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
Filtered cases
At liberty Amal Fathy
Released December 2018, arrested May 2018
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Final judgment, 11 January 2022
At liberty Alaa Abdel Fattah
Released September 2025, arrested May 2006
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Context, 26 December 2025
At liberty Ahmed Samir Santawy
Released July 2022, arrested February 2021
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Travel ban imposed, 16 April 2026
At liberty Solafa Magdy
Released April 2021, arrested November 2019
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Departure into exile, 26 September 2021
At liberty Sanaa Seif
Released December 2021, arrested June 2014
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Defender activity, 11 May 2026
At liberty Mahienour El-Masry
Released April 2024, arrested November 2017
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Interrogation, August 2025
At liberty Esraa Abdel Fattah
Released July 2021, arrested April 2008
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Travel ban lifted, 5 December 2021
Detained (pretrial) Ibrahim Metwally Hegazy
Held since October 2019
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Hearing, 24 August 2026
At liberty Ramy Kamel
Released January 2022, arrested November 2019
Arbitrary detention
Imprisoned (serving sentence) Ezzat Ghoneim
Held since September 2018
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Context, 5 March 2023
Magdy Abdel Hamid
Case dropped, 30 August 2021
Asset freeze
At liberty Negad El Borai
Context, 20 March 2024
Asset freeze