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Living Archive
Defenders.
An open record of human rights defenders across the Middle East and North Africa. Every entry is a case file — dated, sourced, and kept current.
173
Records on
the open archive
87
Currently held
detained · sentenced · on trial
57
In exile or under
transnational repression
11
In memoriam
killed for their work
The Record
Filtered cases
HM-XX-2026-047
Released
Loujain al-Hathloul
Saudi women's rights defender held in detention from May 2018 to February 2021 and now under an indefinite travel ban.
Arrested 2018
HM-EG-2026-033
Released
Esraa Abdel Fattah
Egyptian journalist and co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, known as "Facebook Girl" since 2008. Released on bail in July 2021…
Arrested 2019
HM-MA-2026-007
Assets frozen
Maâti Monjib
Maâti Monjib leads associations defending press freedom and investigative journalism in Morocco. Convicted in absentia in 2021 of threatening state security, he…
Hunger strike
Open case file
HM-EG-2026-027
Released
Ramy Kamel
Egyptian Coptic Christian human rights defender released in January 2022 after more than two years of pre-trial detention. Charges in Case 1475/2019…
Medical urgency
Arrested 2019
HM-SA-2026-001
Released
Mohammed Fahd Al-Qahtani
Saudi economist and co-founder of ACPRA, jailed in 2013 on a 10-year sentence. Forcibly disappeared for two years after his term expired…
Arrested 2012
HM-TN-2025-001
Released
Ahmed Souab
Ahmed Souab was arrested in Tunisia in April 2025 and sentenced to five years in prison on a terrorism apology charge. He…
Arrested 2025
HM-BH-2025-001
Released
Ali Al Hajee
Ali Al Hajee was arrested in March 2025 after posting criticism of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain on social media. He was…
Arrested 2025
HM-TN-2023-001
Released
Chadha Haj Mbarek
Chadha Haj Mbarek was arrested on 20 July 2023 and sentenced to five years in prison under Tunisia's national security laws. She…
Arrested 2023
HM-TN-2026-003
Released
Imen Ouardani
Imen Ouardani, a Tunisian defender whose case is under editorial review. Full details are being verified and will be published once documentation…
Open case file
HM-TN-2024-003
Released
Mohamed Joô
Mohamed Joô has been detained in Tunisia since 13 May 2024. No further details about his background, the circumstances of his arrest,…
Arrested 2024
HM-TN-2024-006
On trial
Salwa Ghrissa
A Tunisian human rights defender working on social inclusion and the right to difference. Arrested in December 2024, held in severely overcrowded…
Day 542 · since 2024-12-10
HM-TN-2024-008
Released
Yadh Bousselmi
A Tunisian defender detained since May 2024. Awaiting full case documentation and editorial review.
Arrested 2024