1.   Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a senior aide to Arafat, insisted that the Palestinian Authority would not muzzle dissent or curb the social-welfare activities of Hamas.

2.   Drawing on embarrassment over the mistaken bombing, China may feel embolded to muzzle dissent without fear of global condemnation.

3.   Rather than open up the rigid political system after the gulf war, the response of the Saudi leadership has been to muzzle all dissent.

4.   Biedenkopf, a leading CDU member and a longtime critic of the chancellor, accuses Kohl of muzzling dissent in the party and avoiding bold economic reforms.

5.   But at home, critics charge, corruption was growing and Mugabe was working to muzzle all dissent.

6.   They have warned that a security crackdown following attempts by China to link Uighur separatism to the US-led campaign against terrorism has seen even peaceful dissent muzzled.

7.   Somchai also cited the recent shutdown of a popular political talk show on television considered to be hostile to the government as another effort to muzzle public dissent.