The 77th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, commemorated annually on December 10, comes as a reminder of the minimum standards that all countries around the world are required to uphold.
In this context, the Arab Organization for the Support of Civil Society and Human Rights expresses its deep concern over the continued deterioration of human rights and freedoms in a number of Arab countries, as well as the persistence of grave violations against civilians in Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These violations constitute flagrant breaches of international humanitarian law and binding international standards applicable to States Parties.
In this regard, the Organization continues to monitor the ongoing serious violations against the Palestinian people. Despite the recent ceasefire, Israeli occupation forces continue to commit dozens of violations, including the daily killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Organization also follows the war crimes committed against civilians by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher and other Sudanese cities, including attacks on medical and educational facilities, widespread forced displacement, and the destruction of residential neighborhoods and infrastructure.
The Organization also expresses its concern over the sharp decline in the state of rights and freedoms in Tunisia, particularly the targeting of opposition voices and the repression of independent media and journalism. This includes the imprisonment of prominent Tunisian lawyer and opposition figure Ayachi Hammami, as well as Ahmed Najib Chebbi, lawyer and head of the “National Salvation Front,” aged 82, and political activist Chaima Issa, in implementation of the sentences issued against them in the case known as “Conspiracy Case 1.”
The Organization calls on the Tunisian authorities to respect their international obligations and to ensure a safe and enabling environment for civil society and political opponents.
Sherif Helaly, lawyer and Executive Director of the Organization, expresses his grave concern over the continued regression of human rights conditions in Egypt in recent months, amid the absence of substantive reforms to the human rights file and a lack of respect for public rights and freedoms. This includes the passage of expansive amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law, which have drawn widespread criticism from Egyptian and international human rights organizations for undermining fair trial guarantees, the right to defense, the publicity of hearings, and the balance between investigative authorities and the rights of defendants.
In addition, prolonged pretrial detention continues, along with the practice of “recycling” hundreds of detainees into new cases after the expiration of their detention periods. This is compounded by ongoing restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression under the pretext of “spreading false news” and “misuse of social media,” the arrest of journalists and activists for their opinions or online posts, the blocking of hundreds of news and human rights websites, continued legal harassment of social media activists, restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly, and persistent constraints on civil society.
Moreover, there has been a lack of serious steps to improve prison conditions, particularly in Badr Prisons 1, 2, and 3, and Wadi El-Natrun Prison, alongside a growing number of hunger strikes protesting poor healthcare, an increase in deaths resulting from medical negligence, deaths resulting from torture in some detention facilities, restrictions on visits and access to lawyers, overcrowded cells, and poor ventilation—practices that violate the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).
In this context, the Arab Organization calls on the Tunisian and Egyptian governments to respect their obligations under the international human rights treaties they have ratified, in particular the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; to immediately cease violations against civilians; to ensure accountability and an end to impunity through United Nations mechanisms; to immediately release all prisoners of conscience; to respect freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of association; and to combat torture in all its forms.
