Articles

In this article, Alkarama responds to the recent false accusations of supporting terrorism on behalf of Qatar, allegations peddled by Lebanese daily, As-Safir and echoed in other "news" sites in the region.

Nominations for the 2014 Alkarama Award for human rights defenders are now closed. Thank you for having been so many to send in your candidates from 16 different Arabic countries.

Alkarama addresses the most serious human rights violations, i.e. violations which relate to the right to life, human dignity, physical integrity and freedom. The idea behind Alkarama's specific mandate is that only when citizens are free from the most serious human rights abuses that individuals can freely and effectively call for all of their rights and ensure the rule of law in their countries.

What makes the work of Alkarama unique?

• We work directly with the victims of human rights violations and their families
• The victims and the first hand information they provide are at the centre of our work
• We work mainly with the UN human rights system
• We work on four priority areas: extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention.
• We are a trilingual organisation

Alkarama documents cases of violations committed in the Arab world, through regular contact with the victims themselves, their families and relatives, as well as lawyers and the civil society organisations.

Based on the information collected, we engage the various UN human rights protection mechanisms, asking them to intervene with the State concerned to put an end to these violations.

2004: Creation of Alkarama in Geneva

Alkarama was created as a Swiss association in July 2004 by Qatari and Algerian human rights defenders – Adulrahman Al Naimi, Rachid Mesli and Abbas Aroua – to contribute to an Arab World where all individuals live free, in dignity, and protected by the rule of law.

Alkarama's Mission

Alkarama is an NGO defending the victims of human rights violations in the Arab world – including violations of the right to life, to physical and mental integrity and to Civil and Political Rights – by using in priority international law mechanisms. Alkarama also helps to promote a culture of human rights in the Arab world.

Alkarama's Vision

"An Arab world where all people live in dignity, free and protected by the rule of law"

Our vision is of an Arab world where everyone can demand respect for all rights, without fearing for his life, liberty or physical integrity. A world where the rights of all people living under the jurisdiction of a State are effectively protected by law and where leaders are accountable to their people, respect domestic laws and ratified international human rights treaties.

Assist victims of human rights violations

Alkarama brings assistance to those who are subjected to, or at risk of being subjected to extra-judicial executions, disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention. The organisation uses the international human rights mechanisms as a priority.

We are pleased to inform you that the call for nominations for the 2014 Alkarama Award for Human Rights Defenders is now open.

The Alkarama Award is a prize presented every year to an individual or an organisation that has contributed significantly to the promotion and protection of human rights in the Arab world. The prize giving ceremony will be held in Geneva on Thursday 11 December, to mark Human Rights Day (10 December).