Intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN: Submission to the Secretary-General

Introduction

The present submission provides information on several individuals who were subjected to continued acts of reprisals – between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026 – in Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as a thematic section analysing the use of counter-terrorism and security frameworks as instruments of reprisals. 

The individual cases included in this report under sections 1-5 are the ones for which we have direct contact with the victims and/or their relatives, and who have all given their consent to be featured in this submission and to have their case raised by the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) in his annual report.

1. Algeria

1.1 Kaddour Chouicha, Jamila Loukil, the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH)

The situation of Mr Kaddour Chouicha,[1] Mrs Jamila Loukil[2] and the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (Ligue algérienne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme, hereinafter: “LADDH”) was included in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/54/61; A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Mr Chouicha was the vice-president of the now dissolved LADDH, and is the national coordinator of the Syndicat des enseignants du supérieur solidaires. Mrs Loukil is a retired journalist and human rights activist. Prior to the dissolution of the LADDH, she was also a member of the organisation. Between 2021 and 2023, Mr Chouicha and Mrs Loukil faced terrorism charges related to their legitimate activities as human rights defenders. Most recently, since 2023, Mr Chouicha has been subject to a travel ban.

Update

Regarding the dissolution of the LADDH, the Conseil d’Etat rendered Mr Chouicha’s appeal inadmissible on 19 June 2025, stating that the appeal could not be accepted on procedural grounds. Following this rejection, Mr Chouicha lodged an appeal with the UN Human Rights Committee on 30 October 2025.

Mr Chouicha’s appeal regarding the travel ban imposed on him, filed in March 2024, is still pending before the Conseil d’Etat.

1.2 Mustapha Bendjama

The situation of Mr Mustapha Bendjama[3] was included in the 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Mr Bendjama is a journalist and editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Le Provincial. In recent years, he has been summoned by the police dozens of times and prosecuted several times for his work as a journalist and his critical stances.

Update

On 12 October 2025, the Annaba Court sentenced Mr Bendjama to a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 dinars. Mr Bendjama appealed this decision, and on 4 March 2026, he received the appeal verdict. The court upheld the conviction, sentencing him to one year in prison and a fine of 200,000 dinars for peaceful social media posts concerning the human rights situation in Algeria.

Mr Bendjama was also brought before the Annaba Criminal Court on 10 February 2026 in connection with a new case. Here he was again prosecuted for “exposing to the public, publications likely to harm the national interest” and “disseminating false or biased information likely to undermine public security or public order” (Article 196 bis of the Penal Code). These charges were based exclusively on his 2020 publications of documented journalistic articles and reports concerning a 70-year-old man who had been shot and killed due to police misconduct.

On 17 February 2026, the Annaba Court sentenced Mr Bendjama to six months in prison, a fine of 200,000 dinars, and the payment of 100,000 dinars to the public treasury. This conviction was based solely on his journalistic work and his exercise of his right to freedom of expression.

His travel ban remained in effect during the reporting period, preventing him from travelling.

1.3 Ahmed Manseri 

The situation of Mr Ahmed Manseri was included in the 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Mr Manseri is the head of the Tiaret section of the now dissolved LADDH. Since 2022, and in particular following his meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Mr Clément Voule, on 17 September 2023, Mr Manseri has faced continuous judicial harassment in Algeria.

Update

Due to the judicial harassment he continuously faced in Algeria, Mr Manseri relocated to a third country in March 2026.

1.4 Malik Riahi

The situation of Mr Malik Riahi was included in the 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Mr Riahi was actively involved in the Hirak movement and was widely followed on social networks for his live broadcasts of the demonstrations. Mr Malik has been prosecuted several times for his activism, including being jailed for publishing a video showing police violence against a minor. He has also been subjected to reprisals following his meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Mr Clément Voule. Most recently, he was arrested on 22 February 2025 and placed in pre-trial detention at Kolea prison.

Update

Mr Riahi remains detained in Algeria and is still awaiting trial.

1.5 Nassera Dutour, SOS Disparus

Ms Dutour is the President of Fédération Euro-méditérrannéenne Contre les Disparitions Forcées (FEMED) and SOS Disparus (also called “Collectif des Familles de Disparus en Algérie”), the largest association for families of victims of enforced disappearances in Algeria.

In June 2025, Ms Dutour participated in the Francophone Feminist Alliance (AFF) delegation in Geneva for the 59th session of the Human Rights Council. On 25 June 2025, Ms Dutour spoke at a side event organised by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), titled “the exacerbation of discriminatory norms and sexual and gender-based violence during armed conflicts in the MENA region”. She also took part in numerous bilateral meetings with states and UN mechanisms focused on the defence of women’s rights and the fight against patriarchal violence.

Upon her return to Algeria on 30 July 2025, Algerian authorities arbitrarily denied Ms Dutour entry into Algeria, despite her holding a valid Algerian passport.[4] On arrival at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers, she was detained at the border post for three hours and questioned by police about her involvement in community work. She was subsequently deported to France, from where she had just arrived, and was not provided with any legal justification for the refusal of her entry; the authorities merely referred to her membership of an NGO.

In September 2025, Ms Dutour gave an oral statement during the Human Rights Council’s interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights on the UN Secretary General’s annual report on reprisals.[5] She also met with the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, the Special Rapporteurs on human rights defenders, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, transitional justice, and freedom of expression. SOS Disparus (also called “Collectif des Familles de Disparus en Algérie”) also contributed to the drafting of the mid-term report for the UPR in Algeria.[6]

On 16 March 2026, Algerian authorities closed and sealed the SOS Disparus headquarters in Algiers, in accordance with an administrative decision adopted a few days earlier.[7] Two days later, on 18 March 2026, during their weekly gathering facilitated through SOS Disparus, five relatives of missing persons were met with a significant police presence and ordered to disperse.

2. Djibouti

2.1 Kadar Abdi Ibrahim

The case of Mr Kadar Abdi Ibrahim[8] was included in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/39/41; A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36; A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61). His case was not included in the 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62), even though there have been no positive developments in his situation in the meantime.

Mr Ibrahim is a Djibouti-based human rights defender and journalist. After travelling to Geneva between 9 and 12 April 2018 to carry out advocacy activities ahead of Djibouti’s third UPR, he was briefly detained on 15 April 2018 and had his passport confiscated by eight members of the Information and Security Service (SDS), Djibouti’s secret service, who raided his home.[9] 

Update

After eight years, Mr Kadar Abdi Ibrahim’s passport is still retained at the SDS headquarters, preventing him from leaving the country and carrying out his legitimate political activities. To this date, Mr Kadar Abdi Ibrahim has received no official notification justifying the confiscation of his passport, leaving him without any opportunity to seek an effective remedy.

3. Egypt

3.1 Ebrahim Abdelmonem Metwally Hegazy

The case of Mr Ebrahim Abdelmonem Metwally Hegazy[10] was included in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/39/41; A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36, A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61; A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Mr Metwally is a human rights lawyer as well as the co-founder and coordinator of the Association of the Families of the Disappeared. On 10 September 2017, he was arrested while en route to Switzerland to meet with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID). Since then, he has been held in pre-trial detention under the practice of rotation, despite having been cleared of all the charges brought against him by the Cairo Criminal Court on 14 October 2019.

Update

Mr Metwally’s remains detained and his trials remain ongoing, with upcoming hearings scheduled for Case No. 786 of 2020 on 4 May 2026, Case No. 900 of 2017 on 20 May 2026, and Case No. 1470 of 2019 on 23 May 2026. The EU delegation in Egypt has sought to observe the proceedings; however, it has been denied access on several occasions.

3.2 Ahmed Shawky Abdelsattar Mohamed Amasha

The case of Dr Ahmed Shawky Abdelsattar Mohamed Amasha[11] was included in the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/36/31; A/HRC/39/41; A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36; A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61; A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Dr Amasha is a veterinarian and human rights defender who has helped the families of those forcibly disappeared and arbitrarily detained in Egypt, both at a domestic and international level, including by submitting cases to the WGEID. He is a co-founder of the League for the Families of the Disappeared, a member of the “Kefaya” opposition group and a trade unionist. Dr Amasha has long been targeted by the Egyptian authorities and was most recently arrested in 2020.

Update

Dr Amasha’s trial remains ongoing, with the next court session scheduled for 21 June 2026. He remains detained in Badr Prison, Cairo Governorate, Egypt. His health has significantly deteriorated, as he suffers from severe joint deterioration, which required him to stay at the Badr Prison hospital for a period shortly before Ramadan in February 2026. However, the care provided was superficial, and his condition has continued to worsen due to medical neglect, in particular, the denial of medication and rehabilitation. This is despite repeated appeals and requests, both in prison and before the court, for appropriate care to be provided.

4. Saudi Arabia

4.1 Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani

The case of Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani[12] was included in the 2012, 2013, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/21/18; A/HRC/24/29; A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36; A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61; A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani, co-founder of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), was sentenced on 9 March 2013 by the Criminal Court in Riyadh to 10 years of imprisonment and a 10-year travel ban. Although he completed his sentence on 22 November 2022, he was only released on 7 January 2025.

Update

Despite being released on 7 January 2025, Mr al-Qahtani continues to be subjected to a 15-year travel ban as part of his sentence.

4.2 Fawzan Mohsen Awad al-Harbi

The case of Mr Fawzan Mohsen Awad al-Harbi[13] was included in the 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/27/38; A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36; A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61). Although his case was not mentioned in the 2024 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/57/60), his case was mentioned in the 2025 reports (A/HRC/60/62).

Mr al-Harbi is a human rights defender and member of ACPRA, who has contributed to the submission of cases of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment to the United Nations human rights mechanisms. In November 2014, Mr al-Harbi was sentenced to a 10-year prison term followed by a travel ban of 10 years. After his prison sentence expired in September 2023, he was subsequently released in late 2023.

Update

Despite his release in 2023, Mr al-Harbi remains subject to a ten-year travel ban. He has also been dismissed from his previous position and deprived of all entitlements in continued reprisals against him. Mr al-Harbi has appealed to the relevant authorities, highlighting the significant burden this places on him and his family, as he is responsible for supporting his family and children, including meeting their basic needs such as food. He has called for either reinstatement to his previous position or permission to travel abroad in order to support his family. However, he has received no response from the authorities to his appeal other than a dismissal.

4.3 Issa al-Nukheifi

The case of Mr Issa al-Nukheifi[14] was included in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/39/41; A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36; A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61). Although his case was not mentioned in the 2024 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/57/60), his case was mentioned in the 2025 reports (A/HRC/60/62).

Mr al-Nukheifi is a human rights defender and anti-corruption activist who has been subjected to reprisals for his human rights activism and cooperation with international civil society and the United Nations. On 28 February 2018, the SCC sentenced Mr al-Nukheifi to six years in prison and imposed a six-year travel and social media ban on him upon his release.

Update

Despite being released on 6 January 2025, Mr al-Nukheifi remains under a six-year travel ban.

4.4 Loujain al-Hathloul

The case of Ms Loujain al-Hathloul[15] was included in the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/42/30; A/HRC/45/36; A/HRC/48/28; A/HRC/51/47; A/HRC/54/61; A/HRC/60/62).

Ms al-Hathloul is a Saudi women’s rights defender who was arrested and had a travel ban imposed on her after attending a session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). On 12 November 2023, Ms al-Hathloul completed her full sentence, including her travel ban sentence that was issued by a Saudi appeals court in March 2021. Despite the fact that this should have now been lifted, Ms al-Hathloul has remained under a travel ban without any justification.

Update

In December 2023, Ms al-Hathloul filed a judicial complaint against the Presidency of State Security, challenging her travel ban and requesting that it be lifted. On 10 September 2024, her complaint was brought before the Diwan al-Mazalem (an administrative court). In the court proceedings, the judge requested a response from the State Security regarding Ms al-Hathloul’s complaint. The State Security responded that they had not received the case documents. Subsequently, the judge closed the case for lack of jurisdiction.

In early 2024, Ms al-Hathloul was offered a position to pursue a PhD in Europe, scheduled to begin in September 2024. Due to the continued travel ban, Ms al-Hathloul was unable to begin her PhD in September 2024 and had to defer her start date to September 2025.

On 19 June 2025, Ms al-Hathloul attempted to travel to Bahrain, but was stopped at the border and informed that she remained subject to a travel ban. No end date was provided regarding her travel ban.

In September 2025, Ms al-Hathloul was still unable to travel to Europe due to her travel ban and had to defer her PhD offer to January 2026.

On 18 December 2025, Ms al-Hathloul sent two letters to the royal court.

In January 2026, Ms al-Hathloul was once again prevented from beginning her PhD studies due to her ongoing travel ban. As all possible deferrals had now been exhausted, she is effectively unable to pursue her PhD studies as a result of the reprisals she faces from the Saudi authorities.

5. United Arab Emirates

5.1 Ahmed Mansoor

The case of Mr Ahmed Mansoor[16] was included in the 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025 reports of the UNSG (A/HRC/27/38, A/HRC/36/31, A/HRC/39/41, A/HRC/42/30, A/HRC/48/28, A/HRC/51/47, A/HRC/57/60; A/HRC/60/62).

Ahmed Mansoor is a prominent human rights defender who has experienced physical assaults, death threats, and government surveillance. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division and the Advisory Board of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR). He also attended the 2008-2009 United Nations Universal Periodic Review of the UAE’s Human rights record. He has been sentenced multiple times for his human rights activism, most recently in 2024 in what has become known as the “UAE87” trial.

Update

Mr Mansoor remains detained in al-Sadr prison.

6. Thematic analysis: counter-terrorism and security frameworks as instruments of reprisals

In its 2025 submission to the UNSG’s annual report on reprisals for cooperation with the UN, MENA Rights Group provided a thematic input documenting the use of counter-terrorism and security frameworks as instruments of reprisals.[17] The input mapped all documented cases of reprisals in the MENA region, as contained in the UNSG’s annual reports on reprisals between 2010 and 2024. Each reprisal case was analysed to determine whether it involved counter-terrorism or security frameworks.

This section builds on MENA Rights Group’s 2025 submission by mapping all cases from the MENA included in the UNSG’s 2025 report. It also integrates the 2025 data with the previous mapping to provide an updated overview of all reprisals cases from 2010 to 2025 and their connections to counter-terrorism and security frameworks.

6.1 Methodology

The mapping in this 2025 report was conducted using the same methodology developed by and used in MENA Rights Group’s previous analysis of reprisals cases documented between 2010 and 2024. According to this methodology, and in light of MENA Rights Group (MRG)’s mandate, this analysis takes into account the 22 countries of the League of Arab States, as well as Israel, as all reprisals cases involving Israeli authorities concern individuals or organisations who are Palestinian, based in Palestine, or whose work is related to Palestine.

Cases are categorised as having no link, an indirect link, or a direct link to counter-terrorism/security abuse. A direct link applies when the reprisal itself involves a counter-terrorism or security element. An indirect link refers to cases where a counter-terrorism/security component exists but is not directly tied to the reprisal, but to other abuses the individual or organisation was subjected to. Cases with no link lack any identifiable counter-terrorism/security dimension.

To determine whether a case is associated with a counter-terrorism/security framework, the report considers several criteria. These include accusations or charges related to terrorism or national security, prosecution before exceptional jurisdictions such as specialised criminal courts or military tribunals, and targeting by state authorities with security or counter-terrorism-related mandates, such as state security apparatuses or military forces.

Cases included in the mapping involve both individuals and organisations. Cases are assessed for counter-terrorism/security links only if the individual or organisation is named. Anonymous cases are excluded from link assessments, and recorded in the same category as those having no counter-terrorism/security link.

Each named individual and organisational case is treated as a distinct entry, even when grouped with others in the UN reprisals report. When a named individual is affiliated with an organisation, both the individual and the organisation are registered as separate cases. When an anonymous individual is affiliated with a named organisation, the organisation is recorded independently.

Organisations inherit the highest counter-terrorism/security link classification among the individuals associated with them. For example, if one individual linked to an organisation has a direct link and another has only an indirect link, the organisation is marked as having a direct link.

Anonymous grouped cases, such as references to “a group of human rights defenders,” are counted as a single individual anonymous case. Relatives of individuals who cooperated with the UN are assessed as separate cases, if they themselves were directly subjected to reprisals. In instances where the UN reprisals report does not name the individual(s) concerned but references a communication from UN Special Procedures that does in the text (not in the footnotes), the named individuals are included and assessed accordingly.

Only “actual” instances of reprisals are included in this report. Cases involving fears of reprisals or pre-emptive measures intended to avoid reprisals, such as cancelled meetings or precautionary statements, are excluded entirely from the overall statistical mapping.

General legal measures or frameworks, such as new amendments to penal codes or national security laws, included in UN reprisals reports, are not included in this mapping.

6.2 2025: Security and counter-terrorism-related cases

In 2025, the UN Secretary-General’s annual report documented a total of 38 cases of reprisals in the MENA region for cooperation with the UN, as recorded on the basis of MENA Rights Group’s methodology. These comprised 24 individual cases and 14 organisations. Of these, 34 cases (21 individual and 13 organisational) were linked to counter-terrorism or security measures. 28 cases (16 individual and 12 organisational) had a direct link to cooperation with the UN, while six cases (five individual and one organisational) had an indirect link. Four cases (three individual and one organisational) were unnamed or had no identifiable counter-terrorism or security link.

6.3 2010-2025: Security and counter-terrorism-related cases

Between 2010 and 2025, a total of 306 cases of reprisals in the MENA region were documented in the UN Secretary-General’s annual reports on reprisals for cooperation with the UN, as recorded on the basis of MENA Rights Group’s methodology. These included 225 individual cases and 81 organisations. Of these, 190 cases were linked to counter-terrorism or security measures, of which 136 cases had a direct link to cooperation with the UN, while 54 cases had an indirect link. Meanwhile, 116 cases were unnamed or had no identifiable counter-terrorism or security link. Overall, 62.09% of documented MENA cases during 2010-2025 involved counter-terrorism or security measures.

6.4 Figures and statistics

6.4.1 Table 1 - Reprisals by country: Total cases and distribution between individuals and organisations

6.4.2 Table 2 - Counter-terrorism/security-related reprisals by country: Total cases and distribution between direct and indirect targeting

6.4.3 Table 3 – Reprisals by country: Proportion of counter-terrorism/security-related cases among total reprisal cases

[1] MENA Rights Group, Kaddour Chouicha faced terrorism charges for his human rights activism, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/case/kaddour-chouicha (accessed 14 April 2026).

[2] MENA Rights Group, Jamila Loukil faced terrorism charges for her human rights activism, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/case/jamila-loukil (accessed 14 April 2026).

[3] MENA Rights Group, Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama sentenced to one year in prison, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/case/mustapha-bendjama (accessed 14 April 2026).

[4] MENA Rights Group, Solidarité avec la défenseure des droits humains Nassera Dutour suite à son expulsion d’Algérie, 6 August 2025,  https://www.menarights.org/en/articles/solidarite-avec-la-defenseure-des-droits-humains-nassera-dutour-suite-son-expulsion (accessed 14 April 2026).

[5] This oral statement is available at: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1y/k1yjueroii?kalturaSeekFrom=5220&kalturaClipTo=10776&kalturaStartTime=1 (accessed 14 April 2026).

[6] This report is available at:  https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/upr/midtermreports/ngosmidtermreports/algeria-upr-mid-term-report-2025.pdf (accessed 14 April 2026).

[7] Amnesty International, Algeria: Authorities must reverse closure of SOS Disappeared and uphold civil society’s demands for truth and justice, 17 March 2026, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/algeria-authorities-must-immediately-reverse-closure-of-sos-disappeared-and-uphold-civil-societys-demands-for-truth-and-justice/ (accessed 14 April 2026).

[8] MENA Rights Group, Human rights defender faces continuous reprisals in Djibouti, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/human-rights-defender-faces-continuous-reprisals-djibouti (accessed 14 April 2026).

[9] For more information : Fédération internationale pour les droits humains, Djibouti: Reprisals against human rights defender Kadar Abdi Ibrahim upon his return from an advocacy mission in Geneva, 18 April 2018, https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/djibouti-reprisals-against-human-rights-defender-kadar-abdi-ibrahim (accessed 11 April 2025).

[10] MENA Rights Group, Egyptian human rights defender Ebrahim Metwally detained since September 2017, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/egyptian-human-rights-defender-ebrahim-metwally-detained-september-2017 (accessed 14 April 2026).

[11] MENA Rights Group, Egyptian trade unionist and human rights defender Ahmed Amasha rearrested in June 2020, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/egyptian-trade-unionist-and-human-rights-defender-ahmed-amasha-arrested-march-2017 (accessed 14 April 2026).

[12] MENA Rights Group, Mohammad al-Qahtani freed after decade of arbitrary detention, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/human-rights-defender-mohammad-al-qahtani-remains-detention-saudi-arabia-despite (accessed 14 April 2026).

[13] MENA Rights Group, Continuous reprisals against Saudi human rights defender Fawzan al-Harbi as wife Amal is detained in crackdown, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/continuous-reprisals-against-saudi-human-rights-defender-fawzan-al-harbi-wife-amal (accessed 14 April 2026).

[14] MENA Rights Group, Saudi human rights defender released after 8 years in arbitrary detention, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/essa-al-nukheifi-sentenced-six-years-prison-saudi-arabia-charges-related-human-rights (accessed 14 April 2026).

[15] MENA Rights Group, Women’s right activist Loujain al-Hathloul conditionally released and facing a travel ban, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/womens-rights-activist-loujain-al-hathloul-detained-2018 (accessed 14 April 2026).

[16] MENA Rights Group, Human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor facing new terrorism charges in “UAE84” trial, 7 April 2026, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/human-rights-defender-ahmed-mansoor-detained-poor-conditions-and-solitary-confinement (accessed 14 April 2026).

[17] MENA Rights Group, Counter-terrorism and security as instruments of reprisals, 25 September 2025, https://menarights.org/en/documents/counter-terrorism-and-security-instruments-reprisals (accessed on 14 April 2026).