Demanding change in the Middle East and North Africa

As mass anti-government protests continue to flare across several countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Amnesty International is calling on authorities in the region to respect human rights, including the rights of those now demanding change.

Repressive governments across the Middle East and North Africa are under pressure and face surging demands for political, economic and social reform. Protesters have been killed on the streets by police and thousands have been arrested or beaten as state security forces try to quell the unrest. New curbs on freedom of expression have been imposed with online social media, a vital organisation tool for activists, being targeted.

For 50 years, Amnesty International has been exposing the grim reality of repression in the Middle East and North Africa and campaigning for human rights there. In the August issue of Wire (a bi-monthly magazine produced by our International Secretariat), our researchers take a candid look at the challenges of working in such a volatile and complex part of the world. Read Wire here >>

Read our report, State of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa, January to mid-April 2011 for information about recent events in the region.

Egypt

Throughout 2011 Egypt’s people have won the right for a real election through their peaceful protest and unwavering belief that their country deserves an end to dictatorship, corruption and repression at the hands of the military. See Amnesty's latest report/release on the history of events: Egypt: Military rulers have 'crushed' hopes of 25 January protesters

Libya

On 14 October Amnesty International released the report Detention Abuses Staining the New Libya which reveals a pattern of beatings and ill-treatment of captured al-Gaddafi soldiers, suspected loyalists and alleged mercenaries in western Libya. In some cases there is clear evidence of torture in order to extract confessions or as a punishment.

Syria

More than 5.000 people are reported to have been killed across Syria in connection with the unrest since mid-March. Many are believed to have been shot by the army and security forces during protests and security operations in residential areas.

Thousands of other people have been arrested, with many held incommunicado in detention centres in which torture and other ill-treatment are reported to be rife.

These crimes against humanity are a widespread attack against a civilised population. Click here to visit Amnesty International’s interactive map where you can see the real stories behind these crimes.

Yemen

On April 6 Amnesty International released the report Moment of Truth for Yemen. This report sets out Amnesty International’s grave concerns about the government’s response to the swelling protests calling for reform that have occurred this year and the authorities’ failure to adequately investigate unlawful killings and other violations by its forces. Click here to read the report.

Arms Transfers To The Middle East And North Africa: Lessons For An Effective Arms Trade Treaty examines arms transfers to Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen since 2005.

You can follow this unfolding human rights crisis here with news and analysis from Amnesty International: