May 2024: Shaping Change in Human Rights Across the Arab World

The Human Rights Monitor aims to review recent developments impacting human rights in the Arab world, focusing on ACHRS priorities. This report analyzes these developments, evaluating their effects on human rights across the region. We use a legal framework grounded in international humanitarian law and international human rights law to guide our analysis.

Firstly, the right to life examines conditions of imprisonment, death penalties, and executions, particularly in the context of the genocide in Gaza. This section also covers the situations in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Lebanon, and Palestine. Secondly, the right to participate reviews updates on elections and political participation, highlighting obstacles citizens face in Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, and Libya.

Thirdly, the right to speak addresses issues of censorship, the imprisonment of political activists, and crackdowns on dissidents in Jordan. It also looks at the prosecution of feminist activists and legal discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Palestine. Next, the right to think focuses on the censorship and arrest of academics and students involved in political movements in Palestine, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kurdistan Region.

Finally, the report examines national social protection strategies, emphasizing food security programs and healthcare systems. These initiatives target diverse groups, including refugees and people with disabilities in Jordan, Yemen, and Palestine. By addressing these six priorities, the Human Rights Monitor seeks to present a holistic view of human rights conditions in the region. This approach aims to advance the quality of life and promote human rights through the enforcement of international legal standards.