The US Senate report detailing "enhanced interrogation" techniques used by the CIA has been widely discussed in the British press, but few media outlets in the Arab world have devoted much space to it.
Who covered the report?
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Al Jazeera Arabic has the most extensive coverage of the Senate report among Arab-language sources. It has so far published a number of articles explaining the methods of interrogation used in US-run prisons, as well as the names and nationalities of two tortured prisoners: Abu Zubaydah from Saudi Arabia and Kuwaiti national Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The CIA used violent interrogation techniques on Abu Zubaydah, a member of al Qaeda, even though he was critically ill, Al Jazeera says. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the masterminds of 9/11 attack on the US, was waterboarded.
Who ignored it?
At least two prisoners mentioned in the report came from Saudi Arabia, the home of several big Middle Eastern media outlets.
One of them, Al Arabiya, chose not to mention the names or nationalities of the tortured prisoners, nor how they were treated in American captivity. Instead, it concentrated on the reaction of US policy-makers and officials. An article published on its website is titled: "After exposing CIA torture report ... Obama says: when we commit a mistake we admit it".
Another Saudi media outlet, Al Sharq Al Awsat, had nothing to say about the report. Its main headline today referred to a routine joint military exercise in Saudi Arabia between the Saudi Royal Marines and the US Marines.
The Kuwaiti media scene is similar to that of Saudi Arabia. A major Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai had nothing to say about a Kuwaiti national Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Its lead story today reported praise for the Kuwaiti Emir and his humanitarian work.
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on the White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
