In October 2016, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OBS), an advocacy partnership between the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), conducted an international fact-finding mission to assess the deteriorating environment for human rights defenders in Kenya. The report, “2017 Elections: Broken Promises Put Human…
The World Movement for Democracy is alarmed to report there has been a recent crackdown on freedom of expression in Ecuador after President Rafael Correa’s former vice president, Lenin Moreno, narrowly defeated opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso in the April 2 runoff elections. Shortly after the election, police officers raided the office of the Ecuadorian NGO…
Egypt: After three years behind bars, Egyptian-American political prisoner, Aya Hijazi, and her Egyptian husband, Mohamed Hassanein, were found not guilty and released from custody on April 18, 2017. The couple have been detained since May 1, 2014, when authorities raided the offices of an organization ran by the couple, the “Belady Foundation for Street…
Since 2016, the #IAmMyOwnGuardian Campaign has advocated for the abolishment of the guardianship system in Saudi Arabia. This system subjugates women by making male guardians, including their fathers, husbands, or other male relatives, their legal custodians throughout their lives. Nearly 15,000 Saudi women called for an end to guardianship through the Campaign’s online petition which…