Last June The Electronic Intifada exposed the identity of the person behind the “Gay Girl in Damascus” hoax. The perpetrator was Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old American graduate student at the University of Edinburgh. After an surge of media attention, MacMaster disappeared from the public eye. The University of Edinburgh promised to investigate. But what happened, and was MacMaster ever held accountable for a hoax that many believe caused genuine harm? Documents released by the University of Edinburgh under the UK’s Freedom of Information Act, reveal that not only was MacMaster allowed to stay on as a student, but that the university sought as much as possible to gag him while never publishing any results of its investigation.. Read more about Whatever happened to Tom MacMaster, the "Gay Girl in Damascus" hoaxer? 

Ameer Makhoul writes from Gilboa jail about Israeli policies that aim to disconnect the Palestinian prisoners from their families, friends, and solidarity people. He calls for an international fact-finding mission of human rights organizations. Read more about Israeli policies disconnect Palestinian political prisoners from their families