Articles by Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
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.
Omani Supreme Court shuts down independent “Azamn” newspaper indefinitely
The Supreme Court of Oman issued a final ruling on the closure of Azamn, ending the paper’s fight to reopen and shuttering it permanently. Azamn is regarded as an independent newspaper characterised by its anti-corruption reporting since its establishment in 2007.
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.
HRC 36: Secure digital communications are essential for human rights
A joint statement by the Association of Progressive Communications, IFEX and 64 co-signatories at the UN-HRC 36 warns of the threat to human rights posed by recent attacks on the right to use encryption technology, in Turkey and across the globe.
Saudi human rights defenders brought to trial for protesting violations
In August, human rights defenders Issa Al-Nukhaifi and Essam Koshak were brought to court over their human rights activities, where they learned of charges against them.
No August reprieve for journalists and activists in the Middle East and North Africa
Whether authoritarian regimes, so-called democracies or warring armed groups, those who wield power in the Middle East and North Africa have taken internet censorship to new levels and stepped up their individual campaigns against critics, journalists, and opponents this month.
Collective response vital to protect civic space in the Middle East and North Africa
A group of human rights activists and civil society organisations have issued a public call urging greater solidarity and strategic coordination to address the unabated assault on fundamental freedoms, including the fundamental right to freedom of expression and opinion, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Syrian magazine banned in Douma and its journalists sentenced to prison
“Rising for Freedom” (Talaana Aaharih) magazine has been banned in Douma, Syria and two of its journalists sentenced to prison over an article published earlier this year. The offices of the magazine and NGOs including the Violations Documentation Centre (VDC) were shut down in March 2017, and VDC was closed again this week after being attacked by a mob.