Alkarama for Human Rights, based in Geneva, has published its 2024 annual report, marking the 20th anniversary of the organization's founding. The report highlights the overall human rights situation across the four regions of the Arab world.
This year, Alkarama's annual report (Arabic version) is characterised by a qualitative addition, represented by the collection of all the human rights data that Alkarama has worked on throughout the past year. This includes data related to legal actions, such as individual complaints and parallel reports submitted by Alkarama to UN special procedures and treaty bodies, as well as advocacy statements and efforts to raise awareness about human rights during various events endorsed by the General Assembly to promote and disseminate a culture of human rights.
Rachid Mesli, Alkarama’s director declared: “Once again, Alkarama reaffirms its steadfast commitment to listening to the voices of victims across the Arab world and strengthening its bridges with the United Nations. This ensures that the voices of those whose rights have been violated, and those suffering from repression and intimidation, are heard. Through the careful collection of harrowing testimonies, rigorous factfinding and documentation, we provide accurate reports to international human rights bodies.”
He added: “Despite the challenges, we remain relentless in our fight against all forms of dehumanisation, violations of the right to life, torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention. Our continuous pursuit of truth through the voices of victims, their families, and brave human rights defenders is an unwavering part of our mission.”
Alkarama's annual report focuses on Israel's genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, noting that despite the ceasefire agreement the suffering of the Palestinian people continues to worsen under the siege and unprecedented violence. Thousands of innocent and vulnerable lives shattered under the brute force of the genocidal war.
"This tragedy is not just that of a martyred land”, stated lawyer Rachid Mesli about the situation in Gaza and continued: “but a dark mirror reflecting an Arab world where human rights violations occur with alarming regularity. The rights to life, security and liberty, as well as public freedoms, remain elusive phantoms, trampled underfoot in a deafening silence by regimes more concerned with preserving their grip on power than with seeking just and humane solutions."
"Rather than embark on the path of reconciliation and reform, many Arab governments are choosing the path of heightened repression, stifling any expression of solidarity, especially with the Palestinian cause, silencing the voices of dissent, and condemning freedom of expression," noted Alkarama’s director.
In its annual report, Alkarama provides a summary of the most prominent cases it has worked on, with reference to some examples and model cases to illustrate the context, nature and patterns of violations.
Alkarama is a Geneva-based human rights NGO founded in 2004 that works to help all people at risk of extrajudicial execution, enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary detention. Alkarama acts as a bridge between individual victims and international human rights mechanisms, for an Arab world in which all people live in freedom and dignity, under the protection of the rule of law.