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Ezzat Ghoniem, a human rights defender and co-founder and director of the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, and Azzoz Mahgoub, a human rights lawyer at the same organization, have been forcibly disappeared since 14 September and remain detained despite a court order to release them on 4 September.
Ayman Nasser, the legal unit coordinator of Palestinian NGO Addameer, has been issued a six-month administrative detention order by the Israeli military commander of the West Bank. He has been held by Israel without charge or trial since 9 September.
On 24 September, an Omani court is expected to issue its verdict in the case of four detainees from the province of Musandam. Authorities have not disclosed any legal basis for the detentions, citing only vague “national security” grounds, and proceedings have violated international guarantees of the right to fair trial.
Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, a prominent Dalit rights activist, has been released from Saharanpur District Prison on 14 September. He was being held in administrative detention without charge or trial under the draconian National Security Act.
Former Eritrean Minister of Finance, Berhane Abrehe, was taken to an undisclosed location by security agents on 17 September. His arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention come just days after he published a book encouraging Eritreans to peacefully protest against government policies.
Iranian Kurds Houshmand Alipour and Mohammad Ostadghader were arrested by security forces on 3 August and held incommunicado for weeks. They were shown on state television on 7 August making a forced “confession” incriminating themselves. They have had little access to their families and no access to lawyers of their choosing.
Detention of student leaders and other social activists have increased in Nicaragua as the government persists in its strategy of persecution and criminalization as a punishment against those taking part in nationwide protests.
Guatemala’s Congress is at the verge of passing a law to ban abortion, same-sex marriage and inclusive sex education. The bill 5272 “to protect family and life” directly threatens the rights of girls, women, and LGBTI people, their lives and their families.
On 22 August, independent journalist and prisoner of conscience Khairullo (Khayrullo) Mirsaidov received a non-custodial sentence and was released in the courtroom, after spending more than eight months behind bars. He had been detained and prosecuted following his allegations of government corruption.
Zhen Jianghua reportedly stood trial over the charge of “inciting subversion of state power” on 10 August. With no access to family and lawyers of his choice, the human rights defender is at risk of torture and unfair trial.