On World Press Freedom Day, observed on May 3, the outlook in the Arab world remains troubling, with a clear decline in media freedoms. Journalists are facing mounting restrictions, while legal frameworks and security tools are being used to silence independent voices. Freedom of expression, however, is a fundamental right protected under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Syrian government has received five of its nationals who had been arbitrarily detained by the authorities in Benghazi affiliated to retired Marshal Khalifa Haftar, after their arrest for celebrating the fall of the former regime in their country and the announcement of the “liberation” of the capital Damascus in December 2024. 

In Iraq, the Yemeni detainee Hasna Ali Yahya Hussayn suffers from chronic illnesses and endures extremely harsh detention conditions, according to human rights sources cited by Alkarama. 

Alkarama has learned that the Syrian authorities have managed to bring back the young Syrian Azmi Derri Mohamed Al Haddar to his country after 18 years of arbitrary detention and hardship in Iraqi prisons, linked to allegations of illegal border crossing and involvement with an armed group, for which he had been sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

Alkarama Submitted a Report to UN Human Rights Council on Systematic Abuses in Counter-Terrorism Frameworks Acro

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) found that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has failed to comply with its decisions concerning the two intellectuals, Safar Al Hawali and Salman Al Awdah. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that the adoption by the Israeli occupation of a law applying the death penalty almost exclusively to Palestinians violates the prohibition of racial discrimination and apartheid, particularly as it targets "Palestinians, who are often convicted following unfair trials."

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, stated that the “systematic” torture inflicted by Israel on Palestinians — sustained for decades by impunity and political support — is now being employed as a tool in the ongoing genocide in the territory.