Editing Defamation (section)

====Arab region====
All Arab States retained criminal penalties for defamation. Truth was rarely a defence to defamation and libel charges. In 2012, [[Algeria]] and [[Tunisia]] partially decriminalized defamation by eliminating prison terms. According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, sixteen countries (84%) had laws penalizing blasphemy, apostasy and/or defamation of religion. Lese-majesty laws existed in some parts of the region. There were vaguely worded concepts and terms, interpreted narrowly by the judiciary. The number of bloggers imprisoned was rising. Among some [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf States]] in particular, [[citizen journalism|citizen journalists]] and [[social media]] users reporting on political matters were arrested. The charges were defamation or insult, typically with respect to heads of state. There was a trend towards trying journalists and bloggers in [[military court]]s, particularly during and following the [[Arab Spring]]; although this was not limited to countries where such uprisings occurred.<ref name="UNESCO Arab Region Report 2014"/>