Annual report 2022

Dear friends and supporters,

I am pleased to introduce MENA Rights Group’s 2022 annual report, which sets out how we have continued to support victims of gross human rights violations to claim their universally recognised rights and freedoms, while advocating for systemic structural change in the Middle East and North Africa.

We are first and foremost grateful to victims and their families who have continued to place their trust in us, despite facing the most egregious abuses and oftentimes, risking reprisals for speaking out. Since our inception in 2018, 1,115 individuals have mandated us to defend their rights: they are the raison d’être of MENA Rights Group and our team has been and will remain committed to supporting them while upholding the highest standards of legal ethics, professionalism, and empathy. We were pleased to see the impact of our action when several individuals we assisted regained their freedom, had abusive Interpol red notices lifted, or whose plight gained visibility and the attention of relevant stakeholders.

Meanwhile, we continued to complement our litigation work with advocacy for human rights-based legal and policy reforms. This includes calls for amending laws to align with international human rights standards and incorporating civil society perspectives during international mechanisms’ reviews of MENA countries. In 2022, we had to devote significant resources to writing a total of 10 reports. This situation is due to the resumption of reviews by UN treaty bodies after an interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We also explored new strategies to foster accountability such as submitting requests for the imposition of Magnitsky sanctions against perpetrators of human rights abuses in the MENA, in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. While this work cannot be disclosed to protect victims whose testimonies we have collected, we wish to contribute to bringing justice for the abuses suffered. We were also pleased to provide our expertise and contribute to enforcing the principle of universal jurisdiction.

None of this would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of our passionate team members, as well as the human rights community we are honoured to be a part of. Together, we will continue to challenge injustice and make progress towards a Middle East and North Africa where people enjoy and are ensured the effective recognition and respect of their rights and freedoms

I also wish to warmly thank each and every one of our partners, supporters, funders, and board members, without whom all of our achievements would not have been possible.

In solidarity,

Inès Osman

Co-founder and director