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On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we, the undersigned organizations, call on the Lebanese authorities to effectively protect everyone in its territory, including those in detention, from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. The authorities should investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment and the perpetrators of such […]

One year ago, the human rights community was shocked to hear of the death of Emirati human rights defender Alaa Al-Siddiq in a tragic car accident, the day after she celebrated her 33rd birthday. We, the undersigned organisations, are taking the occasion of her birthday to announce the designation of this day, 18 June, as […]

Given numerous media reports that US President Biden will imminently visit Saudi Arabia and meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 13 organizations write to express their deep concerns and urge the Biden administration to secure genuine progress on human rights with the Saudi State, which routinely and callously abuses the rights of its own citizens, as well as others around the world.

The undersigned human rights organisations call on the Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Lina Alsharif, who has been arbitrarily detained in Saudi Arabia for over a year as a result of her social media activism. On 11 May 2022, Dr. Alsharif marked her 34th birthday in Al-Ha'ir prison in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Joint letter calling on the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to intervene immediately in favour of the release of prisoners of conscience.

Open letter urging Alphabet shareholders to use their vote at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on June 1, 2022, to ensure that Alphabet upholds basic human rights principles before it proceeds with its cloud region plan in Saudi Arabia.

British-Egyptian activist, blogger, and software developer Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been on hunger strike for 53 days now and his situation is deteriorating. Alaa has been recently transferred to the new prison complex in Wadi el-Natrun, but is still on hunger strike, and is yet to receive a consular visit. He continues to ask for a judge to investigate the complaints he and his family have filed over his detention and to communicate with UK lawyers. In a joint statement, MENA Rights group and 28 other human rights NGOs are calling the UK Foreign Office to secure his release and

On April 26-27, 2022, the UN Committee against Torture examined Iraq’s second periodic report, in which State authorities explain the steps taken to implement the UN Convention against Torture. Following an interactive dialogue with country representatives, the Committee adopted Concluding Observations, in which the Committee deplores the lack of progress made since the country was last reviewed in 2015. In a joint letter, we and five other human rights NGOs call on the Iraqi authorities to quickly develop and implement a national plan to combat torture in light of the recommendations contained in the Committee's latest Concluding Observations.

REDRESS together with partner organizations Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), MENA Rights Group, Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL) and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) welcome the adoption of the first African instrument aimed to eradicate and prevent enforced disappearances, and to improve the situation of victims.

MENA Rights Group and the undersigned organisations are gravely concerned about the sentencing to life imprisonment of Qatari lawyers Hazza bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri and Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri by the Second Circuit Criminal Court of Qatar on 10 May 2022.

#NotACrime is an online campaign aiming to draw attention to the ways in which Algerian authorities have increasingly attempted to stifle dissenting voices and independent civil society. Launched by 38 Algerian, regional and international organisations, the campaign will be conducted between 19-28 May on the organisations’ respective social media accounts.

A coalition of eight human rights organisations is calling on the Lebanese authorities to conduct an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the causes of the recent shipwreck off Tripoli on April 23, 2022.