Alkarama today referred to the United Nations Secretary General the case of Mr Haithem Al Maleh, the 78 year-old Syrian lawyer and human rights defender who has been charged with "conveying false news" by a Syrian Military Court despite the fact that he holds no military status.

Two separate extrajudicial killings, carried out by agents of the Yemeni security services, took place in July 2008 and July 2009. Despite orders from the Ministry of the Interior for the perpetrators to be arrested and handed over to the Prosecution, no action has been taken in the case of Saleh Al-Wasabi and the culprits remain at large .

Abdullah Khowar and Salem Al-Kuwari were both arrested on 27 June 2009 by State Security officers.

Alkarama is surprised at the response which the Syrian authorities gave to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) when asked in 2006 whether Mr Nizar Rastanawi, a Syrian human rights defender, was still arbitrarily detained. The Syrian government responded that Mr Rastanawi had been released. Thus on 16 November 2006, the WGAD adopted Opinion 35/2006 in which they filed the case.

Human rights violations are ubiquitous in Libya and Jamal Al-Hajji, a 54 year old human rights activist, did not shy away from exposing the systematic abuses carried out by the Libyan authorities. During the past few years, Mr Al-Hajji has been the frequent target of harassment by the security services after bringing to light various human rights violations committed by the Libyan authorities.

Ahmed Saad Douma, a 20-year-old blogger and student at Tanta University, was arrested by State Security Intelligence (SSI -Amn Al-Dowla) at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on 4 February 2009. He was charged with "trying to illegally cross the eastern border." On 10 February 2009 he was tried before a military court and sentenced to one year in prison and fined 2000 LE ($US 360). He was tortured during his transfer to the prison and was again subjected to torture on 5 December 2009.

Arrested on 16 December 2007 by Saudi Intelligence service (Al-Mabahit Al-Aama) at the Al-Khafdji border crossing between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Nasser Al-Hajiri, 37, a Kuwaiti national, is currently detained at the Intelligence Services' detention center in Dammam. He suffers from health complications associated with diabetes, arterial hypertension and a serious brain tumor. Since his arrest, Mr Al-Hajiri has neither received any formal charges nor has he been presented before a judicial authority.

Alkarama has received an important update regarding Ziad Wasef Ramadan, a Syrian arrested in 2005. Following Ziad Ramadan's first family-visit in over two years on 23 August 2009, reports now confirm that Mr Ramadan's health has severely deteriorated after being subjected to continuous solitary confinement since September 2007. Ziad Ramadan's family had previously visited him on 22 September 2007, after he was transferred to the Palestinian Branch of Damascus prison, in September 2007.

The Egyptian authorities continue to forcibly arrest anyone who challenges the regime. Acting with complete impunity, they are almost always in contradiction with the principles of international and domestic law to which Egypt is party. The security services not only carry out multiple arbitrary arrests, but expose detainees to torture in an effort to extract false confessions to be used as evidence in unfair trials.

Mr. Abdennour Ali-Yahia, longtime Algerian human rights defender, was awarded the Alkarama Award 2009 for Human Rights Defenders, yesterday, Friday, 11 December 2009. The award ceremony took place at the International Conference Center Geneva.