Alkarama Foundation

On 12 December, senior Saudi human rights lawyer and recently elected President of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), Suleiman Al Rashoudi, was arrested by Saudi intelligence services for having publicly stated that the right to assembly was protected by international law.

Dr Mohamed Al Roken (UAE) and Dr Saud Al Hashimi (KSA) - the 2012 Alkarama Award co-laureates - were awarded for their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights in the Gulf region in a ceremony held on Friday 7 December 2012 in Geneva. The laureates, who are currently detained for having called for greater civil and political rights, were represented by their lawyers and relatives. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Meyrin, several human rights defenders and organizations, representatives of the United Nations, Permanent missions, journalists and students.

Alkarama was able to express its concerns on the current human rights situation in the United Arab Emirates earlier today, during the pre-session briefing organized by UPR-Info. Attended by numerous representatives of member States to the UN, it was a key opportunity to highlight urgent recommendations and questions that States should be raising during the UAE's second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 28 January 2013.

In the night of 27 April 2012, Ahmed Abdallah Al Khamsa, aged 38, was arrested on his way home from presenting his condolences for the death of Mr Lotfi Ben Qaïd, an acquaintance. The arresting forces had initially gone to Mr Al Khamsa's home at 11.30 pm, but had not found him there. One of the agents present told the brother of the victim, who was at the family home, that Mr Al Khamsa had been summoned by the Prosecutor of Al Suwani for a routine interrogation about the death of Mr Ben Qaïd, but he did not show an arrest warrant for Mr Al Khamsa's arrest.

Opening a new chapter of the issue of Arab prisoners in Iraq , the Iraqi authorities proceeded on 18 October 2012 to arrest the Libyan envoy mandated to negotiate the repatriation of the Libyan detainees in Iraq. After facilitating the release of a number of Libyans in recent months, Mr Ahmed Saleh Al Shami will now depend on similar assistance to regain his liberty. Alkarama therefore today asked the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders to request his release.