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Next Wednesday, 20 November, will mark the second session of the trial of three Jordanian activists before the State Security Court (SSC), notorious for its disrespect of fair trial norms. The three activists named Hamam Mohamed Qafisheh, Ayman Abdelaziz Al Bahrawy, and Diaa Al Din Abdelaziz Al Shalaby were arrested on suspicion of producing and distributing posters displaying the R4BIA signs, associated with the Muslim Brotherhood protests in neighboring Egypt.

Today, the report on the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the human rights situation in Jordan was adopted by the UPR Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council. In view of the Jordanian authorities' failure to fully implement many of the recommendations made during its first review in 2009, a number of recommendations were repeated. Many of these recommendations again enjoyed the support of Jordan, but some crucial suggestions were unfortunately refused.

Alkarama is deeply concerned by the draft law on the "Organization of the Right to Public Assembly, Processions and Peaceful Demonstrations in Public Places" – known as 'the Demonstration Law' - which falls short of Egypt's international human rights obligations regarding the right to assembly.

On 20 October 2013, the Cassation Court in Doha upheld the 15-year prison sentence confirmed by the court of appeal that was rendered in January 2013 against Qatari poet Mohamed Al-Ajami (also known as Mohamed Ibn Al-Dib).

Mohamed Al-Ajami has been detained since 2011 simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression – charged for "inciting to overthrow the regime" and "insulting the Emir," both overly broad charges. In addition, his trial was permeated with irregularities, according to his lawyer Najeeb Al-Nuaimi.

The use of drones by the USA to commit targeted assassinations in Yemen should be considered, and qualified, as extrajudicial executions.