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(Geneva, May 30, 2018) – On May 18, 2018, Alkarama submitted a report with ten cases of reprisals across six countries in the Arab world to the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) in preparation for his annual report on reprisals against individuals who cooperate with the UN.

(Geneva, June 1, 2018) – In a resolution published on May 30, the European Parliament condemned the recent wave of arrests in Saudi Arabia while calling on the Saudi authorities and the European Union (EU) to take a number of steps to protect human rights in the country.

(Geneva, June 1, 2018) – In recent weeks, the Egyptian authorities have increased their crackdown on peaceful dissent, with waves of abductions of human rights defenders, activists and bloggers.

(Geneva, May 31, 2018) – Alkarama has requested the urgent intervention of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in the case of prominent human rights defender and co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), Mohammed Al Bajadi, who has been disappeared since his arrest last Thursday.

(Geneva, May 30, 2018) – On May 29, 2018, Alkarama submitted the case of dual Qatari and Saudi Arabian national Nawaf Al Rasheed to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID). Al Rasheed, a student at Qatar University and son of the late Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Rasheed of Saudi Arabia, has been missing since he was deported to Saudi Arabia on May 12, 2018.

Kamal Hassan Mehdi Hassan and Manal Yamani Ala Yamani

(Geneva, May 30, 2018) – Alkarama has requested the urgent intervention of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in the case of a married couple who have been missing since their abductions by Egyptian homeland security on May 24, 2018.

(Geneva, May 24, 2018) – The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) has published its Concluding Observations on Qatar’s third periodic report following the state’s review on May 1 and 2, 2018.

Abdul Rahman Alhaj Ali was released on May 16, 2018, putting an end to three and a half years of arbitrary detention in Morocco. Alhaj Ali has been detained since October 30, 2014 at Salé prison pending extradition to Saudi Arabia.

On August 22, 2016, the UN Committee against Torture called on the Moroccan authorities to cancel the extradition and release Alhaj Ali, citing the systematic use of torture and ill-treatment in Saudi Arabia.

Arrest and detention

As of May 14, 2018, Saudi journalist Alaa Brinji has spent four years behind bars for expressing his opinion, advocating for human rights, and challenging rights violations.

Brinji, who used to write for Al-Bilad, Al-Sharq and Okaz newspapers, is one of Saudi Arabia’s best-known journalists. His arrest was accompanied by several violations of his rights, including initially being held incommunicado, denied contact with the outside world, and denied access to a lawyer throughout his trial.

Geneva (May 15, 2018) – With the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Djibouti taking place last week before the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, concerns remain about the Djiboutian authorities’ willingness to make significant improvements to the human rights situation in the country.