Muwatin Media Network
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Comment: While this does look notable, the "content" section needs to be shortened quite a bit as otherwise the article is too promotional, and the external links in the text should be removed. Devonian Wombat (talk) 10:56, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
Muwatin Media Network
Muwatin Media Network[1] is an Arabic non-profit media network founded in Oman in 2013 by Mohammed Al-Fazari. It is a media platform that publishes content in Arabic about a range of issues dealing with democracy, politics, civil and political rights, social and cultural rights, gender rights, sexuality and may others.
After the arrest of its Editor in Chief Mohammed Al-Fazari in Oman in 2014 for his political activism[2], and his escape to the UK seeking political asylum, Muwatin was forced to cease publishing on 14 January 2016 after the arrests and interrogations of its contributing journalists living in Oman. [3]
Muwatin was officially back to publishing on May 3, 2017 on World Press Freedom Day after it was registered in London.
Name
Muwatin (مواطن) means "citizen" in Arabic. The name was chosen because Muwatin is concerned with citizen issues in the Gulf and the Arab world.
History
Mohammed Al-Fazari founded Muwatin on June 6, 2013, to create a space for freedom of expression for the Omani and Arab voices. The work began on a voluntary basis, as funding could not be obtained inside Oman due to the network's editorial policy, and funding from abroad was prohibited by the Omani law due to Muwatin's content dealing with issues of freedom and human rights.
After Muwatin called for political reform in Oman and the Gulf countries, its Editor in Chief Al-Fazari was arrested in August 2014 and was held incommunicado for six days.[4] He was arrested again on 22 December 2014 at Muscat International airport by security authorities who informed him that a travel ban had been issued against him. After appearing before the Special Division of the Omani Police in Muscat for an investigation, he was arrested and released on the same day without his official documents (his passport and ID card), even though no charges were brought against him.[5]
Muwatin's founder and editor-in-chief left Oman and settled in the United Kingdom as a political refugee in July 2015.[6] The media network's journalists and writers were threatened and arrested, such as Basma Al-Badi, one of the editors, forcing the team to permanently cease the publishing of Muwatin on January14, 2016.[7]
Muwatin was officially back to publishing on May 3, 2017 on World Press Freedom Day after it was registered in London. However, on the same day the site was blocked in Oman, followed by the rest of the other Gulf countries, which led the team to take several measures to enable citizens in Oman and the Gulf region to browse the site in cooperation with Reporters Without Borders.
Content
Muwatin monitors Arab society's events and is concerned with citizen issues in the Gulf region and the Arab world. It publishes content in Arabic about a range of issues dealing with democracy, politics, civil and political rights, social and cultural rights, gender rights, sexuality and may others.
In addition to publishing more than a thousand different press articles since its launching, Muwatin has also published fifty issues as a periodical magazine until now.
In February 2016 Muwatin published its first book entitled: "Oman: The Challenges of the Present and Outcome of the Future". The book included a group of dialogues and articles on political and human rights issues related to internal affairs in Oman, and since its publication until now, the book is prohibited from circulating in Oman, but it is available online. In November 2020, the second printed book was published under the title: "Controlling Information ... A Study on the Regime and the Press in Oman."
Muwatin also publishes on its website Interviews, Studies and its 'Café' in which it publishes conversations and podcasts.
'Boukachma' is Muwatin's satire program.
References
- ^ "الرئيسية". مواطن (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "Oman: Stop Targeting Rights Critic". Human Rights Watch. 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "Gulf Centre for Human Rights". www.gc4hr.org. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "Oman: Stop Targeting Rights Critic". Human Rights Watch. 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
- ^ "Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders". OHCHR. 27 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Muwatin magazine". RSF. 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
- ^ "Gulf Centre for Human Rights". www.gc4hr.org. Retrieved 2021-02-27.