News

Egypt: Rights groups call for end to state harassment of human rights defender Mohamed Abdel Salam and association for freedom of thought and expression

The undersigned human rights organizations call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately end all forms of harassment or intimidation against human rights defender Mohamed Abdel Salam, Executive Director of the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), in retaliation for his legitimate human rights work. The organizations are also calling to ensure that AFTE is […]

Rights groups condemn the sentencing of Ramlah Dahmani under Decree 54 as a dangerous escalation in the targeting of women human rights defenders and the criminalization of solidarity

The undersigned organizations express their strong condemnation of the in absentia verdict issued on 1 July 2025 against activist Ramlah Dahmani, sentencing her to two years in prison with immediate enforcement. The ruling was issued under Article 24 of Decree No. 54 of 2022, which criminalizes the dissemination of “false information” via communication networks, a provision that is overly […]

Tunisia must release jailed commentator Sonia Dahmani, end weaponization of Decree 54

We, the undersigned media and human rights organizations, call on the Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer and political commentator who is being unjustly prosecuted under Tunisia’s repressive Decree-Law 54 for exercising her right to freedom of expression and currently serving nearly five years in prison solely for doing […]

Législation sécuritaire: la société civile alerte sur les dérives autoritaires en Algérie

Les organisations signataires expriment leur vive préoccupation suite à l’adoption, ce mardi 8 juillet 2025 par le Parlement algérien, de deux textes législatifs majeurs: la modification du Code de procédure pénale et la promulgation d’une nouvelle loi relative à la mobilisation générale. Ces évolutions interviennent dans un contexte de fermeture accrue de l’espace civique et […]

Rights groups call on Egyptian authorities to immediately release Dr. Salah Soltan and all wrongfully detained prisoners sentenced in case no. 1766 of 2022

We, the undersigned organizations, are deeply alarmed by the news that Egyptian academic and U.S. lawful permanent resident Dr. Salah Soltan is enduring a potentially life-threatening medical crisis and is at increased risk of sudden death while detained in Egypt’s Badr 1 prison without sufficient medical care. We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately and […]

Lebanon: Seven years of enacting a torture law without effective implementation

26 June 2025 On the occasion of 26 June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture- which symbolizes the global commitment to ending the practice of torture and other ill-treatment- we, the undersigned organizations, express our deep concern over the ongoing impunity for the crime of torture in Lebanon and the lack of […]

Rights organizations call on Egypt to end transnational repression against exiled journalist Basma Mostafa

We, the undersigned organizations, call on the Egyptian government to immediately end its campaign of transnational repression targeting exiled Egyptian journalists. We specifically urge the government to respond to the UN report detailing the harassment and surveillance of Egyptian investigative journalist Basma Mostafa, currently residing in Germany. We further urge German authorities to ensure her safety […]

NGOs voice fears for hundreds of foreign nationals at risk of imminent execution in Saudi Arabia

We, the undersigned organisations, are gravely fearful for the lives of hundreds of prisoners threatened with imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for non-lethal drug-related offences, including scores of Egyptian, Ethiopian and Somali nationals. These men are living in a state of terror amid a dramatic surge in executions for such offences in recent months. According […]

Urgent support needed for the UN treaty bodies

Public Statement by Civil Society Organisations on the Occasion of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Chairpersons of the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies 12 June 2025 The undersigned civil society organisations issue this statement at a time of profound crisis of the UN, and the human rights mechanisms in particular. The international human rights treaties […]

Open letter from media and press freedom organizations on Gaza access

We, the undersigned, call for immediate, independent, and unrestricted international media access to Gaza and for full protection of journalists who continue to report under siege. For 20 months, the Israeli authorities have refused to grant journalists outside of Gaza independent access to the Palestinian territory – a situation that is without precedent in modern […]

Egypt: NGOs demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ibrahim Metwally, detained solely for peacefully exercising his human rights

MENA Rights Group joins 20+ NGOs to demand the immediate and unconditional release of human rights lawyer Ibrahim Metwally, arbitrarily detained since 2017.

Algeria: Migrants face raids, mass expulsions, and hate speech

In recent years, Algeria’s public sphere has witnessed an alarming rise in hate speech and persistent incitement against migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Migrants face racist rhetoric widely circulated in some media outlets and on social media, which promotes systematic violations and fuels a general climate of marginalization and discrimination. The undersigned organizations denounce this rhetoric, […]