Alkarama for Human Rights and Algeria-Watch, 23 July 2007

Algeria was required by the Human Rights Committee to issue its third periodic report in June 2000. It did not do so, however, until 22 September 2006, six years later. The period taken into account in our observations thus stretches from 1998 until today.

The human rights situation has changed a lot over this period.

Alkarama for Human Rights, 2 August 2007

In another blow to the British government’s claim that “diplomatic assurances” prevent torture, British judges have stopped the government from deporting three people to Algeria.  Their close examination of the evidence confirmed a point that Alkarama and other human rights organisations had made from the beginning – that, notwithstanding the diplomatic assurances given by Algeria to the UK, people deported were still at risk of torture.

Alkarama for Human Rights, 25 July 2007

As of Monday 24/07/2007, the Saudi authorities have released our client Dr. Abdallah Al Hamed and his brother Isa Al Hamed.  Alkarama had taken up their issue during the wave of arrests of 16/03/2004 which affected him and some other symbols of political, cultural, and ideological reform in the Kingdom.

Alkarama for Human Rights, 20 July 2007

Alkarama for Human Rights has learned that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued opinion 4/2007 on 8 May 2007 about the detention of Mr. Khalid Al Rashed, deeming the case to constitute arbitrary detention and calling on the Saudi government to remedy this situation. 

Alkarama had submitted the case of Mr. Khalid bin Muhammad Al Rashed, detained at Al Ha’ir prison in Riyadh, to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 30 April 2006.

Alkarama for Human Rights, 10 July 2007

Alkarama for Human Rights has addressed Louise Arbour, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to bring to their attention the issue of Sayfallah Ben Hassine, detained at Mornaguiya prison (Tunis).

Alkarama for Human Rights, 13 July 2007 

Over the last few weeks Alkarama has been contacting UN bodies, specifically the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Working Group on Enforced Disappearance, and the Special Rapporteur on Torture, regarding the brothers Ibrahim and Usamah al-Jadhran, born 1983 and 1985, who were arrested at their home in Ajdabiya (170 km south of Benghazi) on 29 June 2005 by the Libyan Internal Security, and tortured  in the Internal Security Centre at Ajdabiya by two locally well-known officers.

 Alkarama for Human Rights, 3 July 2007

 Alkarama for Human Rights has written to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to inform it of 14 cases of arbitrary detention and ask it to intervene with the Egyptian government, which ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 14 January 1982 and the Convention against Torture on 25 June 1986.

The following people have so far been detained without trial for periods of 11 to 14 years:

Alkarama for Human Rights has received the following urgent report of a probable violation of freedom of speech:

New York, July 5, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by vague terrorism charges brought on Wednesday against the editor of an opposition news Web site. A state security court charged Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani, former editor of the online newspaper Al-Shoura, which is affiliated with the Popular Forces Union Party, with conspiring with antigovernment rebels.

Alkarama for Human Rights, 3 July 2007

Alkarama for Human Rights has sent a letter to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, asking her to intervene urgently in the case of Dr. bin Zair. (See also the communiqué of 9 June 2007.)

Arbitrary detention in Egypt has become a routine and very widespread affair, to the point that any person may be detained by administrative decision at ant time under the State of Emergency Law that governs the land.  Alkarama for Human Rights has observed hundreds of cases of arbitrary detention over the past years, and has brought new cases of these violations to the attention of specialised UN bodies such as the Working Group for Arbitrary Detention.