Human rights deterioration continue in the Arab states
Regional, Politics, 7/17/1998

The Arab Organization for Human Rights stated that there is a continued deterioration of human rights in the Arab states.

The annual report of the Arab organization, announced yesterday in Cairo by organization's secretary-general Mohammed Faek, said that violations of human rights were increasing in the Arab states during the last year in all areas, especially in the occupied territories, Iraq, Libya and Sudan, due to the continuation of the international sanctions imposed upon these states.

The report referred to increased violence and terrorism, illegal executions, unjustified arrests, torture and suppression of forms of peaceful protests.

The report also asserted the retreat of democracy and freedom, exposing glaring breaches in several Arab states and asserting that there is not any positive development in most of the Arab countries and that the majority of Arab states' governments depend upon emergency and exceptional laws.

The report stated that emergency laws give wide powers of arrest, detainment, inspection, confiscation and supervision without any legal procedures and due process. It also said that press freedoms are exposed to severe assaults in most of the Arab states in the form of a series of laws that restrain journalists' freedoms.

Moreover the report shed light upon the violence between armed groups and governments, in addition to foreign interference in the Arab region, such as the sanctions imposed upon Iraq, Libya and Sudan, especially the suffering of the Palestinian people and the escalation of suppressive procedures committed by the occupation authorities.

The organization criticized the internal struggles in Sudan and Somalia and denounced the Turkish invasion of the Iraqi territories.

The report also confirmed that in the last year, the Arab states witnessed five elections for parliamentary councils, manifesting that Arab elections are still suffering from problems such as forged ballots as most them were dominated by the ruling parties and saw decreases in the representation of opposition parties in national and local councils.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli practices condemned by world organizations   (7/16/1998)
  Trade courts to consolidate rule of law   (6/8/1998)
  Britain and US condemn Saudi Arabia and other Arab states on human rights   (1/31/1998)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search