Middle East and North Africa

Obstacles to the work of human rights defenders have included assassinations, arbitrary arrest and judicial harassment as well as daily threats and intimidation. Forms of repression vary across the region. In Iraq human rights defenders have been murdered, while arbitrary detentions and politically motivated prosecutions occur in Algeria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt. The Israeli authorities have also threatened, attacked and arbitrarily detained human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Despite some slight signs of progress freedom of expression and association is almost non-existant in many countries in the region.There have been some slight improvements in Saudi Arabia but the climate remains generally oppressive for human rights defenders as in Oman and Libya. In the United Arab Emirates there have been some backward steps. In Bahrain new repressive legislation has been introduced and the imprecise nature of the legislation to “protect the security of the state from terrorist acts” makes it liable for use to target human rights defenders. The UAE did allow the registration of the UAE Human Rights Association but other independent groups have been prevented from registering and human rights defenders are liable to arbitrary detention, prosecutions and other acts of intimidation

In Iraq the escalating conflict and resulting insecurity makes the situation very dangerous for human rights defenders who are often accused of acting on behalf of external powers or of contributing to the instability of the country.Killing or kidnapping is a daily risk.

Severe restrictions are placed on the registration of ngo's in Iran, particularly women's groups, and individual human rights defenders who criticise the government are likely to be arrested. Vaguely worded charges of “acting against national security” are used to target human rights defenders who risk torture and ill-treatment in prison. Police violently broke up a demonstration organised by women's and student groups to protest against discriminatory legislation against women, seventy people were arrested and held in Evin prison for some days before being released. Several prosecutions remain pending.

In several countries repressive state of emergency legislation remained in force including in Algeria, Egypt and Syria. In Algeria despite a pardon for journalists convicted of insulting the President or the institutions of state there is llittle real progress. This pardon only covered human rights defenders already convicted and does not prevent new prosecutions being initiated using the same legislation. Human rights defenders campaigning for an end to impunity or investigations into past human rights abuses such as “disappearances” continue to be targetted,

Severe repression of human rights defenders by the Moroccan authorities continues in Western Sahara where a number of defenders have been imprisoned. In Tunisia the activities of human rights defenders remains severely restricted. They are under constant surveillance and many face arrest and imprisonment. Human rights organisations are prevented from holding meetings and individual defenders are attacked and beaten by police officers without any action being taken to punish the perpetrators.

In Libya there is no space for human rights defenders to work - the establishment of ngo's remains forbidden. HRD who risk affiliating to international organisations face the possibility of prison terms or even the death penalty.

In Egypt the government has intensified its efforts to take control of civil society and has placed restrictions on the activities of national and international ngo's.

In Jordan new repressive legislation was introduced in response to “the war on terror” which is so vaguely worded that there are grounds for fearing that it will be used to target human rights defenders. In Lebanon human rights defenders who have called for investigation of human rights abuses carried out by members of the armed forces have been harassed while groups promoting dialogue betweeen Palestinians and lLebanese have received death threats from armed opposition groups. In Syria emergency legislation remained in place and 2006 was marked by a wave of arrests of human rights defenders journalists and intellectuals. In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory serious obstacles to freedom of movement are imposed on human rights defenders. This combined with difficulties re registration and work permits makes it very difficult for them to carry out their work. A number of human rights defenders in the OPT have been placed under administrative detention orders which can be renewed indefinitely. This practice is widely recognised as being contrary to international human rights law.