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In May 2016, the Committee against Torture (CAT) issued its concluding observations for Saudi Arabia in response to its second periodic report on the implementation of the Convention against Torture (UNCAT

On 23 June 2017, Alkarama submitted its follow-up report to the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) on the implementation of the priority recommendations made to the State of Kuwait following its third periodic

Mohamed Ahmed Edou known as Mohamed Djabha, the oldest political detainee in Djibouti was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment on 18 June 2017. This member Eritrean-born Djiboutian long-time political opponent and member of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy party was arrested on 1 May 2010 by the Djiboutian army. He was later accused of creating a “paramilitary organisation” and of “collaborating with a foreign power”.

Khaled Mohamed Hafez Mohamed Azzedine, a peaceful activist, was abducted four years ago in the center of Giza by members of the Egyptian Police Forces and the Army while participating to a peaceful demonstration. Azzedine was taken to an unknown location and remains disappeared since.

Arab States Continue to Crackdown on Human Rights Activists, Alkarama Tells UN Secretary General

As the Egyptian authorities are under heavy criticism from rights groups and UN experts due to widespread violations of fundamental rights, on 7 June 2017, six students saw their death sentences upheld by the Court of Cassation in the “Mansoura Guard Killing Case”, after a seriously flawed trial solely based on coerced statements obtained under brutal torture. Should the death sentences be carried out, their execution would be summary and constitute a severe violation of Egypt’s human rights obligations.

On 13 May 2017, following popular protests, the Iraqi Parliament decided to indefinitely postpone the vote on the Draft law on freedom of expression and peaceful demonstrations, a text that restricts the fundamental rights and freedoms of Iraqi citizens.

Dr Hanane Baderraddine Abdalhafez Othman, a doctor in biology and human rights defender, was arrested on 6 May 2017 by members of the National Security Services at the Al Qanater Al Khayriyah Prison, where she went to inquire about the fate and whereabouts of her disappeared husband. This women, who is also very active in providing assistance and support to other women whose relatives were victims of enforced disappearance, was charged with “belonging to a banned group” and “forming a women’s organisation”.

On 22 May 2017, Alkarama, along with the SAM Observatory for Rights and Liberties, sent a joint communication to the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (SR SUMX) regarding the execution of three men in Sana’a by the Houthi-Saleh coalition.

Farah Abadid Hildid, Naguib Ali Gouradi, Mohamoud Mohamed Daher and Ibrahim Abdi Indayareh, the four members of the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MDRD), who were sentenced to two months of imprisonment on 28 March 2017 and detained at the Gabode prison, were finally released on 10 May 2017 pending final decision of the Djibouti Court of Appeal.