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Middle East and North Africa

Repressive governments across the Middle East and North Africa are under pressure and face surging demands for political, economic and social reform. Authorities have hit back hard, violently suppressing these peaceful calls for change.

Violence, repression and upheaval continues across the region and we continue to record and act against human rights abuses.

Blog

360° Syria: How media activists are shining a light on war crimes

Our new website showcases specially-created photography gathered by Syrian media activists. In the aftermath of a bombing, these citizen journalists also rush to the scene to document the devastation caused by attacks on cities across Syria. Explore Syria in 360°.
Podcast

Peter Greste

Imprisoned for being a journalist: the nightmare that became reality for Al Jazeera reporter Peter Greste in 2013, when Egyptian authorities locked him up for simply doing his job.

What really happened to Peter and his colleagues? Peter told us the whole story in this up-close and personal podcast.
Article

Abduction, torture and rape drives exodus across the Mediterranean

Faced with exploitation, religious persecution, sexual violence, torture and slavery, people inside war-torn Libya are risking their lives to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.

From Darkness to Light - Hope for Syria's Disappeared

Ahmad Helmi, human rights defender, survivor & manager of Ta'afi, writes on the historic win at the United Nations to find the 100'000+ missing Syrians since 2011 for International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2023

Write for Rights: Amnesty launches annual letter-writing campaign to help people imprisoned for speaking truth to power

Millions of letters and emails will be sent to support these individuals and urge authorities to end injustices

Egypt: Authorities must release protesters and activists detained over Palestine solidarity

At least 95 people including two children remain in pre-trial detention facing investigation over bogus charges

Libya: Authorities in Derna must lift restrictions on journalists

Libyan Arab Armed Forces have prevented journalists from operating freely and have arrested protesters

Kuwait: Five hanged as execution spree continues into second year

Kuwait has executed 12 people this year

EU/Tunisia: Migration agreement makes EU 'complicit' in abuses against refugees

Agreement lacks crucial safeguards on human rights
Earthquakes in Syria

The impact of the recent earthquakes on civilians in Syria

The impact of the recent earthquakes on civilians in Syria. Four things you should know.

Lebanon: Government must immediately stop ‘so-called voluntary returns’ of Syrian refugees

1,600 Syrian refugees face being returned from next week
Read our briefing

Protect the Protest: Amnesty warns against allowing those in power to make protest a crime

Find out why we have launched a new global campaign to confront governments’ widening and intensifying efforts to erode the fundamental human right. Download our briefing here.

Biden warned not to embolden abusive governments on Middle East trip

President Joe Biden must fulfil his promise to put human rights at the centre of his first visit to the Middle East and North Africa

Syria: people in camps enduring 'unbearably harsh' living conditions - new report

The UN Security Council must extend the cross-border resolution that allows the UN to deliver aid to at least four million residents and internally-displaced people in north-west Syria before it expires on 10 July, Amnesty International said today.
Egypt

Egypt: fresh appeal for UK to intervene as Alaa Abdel Fattah reaches 1,000 days in jail

Amnesty International has renewed its call on the UK government to press for the release of the arbitrarily-jailed UK national Alaa Abdel Fattah, who will have been behind bars in Egypt for 1,000 days tomorrow (25 June).
5 Ways Humanity Won

5 Ways Humanity Won This Year (So Far)

As Amnesty marks 61 years of working to defend people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied, we celebrate just some of the ways our movement has made change in 2022 (so far)
Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia set to execute two Bahraini men after 'grossly unfair' trial

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz must halt the imminent execution of two Bahraini Shi’a men who were sentenced to death on terrorism and protest-related charges following a grossly unfair trial.

UK: Fresh call on the Government to help British national on hunger strike in Egypt

Human rights activist, Alaa Abdel Fattah who rose to prominence during 2011 anti-Mubarak protests, believed to be in serious condition
Syria

Syria: fatal shooting of child in al-Hol camp must be fully investigated

Amnesty International is calling for the Syrian Kurdish authorities controlling al-Hol displaced-persons camp in north-west Syria to launch an urgent investigation into yesterday’s shooting incident which killed at least one child and injured three women.
Syria

Germany/Syria: life sentence for former intelligence officer is 'historic victory'

Response to a decision by the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany this morning, which has seen the conviction of former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan and his sentencing to life in prison for crimes against humanity - including torture, murder and rape of detainees in Branch 251, an infamous military intelligence facility in Damascus.

Syria: refugees face detention, torture and death on return – new report

Amnesty International documents appalling human rights violations committed by Syrian intelligence officers