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In response to the release of the long-awaited declassification of the U.S. national intelligence report regarding the involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman (“MBS”) in the murder of U.S. permanent resident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, 42 organizations said:  “President Biden should use his power to impose the full range of sanctions […]

Together with 44 organisations, MENA Rights Group sent a joint letter to Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton urging him to speak out against the Saudi authorities' human rights abuses and boycott the Formula 1 race projected to be held in Saudi Arabia later in 2021. The letter specifically recalled the Saudi-led war on Yemen, the Gulf state's treatment of women’s rights defenders, and the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In the light of Hamilton's previous dedication to human rights related issues, we call on him to take action to uphold the most basic rights also in Saudi Arabia and

MENA Rights Group joined a coalition of 22 international and Egyptian NGOs in a joint-letter calling on the Egyptian authorities to end the hostage-like arrest of family members of Egyptian dissidents and activists.

MENA Rights Group joins over 100 civil society organisations in urging governments to take action on Egypt's human rights crisis by establishing and supporting a monitoring and reporting mechanism at the upcoming 46th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

By Inès Osman. Originally published on The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy on February 9, 2021. When protests started throughout the Middle East and North Africa in late 2010 and early 2011, observers seemed to keep wondering: why are Algerians not protesting? But this is not entirely true. In 2010, nearly 10,000 localized protests […]

On February 9, 2021, MENA Rights Group and a coalition of human rights organisations and lawyers submitted a letter to the embassies of the United States, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom, condemnings Egypt’s application of the “terrorist entities list” designation as a means to stifle freedom of speech. The letter is issued on the eve of an appeal hearing for political activist Ramy Shaath and former parliamentarian Ziad el Eleimy, who were added to the list last April.

We, the undersigned organizations, express our most profound concern over the severe deterioration of the health of Abeer Najed, a 47-year-old woman who has been detained since September 2018. During a visit by her family on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, in Al-Qanater women’s prison, her relatives noted that her face seemed to show swelling and that […]

On January 5, 2021, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt, signed a “solidarity and stability” agreement, at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Al-Ulah, Saudi Arabia, ending the blockade on Qatar. The reconciliatory agreement, which restores diplomatic ties, trade and travel between these countries, comes after Saudi Arabia and its allies […]

28 December 2020 Dear Participants, Organizers, Sponsors and Official Broadcasters of the Dakar Rally, The Dakar Rally, the world’s most famous off-road endurance race, is due to take place in Saudi Arabia for its second edition from 3 to 15 of January 2021. As hundreds of participants will drive across beautiful landscapes in what has […]

As November 23, 2020 marked one year of solitary confinement for Ramy Kamel, a Coptic Egyptian human rights defender, 15 organizations urge American and European leaders to pressure Egyptian authorities to immediately release Ramy, lift all charges against him, and conduct effective investigations on allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against him.

On December 21, 2020, a coalition of ten organisations, including MENA Rights Group, sent a joint letter to members of the Iraqi Parliament, calling on them to withdraw or sufficientally amend the draft Law on Combating Cybercrime. The letter maintained that the new draft law places greater undue restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and does not help prevent cybercrime or ensure effective cybersecurity in Iraq.

In the context of the 2019-2020 Iraqi demonstrations, dozens of peaceful protesters have been forcibly disappeared. In a joint letter sent on December 10, 2020, MENA Rights Group and over 20 other Iraqi and international NGOs called on Iraq's president, Barham Salih, to ensure that those who are still missing be released immediately.