Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

Upon its adoption by the Moroccan parliament, the new bill will prohibit the referral of civilians to trial before military courts in times of peace, regardless of the nature of the alleged crime or the status of the accused and even if military personnel were allegedly involved in the perpetration of the crime in question.

The government of Syria should immediately and unconditionally release the arbitrarily detained human rights defender Mazen Darwish and his colleagues Hani Al-Zitani and Hussein Ghareer, 61 human rights organizations said on 17 March 2014.

On 17 February 2014, the home of detained human rights defender Khalil Ma’touq in Damascus was raided by security forces. His daughter, Ranim an art student, was arrested and his 17 year old son was beaten during the raid.

195 civil society organisations from around the world have called on the UN to put government accountability and independent media at the centre of a new framework for global development.

Draconian restrictions have been imposed on freedoms of assembly and association in Qatar, where protests and political parties are completely banned – an extreme form of totalitarian repression that is rare even in the most oppressive countries in the world.

Egyptian voters have overwhelmingly approved the new military-backed constitution giving General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the legitimacy he seeks to strengthen the army’s grip on the country. Although it is considered preferable to the last constitution, local rights groups have voiced their reservations regarding its efficacy.

On 22 December 2013, the Abdeen Court in Egypt issued a verdict against three activists who were integral to the 25 January revolution to three years in jail and a 50,000 Egyptian pounds [US$7180] fine.

Four Syrian activists abducted in the Damascus suburbs, apparently in relation to their humanitarian work, must be released immediately and unconditionally, 16 human rights organisations said on 11 December 2013.