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Al-Araby's Zak Brophy interviews Salem al-Qudwa |
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Now, Bashir's longevity isn't necessarily to do with his "popularity", and more to do with the constant crackdowns on the country's opposition.
On Monday, a judge refused to release two prominent opposition figures, Farouk Abu Issa and Amin Makki Madani, on bail. They had been arrested for signing an alliance of anti-government groups, something that the prosecutor interpreted as "a terrorist act" because it called for the fall of the regime "by any means".
Abu Issa and Madani have been handed an olive branch by Bashir. They can apologise for their "terrorist act" and they'll be free to go.
Things were to get worse on Tuesday, when police used tear gas and batons to disperse hundreds of protesters gathering for the burial of activist Soumaya Bushra al-Tayeb in Khartoum.
Tayeb had been wounded during a protest two weeks ago and eventually succumbed to her injuries.
Prisoner of conscience
An Amnesty prisoner of conscience, the Omani Saeed Jaddad, has had the verdict in his trial delayed until next month, the Omani Observatory for Human Rights has said.
Jaddad is accused of crimes including "undermining the prestige of the state" and "incitement against the government" for calling for political and social reforms, including calls made during a meeting he had with members of the European Parliament in 2013.
Oman's government has worked hard to present the country as a friendly tourist destination - and the ruling Sultan Qaboos is popular. However, he is known to be seriously ill, and the question of succession is troublesome. This makes the authorities quite sensitive to criticism.
In 2011, officials were able to placate demonstrators who participated in Arab Spring-style protests across the country, through a carrot and stick approach of government spending and a crackdown. That crackdown appears to be continuing.
'No to shale gas' in Algeria
Environmental issues often do not get reported on in the Arab world. Yet, in Algeria, a large protest was planned for Tuesday against plans recently announced to drill for shale gas in the country's southern desert.
State-owned Sonatrach reportedly plans to spend $70 billion in the region over the next 20 years, but locals remain opposed to the drilling. Demonstrations have been taking place over the past two months, but riot police decided to intervent on Tuesday, after opposition leaders and supporters gathered in central Algiers carrying anti-shale placards.
The police made a number of arrests.
We'll be keeping our eye on human rights transgressions across the region and bringing you another weekly digest next Friday. If you want to share any information or bring our attention to any campaigns please tweet us at @alaraby_en