News

Global coalition of civil society and media organisations stand in solidarity with independent media outlets in Lebanon amid targeting

MENA Rights Group joined a coalition of civil society and media organisations in condemning the summoning of Lebanese journalists for exercising their rights. We call on Lebanese authorities to respect, uphold and protect freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

Civil society urges Iraq to step up action to combat enforced disappearances

MENA Rights Group joins 70+ organisations in urging the Iraqi government to tackle the issue of enforced disappearance. We co-organised an event at the UN in Geneva, which brought grassroots Iraqi voices to react to the report issued by the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and present their ideas to tackle the crisis of enforced disappearance in Iraq.*

Coalition to defend freedom of expression: authorities must respect freedoms of the press and legal profession and fundamentally amend defamation laws

As part of the Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression in Lebanon, MENA Rights Group condemned the authorities' attempts to restrict freedom of expression by summoning journalists for investigation.

53 groups urge passage of Senate 502B resolution on Saudi Arabia

MENA Rights Group joined a group of civil society organisations in expressing our support for the passage of the S.Res.109 pursuant to Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act. The resolution, initiated by US Senators Chris Murphy and Mike Lee, requests information on human rights violations in Saudi Arabia when discussing foreign aid to the Kingdom.

Algérie: liberté pour le journaliste Ihsane El Kadi

A trois jours du verdict du procès du journaliste Ihsane El Kadi, arbitrairement détenu depuis plus de trois mois en Algérie, l’Observatoire pour la protection des défenseurs des droits humains (FIDH-OMCT), EuroMed Droits et MENA Rights Group appellent les autorités algériennes à mettre fin à son harcèlement judiciaire et à le libérer immédiatement. L’Observatoire a dépêché un observateur lors de sa dernière audience, qui a confirmé les atteintes aux droits d’Ihsane El Kadi, ainsi que l’instrumentalisation politique d’une justice à la solde des autorités en place.

Universal Periodic Review: how to address the current human rights crisis in Algeria? A civil society perspective

Following the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, Algeria informed the Human Rights Council of its decision to accept 215 out of the 290 recommendations it had received. We call on Algerian authorities to implement these recommendations. We further call on Algeria to reconsider its stance on the recommendations that were merely noted, especially those pertaining to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, the prohibition of torture, counterterrorism and judiciary independence.

HRC 52: Civil society calls on Algeria to put an end to reprisals and release arbitrarily detained individuals

During the adoption of the Algeria Universal Period Review outcomes, Algerian human rights defender Kaddour Chouicha spoke directly to the Human Rights Council on behalf of MENA Rights Group, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), CIVICUS, Euromed Rights and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. He addressed the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders and civil society organisations.

Joint letter – NGOs call on Secretary Blinken to urge Egypt to withdraw its upcoming NGO registration deadline

MENA Rights Group joins 20 rights organisations in condemning Egyptian authorities' imposition of a deadline for all NGOs to register in accordance with the draconian 2019 NGO law. We call on Secretary Blinken to urge Egypt to withdraw the deadline.

Open letter: NGOs call on Boeing to urge Saudi Arabia to lift travel bans on peaceful activists

MENA Rights Group joins 7 human rights NGOs in sending an open letter to Boeing in light of their latest commercial deals with Saudi Arabia, calling on the latter to lift travel bans on human rights activists.

UN Human Rights Council must hold Saudi Arabia accountable for repression of activists

During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, MENA Rights Group, Right Livelihood and ALQST for Human Rights spoke during the debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention. More specifically, we shed light on the increasing repression of human rights defenders and peaceful dissidents in Saudi Arabia.

32 civil society organisations condemn the referral of Mada Masr journalists to trial

MENA Rights Group joins a coalition of civil society organisations in calling on Egyptian authorities to drop the charges against three Mada Masr journalists in the context of a crackdown on independent media.

Open letter to the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission: Drop the draft regulation of digital content and protect freedom of expression online

MENA Rights Group joins 8 organisations in urging the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission to withdraw a leaked draft Regulation that threatens digital freedom of expression in Iraq.