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Alkarama has been informed of hundreds of cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances, demonstrating the prevalence of this method of repression.

Alkarama is deeply concerned about the alleged violations of human rights in Syria. At present, we were informed of the cases of 40 Syrian minors who are being or were detained incommunicado by the Air Force Intelligence. They are suffering, or have suffered, torture despite being minors under international law as all were 17 or under at the time of their arrest.

GENEVA - The Alkarama Foundation has chosen Dr. Aida Saif Al-Dawla from Egypt and Dr. Said Bin Zair from Saudi Arabia as the 2011 Alkarama Award laureates. Every December, as part of the International Human Rights Day (10 December), the award is presented to one or more human rights defenders in recognition of a lifelong dedication to the promotion and protection of human rights in the Arab world.

This year's laureates will jointly receive the Award at a public ceremony on 6 December at the Geneva International Conference Center.

The laureates

Yahya Al-Shurbaji, a 33-year old Syrian human rights defender was arrested on 6 September 2011 in Sahnaya, in the Damascus countryside following a car chase by agents of the Damascus Intelligence Service. Mr Al-Shurbaji and his friend Ghayath Mattar were victim of an ambush: they went together to the Al Mazza Military Airport believing that Mr Al-Shurbaji's brother, who is detained there, was injured and needed an ambulance. Given the facts of the case, Alkarama was seized of the case.

Civil society has the opportunity to provide information on the human rights situation in Kuwait when the country is examined by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) in October 2011. The Committee will review whether Kuwait is respecting the civil and political rights of its citizens.

Morocco will be reviewed by the Committee against Torture (also known as CAT) in early November 2011. This is an opportunity for civil society to raise any issues they may have with the Moroccan authorities regarding torture, as the United Nations human rights body will examine the situation of torture in the country closely.

Following complaints about prison conditions which Mr Mikhlif Al Shammari, a 56 year old human rights defender from Saudi Arabia, sent to the Director General of prisons in Saudi Arabia, he was taken from his cell by prison guards on 27 July 2011 and subjected to severe torture including threats to his life followed by an attempt to kill him.

Alkarama today submitted information about