Human rights defenders
HuMENA documents the cases of human rights defenders in the Middle East and North Africa who have been targeted for their work. Each entry is a dated case file.
Scope of the archive and inclusion criteria
HuMENA applies the definition set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders: a human rights defender is any person who, individually or with others, acts by peaceful means to promote or protect internationally recognised human rights, their own or those of others. The status derives from the act, not from a person's profession or title.
Each person in this archive meets two conditions, established by reliable sources: a specific act of this kind, and targeting that followed from it. Cases that rest solely on a violation suffered, on family ties to a defender, on party membership, or on prosecution in a politically sensitive case fall outside its scope.
References: UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (resolution 53/144, 1998); HuMENA Editorial Guide.
Defenders on record, by country
Select a country to show its case files in the list below. The same countries are available in the country filter.
The Record
All records
Every entry is a case file. Open one to read the timeline and the cases, and what has and has not been checked. Where a photograph is missing, the file says so. When a case closes, the record stays.
At liberty Sherifa Riahi
Released January 2026, arrested May 2024
Arbitrary detention
At liberty Abdulaziz Al-Shubaili
Released July 2025, arrested September 2017
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Travel ban imposed, 13 July 2025
Imprisoned (serving sentence) Mohammed Al-Otaibi
Held since May 2017
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Appeal: sentence increased, April 2021
At liberty Ziad Al-Sufyani
Released March 2025, arrested September 2020
Arbitrary detention
Imprisoned (serving sentence) Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith
Held since August 2015
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Final judgment, 4 March 2025
Mahmood Al-Hosani
Held since July 2012
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Final judgment, 4 March 2025
Imprisoned (serving sentence) Sheikh Mohammed Al-Siddiq
Held since April 2012
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Final judgment, 4 March 2025
Mohammed Al-Ghamdi
Held since June 2022
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Conviction, 24 September 2024
Imprisoned (serving sentence) Dr. Hadef Al-Owais
Held since September 2012
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Final judgment, 4 March 2025
Abdulsalam Al-Marzooqi
Held since July 2012
Arbitrary detention
Latest: UN special procedures communication, 16 April 2025
Tawfiq Ghanem
Held since May 2021
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Hearing, 1 October 2026
At liberty Ebrahim Sharif
Released February 2026, arrested March 2011
Arbitrary detention