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 Loujain al-Hathloul
Released February 2021, arrested December 2014
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Context, 13 May 2024
At liberty Samar Badawi
Released June 2021, arrested January 2016
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Conviction, 26 June 2021
At liberty Mahfouda Bamba Lefkire
Released May 2020, arrested November 2019
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Physical assault, 17 March 2025
At liberty Sultana Khaya
Released May 2022, arrested November 2020
Arbitrary detention
At liberty Tanya Darwish
Appeal lodged, June 2023
Criminalisation of solidarity
At liberty Arroi Baraket
Conviction, 18 January 2023
Gender based violence
Imprisoned (serving sentence) Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja
Held since April 2011
Arbitrary detention
Latest: Defender activity, 14 May 2026
Detained (pretrial) Ahmed Amasha
Held since June 2020
Arbitrary detention
Latest: UN opinion or decision, August 2025
At liberty Nezha Majdi
Released March 2026, arrested April 2021
Arbitrary detention