As we mark 23 months since University of Leeds dental student Salma al-Shehab was arrested after returning home on holiday, we ask whether the UK Foreign Secretary has the courage to demand her release
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Who is 2022’s Tyrant of the Year?
Choose from our shortlist of 12 despots and vote on who you think has done most to crack down on freedom of expression this year
Tyrant of the year 2022: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar
The atrocious worker conditions and contempt for basic human rights in Qatar have certainly been on our minds over the last year. However,...
Tyrant of the year 2022: Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia
“Mohammed bin Salman should be awarded the title of ‘tyrant of the year’ not only because of his track record of censorship and suppression, but...
Tyrant of the year 2022: Ali Khamenei, Iran
If you were in the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday 23 September, you would be forgiven for thinking that Ali Khamenei was a popular and...
Tyrant of the year 2022: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt
While world leaders met in Sharm el-Sheikh for COP27, British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah began a full hunger...
Questions that Sunak should have asked Mohammad bin Salman at G20…(but probably didn’t)
As we continue to mark the ongoing detention of University of Leeds PhD student Salma al-Shehab, we look at what could have been discussed at this morning’s meeting
“We deserve more on freedom of expression”
Freedom of expression has dominated the news agenda this week but not in a good way, says Ruth Smeeth
World leaders will have “blood on their hands” if Alaa Abd El-Fattah dies
Attendees at COP27 need to raise the case of the British-Egyptian writer before it’s too late, say the activist’s sisters
Letter to UK Foreign Secretary on Salma al-Shehab
Index and other human rights organisations call on Rt Hon James Cleverly to act in case of jailed Saudi national