Amman, May 23 (Petra)--Jordan Red Crescent has distributed food parcels and medicine to Syrian refugees in Amman with the support of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent.

Also, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Tadateru Konoe said the federation will make an appeal to all states, governments, societies and donor countries throughout the world to provide aid to Syrian refugees in the Kingdom.

GENEVA (24 April 2013) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan E. Méndez, today expressed his deep disappointment with the decision taken by the Government of Bahrain to postpone his visit to the country, which was scheduled to take place from 8 to 15 May 2013.

“This is the second time that my visit has been postponed, at very short notice. It is effectively a cancellation as no alternative dates were proposed nor is there a future road map to discuss,” Mr. Méndez stressed.

Fact Sheet

BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR

April 19, 2013

In the chaos of political change in the MENA region today, women face a number of security challenges, from rising lawlessness to backsliding on legal rights. But the rising incidence of politically motivated sexual violence against women is especially worrying, particularly in Egypt where women have been the victims of horrible and systematic mass sexual assaults.

02/15/2013 15:14 GMT
by Wissam Keyrouz

MANAMA, Feb 15, 2013 (AFP) - Bahrain's police fired tear gas at an opposition rally Friday marking the second anniversary of a Shiite-led uprising against the kingdom's Sunni rulers, witnesses said, a day after two people died when protests turned violent.

Police also used sound bombs to disperse thousands of opposition supporters who staged a mid-afternoon demonstration on the Boudaya highway that links a string of Shiite-populated villages with the capital Manama, witnesses said.

By Berta Acero

RIYADH, 18 January 2013 - The Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States (GCC) has called for strong regional commitment towards development of a disaster risk reduction strategy to strengthen the resilience of nations and individuals to natural hazards.

Lengthy Sentences for 13 Protest Leaders

(Beirut) – Bahrain’s Court of Cassation ruling on January 7, 2013, upholding lengthy prison terms of 13 prominent dissidents appears to confirm the inability of Bahrain’s judicial system to protect basic rights. A military court had convicted the dissidents solely for exercising their rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.

Johannesburg, 22 November 2012: Global civil society network CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation expresses deep concern at the continuing reprisals against Bahraini human rights defenders and urges the government to respect its international law obligations.

On-going persecution of human rights defenders for engaging with Bahrain’s Universal Periodic Review was highlighted by UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon in his August 2012 report, Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights.

6 November 2012 – The United Nations condemns the deadly bombings which took place in Bahrain on Monday, a spokesperson for the world body said today.

“These violent acts cannot be justified by any cause,” added UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky, in response to a question during a news briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

According to media reports, five bombs exploded in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, yesterday, killing two foreign workers and critically injuring a third. Bahraini officials have reportedly described the bombings as a terrorist attack.