Jordan: Repeated targeting of activist Anas Al-Jamal reflects securitisation of political protests
Jordanian authorities should release political activist Anas Al-Jamal, arbitrarily detained for more than a month following many previous arrests and harassments he has been subjected to for years, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Thursday in a statement.
After leaving his home on Tuesday 24 May to look for a job, Jordanian security forces arrested the 24-year-old activist without a warrant. Al-Jamal used to work as a vendor as his only source of income, but due to continued harassment he had to look for another source of income.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3ODF6E4
Jordanian authorities should release political activist Anas Al-Jamal, arbitrarily detained for more than a month following many previous arrests and harassments he has been subjected to for years, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Thursday in a statement.
After leaving his home on Tuesday 24 May to look for a job, Jordanian security forces arrested the 24-year-old activist without a warrant. Al-Jamal used to work as a vendor as his only source of income, but due to continued harassment he had to look for another source of income.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3ODF6E4
Draft constitution tampers with Tunisia's democratic foundations
The new Tunisian draft constitution tampers with the democratic foundations of the state and opens the door wide for the establishment of a totalitarian regime, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Sunday in a statement.
Published in the Official Gazette last Thursday, the draft constitution grants the President of the Republic broad executive and legislative powers, reduces the powers of the relevant public institutions, and eliminates the possibility of questioning or holding him accountable for his actions within the framework of his job.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3R5a9KD
The new Tunisian draft constitution tampers with the democratic foundations of the state and opens the door wide for the establishment of a totalitarian regime, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Sunday in a statement.
Published in the Official Gazette last Thursday, the draft constitution grants the President of the Republic broad executive and legislative powers, reduces the powers of the relevant public institutions, and eliminates the possibility of questioning or holding him accountable for his actions within the framework of his job.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3R5a9KD
OPt: US investigation fails to bring justice for journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, independent international investigation is required
An independent international investigation should be opened into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Tuesday in a statement expressing concern that failing to bring her justice perpetuates impunity.
The US State Department’s announcement that independent investigators were unable to reach a final conclusion after a carful forensic analysis of the projectile that killed Abu Akleh is expected.
More: https://bit.ly/3OOIprY
An independent international investigation should be opened into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Tuesday in a statement expressing concern that failing to bring her justice perpetuates impunity.
The US State Department’s announcement that independent investigators were unable to reach a final conclusion after a carful forensic analysis of the projectile that killed Abu Akleh is expected.
More: https://bit.ly/3OOIprY
Euro-Med Monitor at HRC: Reinforcing technical cooperation in Libya can save migrants, asylum seekers' lives
Reinforcing technical cooperation can be beneficial in some countries, but it is critical in Libya, as such efforts can help save the lives of many migrants and asylum seekers, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and IRDG said in a joint oral statement at the Human Rights Council's 50th session.
Migrants and asylum seekers are subjected to countless violations in Libya, but part of these violations can be limited by activating and strengthening technical cooperation with the authorities and civil organizations in Libya.
More: https://bit.ly/3P79Gpp
Reinforcing technical cooperation can be beneficial in some countries, but it is critical in Libya, as such efforts can help save the lives of many migrants and asylum seekers, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and IRDG said in a joint oral statement at the Human Rights Council's 50th session.
Migrants and asylum seekers are subjected to countless violations in Libya, but part of these violations can be limited by activating and strengthening technical cooperation with the authorities and civil organizations in Libya.
More: https://bit.ly/3P79Gpp
Lebanon: Deporting Syrian refugees is inhumane, poses threat to their safety
The Lebanese authorities should immediately reverse the plan to deport Syrian refugees to their country and refrain from taking any action that would endanger their security and safety, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Thursday in a statement.
Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Persons Issam Sharaf al-Din's statement that Lebanon plans to deport 15,000 displaced Syrians per month is alarming. The minister said that Syria has become safe and that the war has ended.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3ymyuDb
The Lebanese authorities should immediately reverse the plan to deport Syrian refugees to their country and refrain from taking any action that would endanger their security and safety, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Thursday in a statement.
Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Persons Issam Sharaf al-Din's statement that Lebanon plans to deport 15,000 displaced Syrians per month is alarming. The minister said that Syria has become safe and that the war has ended.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3ymyuDb
Palestinian Territories: Escalation of extrajudicial executions, carried out under official Israeli cover
The official instructions received by the Israeli army in dealing with Palestinian civilians led to systematic use of lethal force, which caused a noticeable increase in incidents amounting to extrajudicial killings in the Palestinian territories, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
According to Euro-Med Monitor’s documentation, between 1 January and 10 July 2022, the Israeli army, following a policy of excessive use of force against Palestinians, killed nearly 53 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3nXCTHF
The official instructions received by the Israeli army in dealing with Palestinian civilians led to systematic use of lethal force, which caused a noticeable increase in incidents amounting to extrajudicial killings in the Palestinian territories, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
According to Euro-Med Monitor’s documentation, between 1 January and 10 July 2022, the Israeli army, following a policy of excessive use of force against Palestinians, killed nearly 53 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3nXCTHF
Sudan: Official failure to contain tribal violence in Blue Nile state
After dozens of people were killed and injured in Sudan’s southeastern Blue Nile state, Sudanese authorities should take effective measures to control tribal violence in the country and ensure the rule of law, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
Euro-Med Monitor has followed with deep regret the tribal clashes in the Blue Nile state in the southeast of Sudan, near the Ethiopian border. At its peak during the past two days, the violence led to the death of 60 people and the injury of more than 157 others, as well as the burning and damaging of dozens of shops and other properties.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3ob6eyw
After dozens of people were killed and injured in Sudan’s southeastern Blue Nile state, Sudanese authorities should take effective measures to control tribal violence in the country and ensure the rule of law, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
Euro-Med Monitor has followed with deep regret the tribal clashes in the Blue Nile state in the southeast of Sudan, near the Ethiopian border. At its peak during the past two days, the violence led to the death of 60 people and the injury of more than 157 others, as well as the burning and damaging of dozens of shops and other properties.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3ob6eyw
UAE: Arrest of US lawyer Asim Ghafoor inseparable from policy targeting human rights work
United Arab Emirates authorities should rescind the verdict issued against American lawyer and human rights activist Asim Ghafoor, guarantee him a fair trial, and release him in the case the charges against him are not proven, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.
Security personnel in civilian clothes detained Ghafoor at Dubai International Airport, where he was planning to travel to Istanbul to attend a family wedding. Ghafoor is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) organisation, and previously served as a lawyer for the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zjQ4JI
United Arab Emirates authorities should rescind the verdict issued against American lawyer and human rights activist Asim Ghafoor, guarantee him a fair trial, and release him in the case the charges against him are not proven, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.
Security personnel in civilian clothes detained Ghafoor at Dubai International Airport, where he was planning to travel to Istanbul to attend a family wedding. Ghafoor is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) organisation, and previously served as a lawyer for the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zjQ4JI
Iraq: IDPs in camps face dire conditions as temperature rises
About 1.2 million displaced people in Iraq are living in dire humanitarian conditions in light of the high temperature and the recurrence of sandstorms in the summer, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement expressing grave concern.
Of particular concern is the ongoing official policy of negligence towards the suffering of the displaced Iraqis still living in the camps. The Iraqi government has not made any pivotal steps to end their suffering and return them to their homes, which they were forced to leave during the armed conflict between the Iraqi forces and ISIL (2014 – 2017).
Press release: https://bit.ly/3cubOJQ
About 1.2 million displaced people in Iraq are living in dire humanitarian conditions in light of the high temperature and the recurrence of sandstorms in the summer, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement expressing grave concern.
Of particular concern is the ongoing official policy of negligence towards the suffering of the displaced Iraqis still living in the camps. The Iraqi government has not made any pivotal steps to end their suffering and return them to their homes, which they were forced to leave during the armed conflict between the Iraqi forces and ISIL (2014 – 2017).
Press release: https://bit.ly/3cubOJQ
Syria: After the killing of seven civilians—including four siblings—urgent measures required to protect civilians
The International community, led by the United Nations and its relevant bodies, must take urgent measures to ensure the protection of civilians in northwest Syria from the indiscriminate airstrikes by Russian warplanes, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.
Russian warplanes recently launched several missiles at residential communities in the villages of Al-Jadida and Al-Yacoubiyah in Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria, which led to the death of seven civilians, including four young siblings.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3otXS5n
The International community, led by the United Nations and its relevant bodies, must take urgent measures to ensure the protection of civilians in northwest Syria from the indiscriminate airstrikes by Russian warplanes, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.
Russian warplanes recently launched several missiles at residential communities in the villages of Al-Jadida and Al-Yacoubiyah in Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria, which led to the death of seven civilians, including four young siblings.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3otXS5n
In a letter to Dutch Migration Minister, Euro-Med Monitor Demands Immediate Accommodation to Ter Apel Asylum Seekers
On Friday, Euro-Med Monitor sent an urgent letter to Eric van der Burg, the Minister for Migration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, concerning the over-crowdedness of temporary asylum accommodation centres and delays in processing asylum claims. The two issues combined have resulted in many asylum seekers sleeping rough in the open, some for weeks.
“In addition to the lack of temporary accommodation, we have received testimonies from asylum seekers who indicated that the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) has delayed starting the procedures for their asylum applications, which contributes to this unsustainable outcome of leaving many individuals stranded in the open,” the letter read.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zsIbBI
On Friday, Euro-Med Monitor sent an urgent letter to Eric van der Burg, the Minister for Migration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, concerning the over-crowdedness of temporary asylum accommodation centres and delays in processing asylum claims. The two issues combined have resulted in many asylum seekers sleeping rough in the open, some for weeks.
“In addition to the lack of temporary accommodation, we have received testimonies from asylum seekers who indicated that the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) has delayed starting the procedures for their asylum applications, which contributes to this unsustainable outcome of leaving many individuals stranded in the open,” the letter read.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zsIbBI
Israel: Authorities must assume responsibility for growing violence in Arab community
Euro-Med Monitor expresses grave concern over the high rate of murders and internal violence in the Palestinian Arab community within Israel. The increase in violence appears to be due to Israeli policies that may be deliberate and reflect the Israeli authorities’ double standards and apartheid system, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
On Tuesday, 26 July, two shooting incidents took place in the town of Isfiya in northern Israel and the city of Lod in central Israel. Both incidents were within the Arab community and resulted in the deaths of two people, including one woman.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zGrK4J
Euro-Med Monitor expresses grave concern over the high rate of murders and internal violence in the Palestinian Arab community within Israel. The increase in violence appears to be due to Israeli policies that may be deliberate and reflect the Israeli authorities’ double standards and apartheid system, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
On Tuesday, 26 July, two shooting incidents took place in the town of Isfiya in northern Israel and the city of Lod in central Israel. Both incidents were within the Arab community and resulted in the deaths of two people, including one woman.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zGrK4J
Yemen: Open letter to Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on intervention needed to save life of journalist sentenced to death
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has sent an urgent open letter to Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, regarding the deteriorating health of Yemeni journalist Tawfiq al-Mansouri, who has been arbitrarily detained for nearly seven years and sentenced to death by the Houthi group.
In 2020 April, a Houthi-run court issued a death sentence against detained journalists al-Mansouri, Akram Al-Walidy, Abdul-Khaleq Omran, and Harith Hamid, on charges of collaborating with the Arab coalition. The detainees have been subjected to various types of physical and psychological torture, plus a trial that lacked the minimum conditions of justice.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3vrYADV
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has sent an urgent open letter to Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, regarding the deteriorating health of Yemeni journalist Tawfiq al-Mansouri, who has been arbitrarily detained for nearly seven years and sentenced to death by the Houthi group.
In 2020 April, a Houthi-run court issued a death sentence against detained journalists al-Mansouri, Akram Al-Walidy, Abdul-Khaleq Omran, and Harith Hamid, on charges of collaborating with the Arab coalition. The detainees have been subjected to various types of physical and psychological torture, plus a trial that lacked the minimum conditions of justice.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3vrYADV
Good news on Euro-Med Monitor's joint efforts towards ceasing human rights violations – July 2022
Since the beginning of the last decade, human rights violations have been escalating in the Middle East and North Africa. People have taken to the streets to protest against the dire political and economic conditions, and armed conflicts have ravaged some countries. Governments in the region have used violent tactics to subdue and silence dissenting voices and have systematically targeted political activists and journalists.
In June 2022, repressive regimes continued to target peaceful activists and journalists, suppress popular protests, and restrict public freedoms. In Eastern Europe, the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and caused the displacement of millions of Ukrainians to neighbouring countries. The crisis exposed the discriminatory double standards of European politicians, officials, journalists, and celebrities, who called for embracing Ukrainian refugees because they share their ethnicity, colour, and religion, unlike asylum seekers and migrants from regions outside Europe.
More: https://euromedmonitor.org/a/5273
Since the beginning of the last decade, human rights violations have been escalating in the Middle East and North Africa. People have taken to the streets to protest against the dire political and economic conditions, and armed conflicts have ravaged some countries. Governments in the region have used violent tactics to subdue and silence dissenting voices and have systematically targeted political activists and journalists.
In June 2022, repressive regimes continued to target peaceful activists and journalists, suppress popular protests, and restrict public freedoms. In Eastern Europe, the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and caused the displacement of millions of Ukrainians to neighbouring countries. The crisis exposed the discriminatory double standards of European politicians, officials, journalists, and celebrities, who called for embracing Ukrainian refugees because they share their ethnicity, colour, and religion, unlike asylum seekers and migrants from regions outside Europe.
More: https://euromedmonitor.org/a/5273
Syria: States supporting SDF share responsibility for horrific human rights violations
Euro-Med Monitor strongly condemns the continued international support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls large areas of north-eastern Syria despite its involvement in grave human rights violations.
The SDF continues to receive generous political, military, and financial support from countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement. These countries lack respect for the rights of people residing in the areas which the SDF controls, especially as the latter holds thousands of prisoners in inhumane conditions, over allegations that have not been independently verified.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3bv9zpC
Euro-Med Monitor strongly condemns the continued international support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls large areas of north-eastern Syria despite its involvement in grave human rights violations.
The SDF continues to receive generous political, military, and financial support from countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement. These countries lack respect for the rights of people residing in the areas which the SDF controls, especially as the latter holds thousands of prisoners in inhumane conditions, over allegations that have not been independently verified.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3bv9zpC
Sweden: Call to replicate Denmark’s discriminatory “anti-ghetto” law is highly concerning
The Swedish Immigration Minister’s call to put a 50 percent cap on “non-Nordic citizens” in so-called “troubled areas” is a textbook recipe for discrimination, incitement, and counterproductive punitive measures, emanating from political expediency rather than sound policymaking, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement today. The Swedish government must immediately and unconditionally cease any plans of such nature.
On Monday, Sweden’s Immigration Minister Anders Ygeman told local newspaper Dagens Nyheter that districts with a majority of inhabitants from non-Nordic countries (immigrants from countries other than Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and Norway) are a problem for Sweden. “I think it’s bad to have areas where the majority have a non-Nordic origin”, he told the DN.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3p30kzP
The Swedish Immigration Minister’s call to put a 50 percent cap on “non-Nordic citizens” in so-called “troubled areas” is a textbook recipe for discrimination, incitement, and counterproductive punitive measures, emanating from political expediency rather than sound policymaking, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement today. The Swedish government must immediately and unconditionally cease any plans of such nature.
On Monday, Sweden’s Immigration Minister Anders Ygeman told local newspaper Dagens Nyheter that districts with a majority of inhabitants from non-Nordic countries (immigrants from countries other than Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and Norway) are a problem for Sweden. “I think it’s bad to have areas where the majority have a non-Nordic origin”, he told the DN.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3p30kzP
Iraq: Worsening tragedy for thousands of IDPs amid authorities' reluctance to provide identification papers
Iraqi authorities should take all necessary measures to provide thousands of displaced people with identification papers to replace the ones they lost while fleeing their homes during the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
The displaced suffer doubly due to the loss of their identification papers, as they are deprived of a number of their basic rights such as work, movement, and sometimes, humanitarian aid.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3PcaTv3
Iraqi authorities should take all necessary measures to provide thousands of displaced people with identification papers to replace the ones they lost while fleeing their homes during the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
The displaced suffer doubly due to the loss of their identification papers, as they are deprived of a number of their basic rights such as work, movement, and sometimes, humanitarian aid.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3PcaTv3
Libya: Newly uncovered mass graves in Tarhuna are reminder to hold perpetrators accountable, not offer them political recognition
Accountability efforts for the killings, enforced disappearances, and acts of torture that occurred in Tarhuna and other areas south of Tripoli—during the attack on the capital by retired Major General Khalifa Haftar's forces in April of 2019—should be expedited, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.
Over the last two weeks, specialized teams have discovered three new grave sites containing six unidentified bodies. The bodies are presumed to be those of people killed and buried in secret during the pro-Haftar Al-Kaniyat militia’s control of the city before its eventual rout in June of 2020.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zU2V4c
Accountability efforts for the killings, enforced disappearances, and acts of torture that occurred in Tarhuna and other areas south of Tripoli—during the attack on the capital by retired Major General Khalifa Haftar's forces in April of 2019—should be expedited, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.
Over the last two weeks, specialized teams have discovered three new grave sites containing six unidentified bodies. The bodies are presumed to be those of people killed and buried in secret during the pro-Haftar Al-Kaniyat militia’s control of the city before its eventual rout in June of 2020.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3zU2V4c
EU Commission’s intrusive migrant surveillance program is unlawful, dangerous
Regardless of repeated warnings from their own data protection watchdogs, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the EU Commission are proceeding with the expansion of a highly intrusive surveillance program. Designed to target people on the move, the program includes the collection of genetic data, political and religious beliefs, and information concerning sexual orientation, which is unlawful, groundless, and very dangerous, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor warned in a statement today.
A recent investigation conducted by journalists Luděk Stavinoha, Apostolis Fotiadis, and Giacomo Zandonini revealed that Frontex and the European Commission sidelined their own data protection watchdogs in order to proceed with the expansion of the biased system of data collection from people on the move in collaboration with Europol, which will cross-check and store the information within its criminal databases.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3QeM1Et
Regardless of repeated warnings from their own data protection watchdogs, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the EU Commission are proceeding with the expansion of a highly intrusive surveillance program. Designed to target people on the move, the program includes the collection of genetic data, political and religious beliefs, and information concerning sexual orientation, which is unlawful, groundless, and very dangerous, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor warned in a statement today.
A recent investigation conducted by journalists Luděk Stavinoha, Apostolis Fotiadis, and Giacomo Zandonini revealed that Frontex and the European Commission sidelined their own data protection watchdogs in order to proceed with the expansion of the biased system of data collection from people on the move in collaboration with Europol, which will cross-check and store the information within its criminal databases.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3QeM1Et
Oman: Authorities must release activist Ahmed Qatan and end the prosecution of free speech
Omani authorities’ continued detention of community and environmental activist Ahmed Issa Qatan is highly concerning, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement. Qatan has been arbitrarily detained since August 4 on charges related to freedom of expression.
According to local reports, Qatan was apprehended by Omani security forces and taken to the Awqad Police Station. The charges against him are based on Criminal Law Articles 97, 115, and 191, as well as Information Technology Law Article 19. The charges are political in nature, relating to tweets he posted on his Twitter account calling for political reforms.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3JYcDaD
Omani authorities’ continued detention of community and environmental activist Ahmed Issa Qatan is highly concerning, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement. Qatan has been arbitrarily detained since August 4 on charges related to freedom of expression.
According to local reports, Qatan was apprehended by Omani security forces and taken to the Awqad Police Station. The charges against him are based on Criminal Law Articles 97, 115, and 191, as well as Information Technology Law Article 19. The charges are political in nature, relating to tweets he posted on his Twitter account calling for political reforms.
Press release: https://bit.ly/3JYcDaD