Despite having served six months over and beyond his prison sentence, Abdul Rahman Al-Hossami was not released by Yemeni security services. However, reliable sources recently informed Alkarama that he was in fact finally released on 7 December 2009.

Disgruntled by the Algerian authorities' lack of response to demands for truth and justice in the wake of the disappearances of their loved ones, the families of the missing persons from Jijel governorate (300km east of Algiers) continue to call upon the United Nations for their help.

Abdelghani Suleiman is threatened with forced extradition to Pakistan where he risks being subjected to torture. He has been detained by the Political Security services (Al-Amn Al-Siyassi) in Sana'a since 28 May 2008 without legal procedure.

(Beirut, 23 December 2009) - Lebanon has missed a 22 December 2009, deadline for setting up a national institution to prevent torture, a group of Lebanese and international human rights organizations said today.

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.