Egypt has been through extraordinary times in the past 15 months, from the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, through spasms of shocking violence and parliamentary elections that saw triumphant Islamists sweep the board. But Wednesday's presidential vote is that rare thing, a genuinely historic moment. It will be the first time, ever, that the Arab world's most populous country has chosen its leader without knowing in advance who the winner would be.
(Geneva) – United Nations member states should scrutinize Bahrain’s deplorable human rights record during the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council on May 21, 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should push Bahrain to adopt specific measures to ensure free expression and peaceful assembly, end torture, free political prisoners, and establish credible accountability mechanisms for continuing abuses.
ANHRI announced today that any talk or consideration by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) to launch a complementary constitutional declaration or law is made to be invalid. Any legislative authority of SCAF has effectively ended by the election of the People’s Assembly. Thus, SCAF only has an executive authority which will end in a few days after the Egyptian people will have elected a president. Afterwards, SCAF will return to its original role. Members of SCAF is a number of armed forces officers who protect and do not administer, legislate, or play any role of a political nature.
18 May 2012: The ITUC is demanding that the Algerian authorities stop repression of the country’s emerging independent trade union movement. A wave of harassment of members of the National Independent Union of Public Administration Personnel (SNAPAP) has led to seven members of the union’s board, including four women, starting a hunger strike on 6 May.
