On International Women’s Day, MENA Rights Group joined NGOs in calling on the release of Amina al-Abdouli and Maryam al-Balushi, who have been detained arbitrarily in the UAE since 2015.
Two years after the abduction of Abdel-Messih Sarkis, MENA Rights Group and End Impunity in Iraq call on Iraqi President Barham Salih to take action to secure his release.
On the third anniversary of Algeria’s pro-democracy protest movement, Hirak, the undersigned organisations express their strong concern at the dangerous intensification of Algerian authorities’ repressive tactics to silence peaceful dissent and stifle civil society. The arrests of human rights defenders Zaki Hannache and Faleh Hammoudi respectively on 18 and 19 February – the latter condemned to three years imprisonment on 20 February in the first instance – are the latest examples of these repressive tactics
A coalition of 16 human rights organisations urge the European Union to reconsider and withdraw its joint candidacy with Egypt to pursue chairing the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
19 human rights organisations call on the Biden administration to stop economic aids and arms sales to Egypt, as long as the government continues to perpetrate egregious human rights violations.
On January 24, 2022, Serbian authorities extradited Bahraini dissident Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali back to Bahrain, where he faces torture. The extradition, which was in violation of the European Court of Human Rights’ request for interim measures, was carried out by UAE-based charter operator, RoyalJet. On January 31, 2022, over 10 human rights NGOs wrote to the CEO of RoyalJet, Rob Dicastri, requesting that the company clarify its involvement in Ali’s wrongful extradition.
65 human rights organisations urge the Egyptian authorities to quash the verdicts of seven peaceful dissidents convicted to lengthy prison terms solely in reprisal for the exercise of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
On January 2, 2022, the UAE’s new Law on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime went into effect, replacing the Emirates’ former 2012 Law on Combatting Cybercrime. The new Law, however, further restricts free speech in the UAE and criminalises and imposes heavy prison sentences on acts that are protected under international law. In a joint statement providing a legal analysis of this new text, MENA Rights Group and 14 human rights organisations call on the UAE to immediately repeal or sufficiently amend the law.
MENA Rights Group joins a coalition of 27 human rights organisations urging the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, the United States Secretary of State, Germany’s Foreign Minister, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights and Secretary-General of the Council of Europe to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Bahraini academic and human rights defender, Dr Abduljalil AlSingace. The letter below is addressed to the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights and Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
The undersigned non-governmental organisations celebrate the release of Ramy Shaath, a valiant human rights defender who has inspired many in the Palestinian and Egyptian rights communities with his bravery and courage. His release is a triumph for all his friends, family members, NGOs, parliamentarians and thousands of supporters worldwide; it confirms once again that standing up for human rights and speaking out persistently in the face of injustice can and does make a real difference.
A coalition of 11 NGOs raises serious concerns over the sustained repression of fundamental freedoms and legitimate human rights work in Algeria, including the marked proliferation of prosecutions on baseless terrorism charges against human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful activists.
Joint letter signed by 15 human rights NGOs calling on the Prime Minister of Morocco to reject the extradition of Yidiresi Aishan to China on the grounds of non-refoulement.
