On 1 December, human rights defender Issa al-Hamid’s prison sentence was increased by two years on appeal, bringing his total prison sentence to 11 years. If detained he will be a prisoner of conscience.

On 11 December the Israeli military renewed the administrative detention of Palestinian circus performer Mohammad Faisal Abu Sakha for another six months.

The House of Representatives and Senate of the Philippines will consider and vote on draft legislation to reintroduce the death penalty from as early as 13 December.

Palestinian human rights defenders Farid al-Atrash and Issa Amro face charges in an Israeli military court relating to their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Both face time in prison if found guilty.

An Algerian court sentenced journalist Hassan Bouras to a year in prison and fines for a video denouncing corruption of local officials in the city of El Bayadh. He is a prisoner of conscience.

Aung Win Hlaing, a member of the National Democratic Force party in Myanmar, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for a Facebook post critical of the President.

Azerbaijani youth activist Bayram Mammadov was sentenced to 10 years in prison on 8 December for a graffiti protest. Fellow activist Giyas Ibrahimov was also sentenced to 10 years in prison on 25 October.

Journalist Khudayberdy Allashov was detained on 3 December, together with his wife and mother, in Turkmenistan. He is accused of possessing chewing tobacco, which is a criminal offence, and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. His mother also remains in detention.

A spurious investigation into Egyptian human rights organizations has escalated. On 7 December, prominent women’s rights defender and lawyer Azza Soliman was arrested and charged.

Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison after disclosing classified information – some of which pointed to potential human rights violations – after a trial marred by due process shortcomings. President Obama must commute her sentence before he leaves office.