Alkarama is deeply concerned by those events as Mr Kayed was already arrested and tortured by the Lebanese authorities following his initial arrest in 2007.

Alkarama will meet with the experts of the Committee on 31 October, just before the official review, to brief them on our key concerns.

Alkarama has been informed of hundreds of cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances, demonstrating the prevalence of this method of repression.

Alkarama is deeply concerned about the alleged violations of human rights in Syria. At present, we were informed of the cases of 40 Syrian minors who are being or were detained incommunicado by the Air Force Intelligence. They are suffering, or have suffered, torture despite being minors under international law as all were 17 or under at the time of their arrest.

GENEVA - The Alkarama Foundation has chosen Dr. Aida Saif Al-Dawla from Egypt and Dr. Said Bin Zair from Saudi Arabia as the 2011 Alkarama Award laureates. Every December, as part of the International Human Rights Day (10 December), the award is presented to one or more human rights defenders in recognition of a lifelong dedication to the promotion and protection of human rights in the Arab world.

This year's laureates will jointly receive the Award at a public ceremony on 6 December at the Geneva International Conference Center.

The laureates

Yahya Al-Shurbaji, a 33-year old Syrian human rights defender was arrested on 6 September 2011 in Sahnaya, in the Damascus countryside following a car chase by agents of the Damascus Intelligence Service. Mr Al-Shurbaji and his friend Ghayath Mattar were victim of an ambush: they went together to the Al Mazza Military Airport believing that Mr Al-Shurbaji's brother, who is detained there, was injured and needed an ambulance. Given the facts of the case, Alkarama was seized of the case.