show that criticises Egyptian government officials, among them (Prime Minister) Ahmed Nazif," ANHRI said.
Both programmes were due to air during the month of Ramadan, a fiercely competitive period for Arabic television when viewing peaks as families gather around the television after breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast.
Fiqqi "decided to ban the whole programme as a courtesy to the PM, in a blatant violation of freedom of expression and an unjust abuse of power," the Cairo-based group continued.
Kuwaiti officials threatened to "pursue any show that is offensive to Kuwaiti state officials, without specifying what 'offensive' means in this context," ANHRI said.
It called on both governments to reconsider their decisions and allow the two programmes back on the air "in support of freedom of expression."http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=34013
Banning TV shows and newspapers in those countries is not very uncommon practice, but news like this always pops up in my mind following question: how countries like egypt and kuwait without minimal freedom of media can be regarded as "pro-western". Or let's put the question other way: "How important is the quality of democracy when qualifying those countries as "pro-western" ? what really means being "pro-western" country ?