Algeria
Bahrain
Djibouti
Egypt
Iraq
Palestine/Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Other Countries
A Human Rights Defenders Agenda for the next United Nations Secretary-General
Human rights stand, alongside development and peace and security, as one of three pillars of the UN's work. Human rights defenders, being essential actors in the promotion and protection of human rights and the prevention of violations, should be at the core of this work. Despite this, in all regions of the world, human rights defenders face unacceptable restrictions and risks – from defamation to criminalisation, and from arbitrary detention to torture.
Jordan: Arbitrary Detention of Student Tortured by the Intelligence Services and Subjected to a Flawed Trial Before the State Security Court
On 15 February 2016, 21 year-old student Adam Al Natour, a Polish and Jordanian binational, was sentenced to four years in prison by the State Security Court after a flawed trial during which confessions he was forced to sign under torture were used against him. Concerned over the arbitrariness of his detention, Alkarama raised his case with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) to demand that the UN experts call upon the Jordanian authorities to release Adam Al Natour immediately.
Kuwait: Alkarama Submits Shadow Report to Human Rights Committee Ahead of the Country’s Review
On 27 May 2016, Alkarama submitted its shadow report to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRCtee) on the situation of civil and political rights in view of Kuwait's third periodic review which will take place on 21 and 22 June 2016. During the session, the Committee's experts will assess the implementation of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified in 1996, on the basis of information from NGOs, including Alkarama, and from the State provided in its national report.
Egypt: UN Working Group Calls for the Release of 9 Journalists Sentenced in “Raba’a Operations Room” Case
In late April 2016, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), a group of independent experts, adopted WGAD Opinion n°7/2016. This legal document states that Messrs Abdullah Ahmed Mohammed Ismail Alfakharany, Samhy Mostafa Ahmed Abdulalim, Mohamed Mohamed Aladili, Ahmed Sabii, Youssouf Talat Mahmoud Mahmoud Abdulkarim, Hani Salheddin, Mosaad Albarbary, Abdo Dasouki and Waleed Abdulraoof Shalaby are arbitrarily detained. After reviewing the facts sent to them by Alkarama on 19 May 2015 and the answers provided by the Egyptian government, the UN experts ruled that the Egyptian state is violating the journalists' fundamental rights and consequently called upon the Egyptian authorities to immediately release them.
Yemen: Two Yemeni Citizens Released by Houthi-Saleh Coalition After Months of Enforced Disappearance
On 26 and 27 May 2016, the Yemeni citizens Abdulrahman Saeed Hasan Al Buriahi and Abdjulmajid bin Mahmoud Ali Al Hatari were released by the Houthi-Saleh Coalition after having been secretly detained for more than five and ten months respectively.
Sudan: Release of Two Prominent Members of The Opposition
On 29 May 2016, after more than one month in detention, Mohamed Faroug Suliman Mahmoud and Murtada Ibrahim Idriss Habani, two senior members of Sudanese opposition parties, were finally released by the authorities. They had been arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on 23 April 2016 after having joined a peaceful demonstration that took place at the University of Kordofan.
