Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)

Articles by Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)

Maha Assabalani, a representative of the Violation Documentation Center, accepts an award on Razan Zeitouneh's behalf, during the 'Francoise Giroud' Award Ceremony in Paris, France, 30 January 2014, Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Five years on, we remember Razan, Samira, Nazem and Wa’el

On 9 December, people around the world remembered Razan Zaitouneh, Samira Khalil, Nazem Hamadi and Wa’el Hamada, kidnapped in Douma, Syria on this day five years ago.

People gather to protest over the high cost of living in Tehran, Iran on 30 December 2017, Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

MENA governments bent on shutting down political expression

In a month that included a malware surveillance campaign in Lebanon, Telegram being blocked in Iran and crackdowns in Tunisia, the release of Hisham Al-Omeisy was a welcome bit of good news.

Protest in front of the Medicine Syndicate in Cairo, Egypt, in solidarity with 22-year-old student and political prisoner Ahmed el-Khatib, 30 March 2017 , Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Life after sentencing for MENA’s political detainees

In December, MENA activists focused on the plight of political detainees serving lengthy and unjust sentences in obscurity.

Military secure worshippers outside Al Rawdah mosque during the first Friday prayer after the attack in Bir Al-Abed, Egypt, 1 December 2017, REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Unapologetic crackdowns on dissent as greater instability rocks MENA

As the saga of Saudi’s hunted elites commanded attention across the Middle East and North Africa this November, news of the region’s less powerful prey fell by the wayside. Authorities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, and Egypt went after protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders critical of their regimes.

Anti-government protesters hold up images of jailed human rights activist Nabeel Rajab during a solidarity protest outside his home in Bani Jamra, Bahrain, 14 May 2015, AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File

How repressive Arab regimes are expanding their reach

Our Middle East and North Africa round-up spotlights Bahrain’s first military trial of civilians since 2011, a growing crackdown on members of Egypt’s LGBTQI+ community, and a new player restricting Iranians’ internet access.

LGBT flags are displayed during World Pride in Madrid, Spain, 30 June 2017, REUTERS/Susana Vera

Over 57 individuals arrested as part of LGBTQ+ crackdown in Egypt

Human rights organizations condemn the crackdown on individuals in Egypt based on their perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.

Representatives of authoritarian states hostile to fundamental freedoms should not head UNESCO

Human rights organizations regret the nomination of Ambassador Moushira Khattab, who has remained silent in the ongoing crackdown on civil society and freedom of expression in Egypt.

A young man reads a copy of "Alhayat" newspaper in Cairo, Egypt, 21 January 2017, AP Photo/Amr Nabil

Attacks, abuses of power & shrinking civic space: September in the MENA region

Our monthly roundup spotllghts Egypt’s latest efforts to control the media (and rainbow flags), the Kurdish referendum (and aftershocks), a campaign to tackle self-censorship in Palestine and much more.