On 18 December 2014, less than a week after Layla and Tarek Issawi's return from Geneva where they had gone to receive the 2014 Alkarama Award for Human Rights Defenders on behalf of their daughter, Shireen, still detained by Israel, their youngest son, Shadi, a law student, was re-arrested by the Israeli forces at a checkpoint. His arrest is part of a broad campaign of reprisals against the Issawi family.

Geneva, 13 December 2014

On 11 December 2014, the Alkarama Foundation presented its 6th annual Award for Human Rights Defenders in the Arab world to Palestinian human rights lawyer and activist, Shireen Issawi, in recognition of her courage and bravery in defending Palestinian prisoners and advocating for their rights. The ceremony held at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva focused on the Palestinian people's strategy of non-violent resistance, a story largely under-reported in the mainstream media.

On 20 October 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) considered Israel's fourth periodic report. On this occasion, important issues were discussed, leading the HRC to issue its Concluding observations and recommendations to be implemented by Israel over the next four years.

On 20 October 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) reviewed Israel's fourth periodic report at its 122th session held in Palais Wilson, Geneva. The review, which aims at assessing a State's implementation of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) takes the form of a day-long interactive dialogue between the State's authorities and the UN independent experts. Although the HRC will issue its Concluding Observations on 31 October, including recommendations to be implemented by Israel, it already clearly emerged from the review that Israel was not fully complying with the ICCPR, as expressed by the Committee's Chair, Sir Nigel Rodley, before declaring the session closed: "the Covenant is not a matter of auto-interpretation by every State."