Alkarama expresses its concern over the new anti-terrorism law that was adopted by the Jordanian government on 1st June 2014. The amendments to the initial law n°55 of 2006 are not in line with international Human Rights standards and treaties ratified by the Hashemite Kingdom.

Alkarama referred to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of the United Nations the case of Abdulrahman Ali Salem Mohammed, a Yemeni citizen who disappeared on 27 December 2013 after having been arrested at a checkpoint.

Abdulrahman, 19, usually lives in the United Arab Emirates where he has been working in cars' import/export field in Dubai. To visit his family, he used to travel frequently between Yemen and the UAE by crossing Oman.

Alkarama has submitted its shadow report in view of the Universal Periodic Review of Kuwait, which will take place in March 2015.

For nearly 10 years now, the Issawi family has not been durably reunited. Because of the political activism of their children, the Issawi's parents have seen them successively arrested or questioned by the Israel police. The latest ones, Shireen, a young lawyer, and her brothers, Shadi and Medhat, were arrested in March 2014 by the Israel police.

Alkarama referred to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances the case of Abdul Basit Al Sheikh, a Syrian activist who was arrested in May 2012 by agents of the Syrian Air Forces intelligence services. Until now, his family remains unaware of his fate and whereabouts.

Mr Al Sheikh, a candy seller who became activist

Jemaa Ahmad Massini and Alaeddine Moussa Ibrahim are two young Syrians living in Lebanon. They were arrested in February 2009 by agents of the internal security forces in Dora Street, North-East Beirut.

As they were held incommunicado, they might have been subjected to torture in order to elicit confessions. After eight consecutive days of ill-treatment and without any contact with the outside world or legal assistance, the two young men might have given up and sign documents that were presented to the Lebanese judiciary as confessions.

Nahr Al Bared is a Palestinian refugee camp located in Northern Lebanon. From May to September 2007, it was the scene of clashes between the regular Lebanese forces and Fatah Al Islam, an armed radical group, which led to the death of at least 300 civilians and the displacement of thousands of others. Following a vast operation, hundreds of people were arrested and to date, 87 of them are still arbitrarily detained or prosecuted for supposedly supporting this group.

Maarouf Ould Al Hiba, 33, was secretly detained in Salah Eddine military base, North Mauritania. He died on 12 May 2014 in dubious circumstances. The little information available on the nature and legal status of this centre of detention comes in addition to Alkarama's concern over this death.

Today, Alkarama has provided the United Nations Secretary General with a report on the state of reprisals in the Arab world and in particular on individuals who have suffered from harassment and intimidation for their cooperation with the UN.

On 22 April 2014, Alkarama solicited the intervention of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention with the Syrian authorities asking for the immediate release of Naef Al Refai, a military judge who was arrested on 22 March 2012 and arbitrarily sentenced to seven years and a half in prison.