Attacks on the freedom of expression worsened in the Emirates in 2011, stated Alkarama in a communication to the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression today. The communication detailed human rights violations carried out against whistleblowers from the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) Faisal Al Zaidi and Rachid Bin Abbad who denounced corruption within the company. The communication also described a number of other incidents in the country in which authorities have tried to restrain criticism of governmental policies.

Maikel Nabil Sanad, considered the first prisoner of conscience since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak, was released on Tuesday 24 January 2012, a day before the anniversary of the outbreak of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Mr Sanad, a well known blogger and critic of military rule, was detained for 10 month following an unfair trial before a military court.

Despite his refusal to be sent back to Algeria, where he feared being the object of further persecution and ill treatment, he was finally released by the United States to the Algerian authorities on 19 July 2010.

Ten International NGOs today sent a joint open letter to French Prime Minister, François Fillon, requesting that Dr Mourad Dhina, Alkarama's Executive Director and a leading figure in the Algerian political opposition, not be extradited to Algeria, where he faces potential arbitrary detention and torture.

Immediately Free Emergency Law Detainees, Transfer Cases to Regular Courts

January 24, 2012

(New York) – The Egyptian military's announcement on January 24, 2012, that it will lift the state of emergency except in cases of "thuggery" is an invitation to continued abuse, Alkarama and Human Rights Watch said today. The two rights groups said that the government should use the regular penal code and civilian criminal courts to address alleged criminal activity. It should also repeal Law 34, which criminalizes participation in strikes during a state of emergency.

French police arrested Dr Mourad Dhina yesterday at Paris-Orly airport at the request of the Algerian authorities.

Alkarama strongly condemns the ongoing repression of large parts of the Syrian population. Especially the ongoing use of enforced disappearance by the security services or the Shabiha, paramilitary forces loyal to the regime and to the president's family in particular, give cause for deep concern. There are well founded reasons to fear for the disappeared's wellbeing, as released individuals give shocking testimonies of torture and ill-treatment while in the hands of the security services.