The report entitled "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State in compliance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, and section 504 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The law provides that the Secretary of State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, "a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights, within the meaning of subsection (A) in countries that receive assistance under this part, and (B) in all other foreign countries which are members of the United Nations and which are not otherwise the subject of a human rights report under this Act." We have also included reports on several countries that do not fall into the categories established by these statutes and that thus are not covered by the congressional requirement.

The following is part of the report in the Near East and North Africa region:

-03/11/10   Algeria
-03/11/10   Bahrain
-03/11/10   Egypt
-03/11/10   Iran
-03/11/10   Iraq
-03/11/10   Israel and the occupied territories
-03/11/10   Jordan
-03/11/10   Kuwait
-03/11/10   Lebanon
-03/11/10   Libya
-03/11/10   Morocco
-03/11/10   Western Sahara
-03/11/10   Oman
-03/11/10   Qatar
-03/11/10   Saudi Arabia
-03/11/10   Syria
-03/11/10   Tunisia
-03/11/10   United Arab Emirates
-03/11/10   Yemen

Full report for each country, please visit

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/index.htm

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you again for your participation in the Arab Coalition for Darfur Civil Society Conference in Morocco last week. We enjoyed very interesting and informative meetings and lively discussions.  You have met my colleague Marwa El-Ansary from Crisis Action. She will get in touch with you individually later to carry on some of the discussions you had in Morocco, but as a matter of urgency we would like to publish the open letter from the Arab Civil Society organizations to the League of Arab States. As an achievement of the conference we would like to remind the Arab States of their crucial role in securing Sudan and Darfur’s peaceful future and of their responsibility to prevent a renewed conflict risking instability and further suffering, not only in Sudan but in the whole region.

At the forum on Social movement for Morocco and the Maghreb/Machrek region held in Bouznika from March 5th– 7th, 2010, e-joussour team got a chance to interview two young women activist from Palestine who had travelled from a far distance to share their stories, experiences and to raise their voices at this social forum. Hanin Nassar and Ruba Odeh have been working for the Union of Palestinian Women Committee. The following is what they shared with us:

On the 8th March 2010, the centenary of International Women’s Day, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) – representing 76 human rights organisations located across the region – regrets the limited progress being made to protect and promote women’s rights and gender equality in the region.