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As the Hay Festival Abu Dhabi opens on 25-28 February 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we the undersigned call on the Emirati authorities to demonstrate their respect for the right to freedom of expression by freeing all human rights defenders imprisoned for expressing themselves peacefully online, including academics, writers, a poet and lawyers. […]

Riyadh has gone to great lengths to improve its image through sporting events, while human rights abuses continue unchecked

As Amaury Sport Race Proceeds, Women Activists Sit in Prison The Amaury Sport Organisation should use its decision to move the Dakar Rally to Saudi Arabia to denounce the persecution of women’s rights advocates in the country, Human Rights Watch, MENA Rights Group, and 11 other international human rights organizations said today. The 2020 Dakar […]

The Dakar Rally (formerly known as the Paris-Dakar Rally) is an annual off-road endurance rally organized by the French company Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O). In April 2019, it was announced that the upcoming 2020 rally would be held throughout Saudi Arabia. The announcement, which outlined the race route from January 5-17, 2020, also promised a […]

Six years ago, the joint office of the VDC, LDSPS and Rising for Freedom in Douma in Eastern Ghouta (north of Damascus) was raided by armed men who abducted four human rights defenders, Razan ZAITOUNEH, Wael HAMADA, Samira ALKHALIL and Nazim HAMMADI. The parties controlling the region have changed and tens of thousands of people […]

On December 31, 2019, the mandates of the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore and Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour will come to an end. Considering the importance of these roles for the work of civil society, over 50 NGOs wrote to the UN Secretary-General, asking him to take into consideration candidates with demonstrated commitment and significant experience and expertise in the field of human rights.

On October 29, 2019, MENA Rights Group’s director Inès Osman participated in a panel discussion, “Taking a Stand to Protect Human Rights Defenders”, organised by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) in New York.  The discussion, moderated by Chris Jochnik, President and CEO of Landesa, focused on the challenges faced by companies in ensuring […]

Excellencies, We, the undersigned, call on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately and unconditionally release prominent human rights defender Dr Mohammed Al-Roken, arbitrarily detained since 2012 solely for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression and association, including through his work as a human rights lawyer. Dr Al-Roken is an Emirati lawyer, academic […]

On October 24, 2019, several human rights organisations urged state delegations to categorically reject the approach expected to be adopted in a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee on “terrorism and human rights”, led by Egypt and Mexico in a common letter.

Dear participants of the World Tolerance Summit, We, the undersigned, call on all participants and speakers at the World Tolerance Summit taking place in Dubai on November 13 and 14 to withdraw from the event, which promotes a misleading image of the United Arab Emirates as a model of tolerance and openness. This is the […]

October 16, 2019 Your Excellency, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently announced multiple projects promoting pluralism and tolerance both at home and abroad. 2019 has been declared the ‘Year of Tolerance’ and in 2020, Dubai will host the World Expo trade fair, under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating […]

On October 12, 2019, which marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), the undersigned organisations call on Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all detained ACPRA members.