The Media Line: Human Rights Day: A Country-by-Country Look at the Middle East in 2025 

Human Rights Day: A Country-by-Country Look at the Middle East in 2025 

Disparities across war-torn, authoritarian, and semi-open states reveal stark differences in how governments and armed groups treat basic rights 

By Steven Ganot/The Media Line 

On Human Rights Day 2025, the broader Middle East remains a region where basic rights are shaped by war, occupation, authoritarian rule, and the growing power of nonstate armed groups. Wars in Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen continue to drive mass displacement and civilian casualties, while economic shocks and shrinking civic space define daily life for millions. Across much of the map, protest can get you jailed, court cases are steered by security agencies rather than judges, and religious or ethnic identity often decides whether the state protects you or targets you. 

Yet the picture is uneven. A few states—most clearly Israel and Cyprus—still sustain a combination of independent courts, active media, and rights organizations capable of documenting abuses and occasionally stopping them. That openness produces a paradox: The countries with the strongest formal protections often face the harshest scrutiny, simply because journalists, activists, and citizens can gather information and push it into public view. In more tightly controlled states, and in territories shattered by conflict, abuses may be far more severe, but far less is documented. 

This Human Rights Day survey covers every member of the Arab League except Comoros, plus Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Cyprus, using a common set of categories drawn from core international human-rights norms: 

• Association and Assembly 

• Economic and Social Rights 

• Expression and Media 

• Gender and Sexuality 

• Life and Physical Integrity 

• Minority and Equality Rights 

• Political Participation 

• Prisons and Detention 

• Religion and Belief 

• Rule of Law 

• Special Issues 

The overall picture is grim, but the differences between countries—and the shifts since 2024—are real and revealing, showing where rights are eroding, where they are inching forward, and where they remain almost entirely out of reach. 

Click on any country name to jump directly to its section: AFGHANISTAN ALGERIA BAHRAIN CYPRUS DJIBOUTI EGYPT IRAN IRAQ ISRAEL JORDAN KUWAIT LEBANON LIBYA MAURITANIA MOROCCO OMAN PAKISTAN PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES QATAR SAUDI ARABIA SOMALIA SUDAN SYRIA TUNISIA TURKEY UNITED ARAB EMIRATES YEMEN 

 

AFGHANISTAN 

Association and Assembly
Independent NGOs that do not align with Taliban priorities have been shut down or forced underground. Public gatherings are tightly controlled, and even peaceful protests by women demanding education or work have been met with beatings and arrests. Any attempt to organize politically is treated as a security threat. 

Economic and Social Rights
The collapse of foreign aid and financial isolation have pushed much of the population below the poverty line. Women and girls are barred from most secondary and higher education and many types of employment, cutting entire families off from income and professional care. Health services, especially in rural areas, have deteriorated sharply as female health workers face restrictions on movement and work. 

Expression and Media
Most independent media outlets have shut down or fled; those that remain practice extreme self-censorship. Journalists who report on corruption, women’s protests, or Taliban abuses risk arbitrary arrest, torture, and forced “confessions”. Foreign media access is tightly controlled, which limits external scrutiny of abuses. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women’s rights have been dismantled more comprehensively than in any other country in the region: Dress codes are enforced, travel requires male permission, and women are excluded from public spaces such as parks and gyms. LGBTQ+ people live entirely hidden; same-sex relations can be punished with death under the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Taliban courts order public executions, floggings, and amputations. ISIS-K continues suicide bombings and targeted attacks, especially against Hazara Shiites, adding a second layer of terror. Forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are routinely reported, with no independent mechanisms for investigation. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek communities face discrimination in state employment and targeted violence from both Taliban and ISIS-K. Hazara neighborhoods, schools, and mosques have been attacked repeatedly, often with no follow-up investigation. Women, ethnic minorities, and religious nonconformists suffer intersecting forms of discrimination. 

Political Participation
There are no elections, no political parties, and no legal avenues to challenge Taliban rule. Former state officials and security personnel are at risk of reprisal despite promises of amnesty. 

Prisons and Detention
Detention facilities are overcrowded, unsanitary, and entirely controlled by Taliban security units. Reports describe beatings, stress positions, and denial of medical treatment. Detainees are often held without charge or trial. 

Religion and Belief
Only Taliban-approved Sunni interpretations are permitted. Converts from Islam, Christians, and Sikhs are forced into hiding or exile; gatherings of non-Muslim worshippers can be raided. Any perceived “apostasy” can be punished as a capital crime. 

Rule of Law
Judicial functions are carried out by Taliban clerics and commanders with no due-process protections. There is no separation between executive, religious, and security authorities, and no right to independent legal defense. 

Special Issues
Widespread internal displacement, especially in areas where ISIS-K is active, leaves families without access to basic services or protection. 

 

ALGERIA 

Association and Assembly
The authorities have dissolved civil society groups and political associations they deem “subversive”. Large demonstrations are often banned, and organizers from the Hirak protest movement face charges such as “undermining national unity”. 

Economic and Social Rights
Unemployment, especially among youth, remains high despite energy revenue. Regional inequalities persist between coastal cities and the interior; basic services are strained in poorer areas, fueling discontent. 

Expression and Media
Independent news websites have been blocked, and journalists prosecuted under vague “terrorism” or “fake news” provisions. Social-media posts criticizing the president or the army can draw interrogation or arrest, prompting widespread self-censorship. 

Gender and Sexuality
Reforms have not erased the deep bias of the family code: Women still face unequal rights in inheritance, divorce, and guardianship. Survivors of domestic violence struggle to obtain legal protection or effective police response. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty remains in law but has not been used in years. Allegations of torture by security services persist, particularly in politically sensitive or terrorism-related cases. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Legal recognition of Amazigh language and identity has improved since the 2010s, but Amazigh activists are still occasionally targeted when their cultural demands are seen as political. Migrants and asylum seekers face arbitrary detention and refoulement. 

Political Participation
Elections are held, but serious opposition figures are often barred or harassed, and turnout is low. Real power remains concentrated in the presidency and security apparatus. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons suffer from overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. Pretrial detention can be prolonged, especially in cases involving protest or online speech. 

Religion and Belief
Islam is the state religion. Registered Christian churches operate, but house churches and unregistered congregations risk closure and prosecution of their leaders. Public atheism is stigmatized and can be treated as a public order issue. 

Rule of Law
The judiciary lacks independence in political and security-related cases. Anti-terrorism laws are frequently used to give security services broad discretion over arrests and surveillance. 

 

BAHRAIN 

Association and Assembly
The government has effectively dismantled organized political opposition since 2011. Public protests are rare because they are quickly dispersed, and many activists remain in exile. 

Economic and Social Rights
Socioeconomic inequality tracks sectarian lines: Shia communities report discrimination in access to state jobs, housing, and scholarships. Migrant workers in construction and domestic work continue to face wage theft and abusive conditions. 

Expression and Media
The press is dominated by pro-government outlets; independent newspapers have been shut down. Online critics, including ordinary citizens retweeting dissenting views, have received prison sentences. 

Gender and Sexuality
Some reforms have allowed women to hold office and work in professional roles, but family law remains unequal. Same-sex relations are criminalized, and reports indicate security forces targeting LGBTQ+ individuals with blackmail and harassment. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is actively used, including against individuals convicted in trials criticized for relying on torture-tainted confessions. Reports of torture and ill-treatment by security forces, particularly in politically sensitive cases, persist. 

Minority and Equality Rights
The Shia majority remains systematically marginalized within the security services and high-level government posts. Naturalization policies have been used to alter demographic balances in sensitive districts. 

Political Participation
All major opposition societies are banned, and many of their leaders remain imprisoned or stripped of citizenship. Elections proceed without meaningful competition. 

Prisons and Detention
Political prisoners report denial of medical care, solitary confinement, and restrictions on family visits. Hunger strikes have occurred repeatedly over conditions. 

Religion and Belief
Shia religious practices are monitored and sometimes restricted through interference with clerics and religious events. Small Jewish and Christian communities are allowed to worship, but they rarely speak publicly on political issues. 

Rule of Law
Specialized courts handle many cases involving political dissent; verdicts often track government narratives. Independent oversight of the security services is minimal. 

Special Issues
Denaturalization has been used to create de facto stateless individuals, often as punishment for activism. 

 

CYPRUS (REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS—SOUTH) 

Association and Assembly
Civil society organizations operate freely, with activists engaging on issues such as corruption, migration, and minority rights. Demonstrations rarely face arbitrary bans, though police sometimes use force in crowd control. 

Economic and Social Rights
The standard of living is relatively high, but austerity and housing costs have hit lower-income groups and migrants. Asylum seekers complain of delays in processing and restrictions on work. 

Expression and Media
Media outlets are diverse and frequently critical of the government. Investigative reporting on corruption and church-state entanglements is common and rarely punished. 

Gender and Sexuality
Equality laws are strong, and women participate widely in higher education and the workforce, though representation at top political and business levels remains uneven. Same-sex civil unions are recognized, and public attitudes, while mixed, have grown more tolerant. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is fully abolished. Allegations of ill-treatment by police are investigated, though rights groups argue sanctions are sometimes too light. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Armenian, Maronite, Latin Catholic, and Turkish-speaking communities enjoy constitutional recognition. Roma and some migrant groups, however, report discrimination in education and police interactions. 

Political Participation
Multiparty elections are genuinely competitive, with peaceful transitions of power. Minority candidates can run, although Turkish Cypriots in the south face legal and practical barriers tied to the island’s division. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons are generally in line with European standards but struggle with overcrowding and a lack of rehabilitation programs. Asylum seekers and migrants complain about prolonged administrative detention. 

Religion and Belief
The Greek Orthodox Church holds a privileged social position, but the state recognizes multiple faith communities. Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, and Jews can open places of worship and run religious schools, subject to normal regulations. 

Rule of Law
Courts are independent and can review government decisions, including on asylum and property. As an EU member, Cyprus is bound by regional human-rights standards and subject to scrutiny by European institutions. 

Special Issues—TURKISH-CONTROLLED NORTH
In the Turkish-controlled north (recognized only by Turkey), civil society has some space, but cases critical of Ankara or Turkish troop presence are sensitive. Greek Cypriot and Maronite residents face tight controls over property rights and access to religious sites, and local courts are ultimately constrained by political realities. 

 

DJIBOUTI 

Association and Assembly
Formal opposition parties and unions exist on paper, but their activities are closely monitored and frequently obstructed. Spontaneous demonstrations are often dispersed, and organizers risk arrest on security grounds. 

Economic and Social Rights
The country benefits from foreign military bases and ports, but the economic benefits are unevenly distributed. Many citizens lack secure employment and adequate housing, and migrants crossing from the Horn of Africa are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. 

Expression and Media
Only a handful of media outlets operate, and they largely reflect the government line. Journalists who investigate corruption or criticize the president can face prosecution or exile. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women face high rates of gender-based violence and female genital mutilation, especially in rural areas, with limited state resources dedicated to prevention. LGBTQ+ identity is deeply stigmatized, and same-sex relations are criminalized. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is in law but not used. There are credible reports of beatings and abuse of detainees by security forces, especially in cases involving political opposition. 

Minority and Equality Rights
The Afar minority has long complained of discrimination compared to the dominant Issa clan. Refugees and asylum seekers from neighboring countries often experience arbitrary detention and refoulement. 

Political Participation
Elections consistently return the same ruling coalition; opposition parties allege fraud and intimidation. Political space is narrow, and transitions of power have not occurred through elections. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons are overcrowded and under-resourced. Pretrial detention is common and may last months or years, particularly for political detainees. 

Religion and Belief
Sunni Islam is predominant, and religious institutions are closely tied to the state. Small Christian communities exist, but public proselytizing and religious debate that challenges Islam are discouraged or punished. 

Rule of Law
The judiciary is subordinate to the executive, particularly in political and security cases. Legal aid is scarce, and many defendants lack effective representation. 

 

EGYPT 

Association and Assembly
Independent NGOs face strict registration rules, travel bans, asset freezes, and criminal investigations under laws that frame rights work as a threat to “national security”. Public demonstrations are effectively banned in central Cairo and other cities; security forces routinely disperse even small peaceful gatherings, and organizers are often arrested preemptively around sensitive dates. 

Economic and Social Rights
Years of austerity, inflation, and currency devaluation have sharply eroded living standards, especially for the poor and lower-middle classes. Subsidy cuts and rising food and fuel prices hit informal workers hardest. While the state promotes large infrastructure and new-city projects, basic services and housing in older urban neighborhoods and rural areas remain underfunded. 

Expression and Media
Egypt has one of the most restricted media environments in the region: Hundreds of websites, including news portals, remain blocked, and most major outlets are directly or indirectly controlled by state-aligned entities. Journalists and online commentators are prosecuted for “spreading false news” or “joining a terrorist organization” based on their reporting or social media activity, leading to pervasive self-censorship. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women’s participation in education and the workforce is substantial, but they face pervasive harassment in public spaces, limited access to justice for domestic violence, and discrimination in personal-status law on inheritance and divorce. People suspected of same-sex relations are prosecuted under vague “morality” and “debauchery” provisions, with authorities sometimes using dating apps and online surveillance to entrap and out them. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is available for a very wide range of offenses, and courts continue to hand down and carry out executions, including after mass trials. Reports of enforced disappearances, torture, and deaths in custody persist, especially in national security cases. Investigations into killings by security forces are rare, reinforcing a climate of impunity. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Coptic Christians, who form a significant minority, face discrimination in public-sector employment, local administration, and the allocation of building permits, as well as recurring mob attacks in some rural areas. People who are perceived to insult religion or to identify as atheist risk criminal prosecution, social exclusion, or vigilante violence. 

Political Participation
Elections are held regularly, but the political field is tightly controlled: Opposition parties are weakened by legal harassment, and independent or critical candidates report intimidation and disqualification. Political life revolves around the presidency and security apparatus, with almost no meaningful parliamentary oversight. 

Prisons and Detention
Tens of thousands of people are believed to be in prison for political or security-related reasons. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, denial of medical care, and prolonged pretrial detention are chronic problems. Some high-profile detainees have died after being denied adequate treatment, despite international attention. 

Religion and Belief
Islam is the state religion, and public religious discourse is closely monitored. Registered Christian denominations can build and renovate churches only after navigating slow and politicized bureaucratic procedures. Baha’is and others lacking formal recognition struggle to obtain identity documents and legal status, and “blasphemy” prosecutions discourage open debate on religious issues. 

Rule of Law
Emergency-style security legislation and special courts allow prosecutors and judges to hold people for extended periods on the basis of broad national-security charges. Civilian cases are sometimes referred to military courts, where due-process guarantees are weaker. Allegations of torture or misconduct by security services are rarely pursued beyond superficial internal reviews. 

Special Issues
The government uses counterterrorism rhetoric to justify the crackdown on peaceful critics; the line between genuine security threats and nonviolent dissent is intentionally blurred. 

 

IRAN 

Association and Assembly
Independent unions, feminist groups, student organizations, and minority-rights movements operate under constant threat. Organizers of protests—from the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement to ethnic minority campaigns—face arrest, long prison terms, and sometimes death sentences. Public gatherings are broken up, often using live ammunition or mass arrests. 

Economic and Social Rights
Sanctions, mismanagement, and corruption have driven inflation and unemployment, pushing many families into poverty. Basic services in peripheral regions populated by Kurds, Arabs, and Baluchis are notably weaker. Access to health care is strained, and environmental degradation—water scarcity, pollution—falls especially hard on marginalized communities. 

Expression and Media
Authorities block websites, throttle or shut down internet access during protests, and arrest journalists, filmmakers, and social media influencers for “propaganda against the state” or “insulting sacred values”. Even mild criticism of government policy or religious authorities can lead to prosecution; families of victims who speak publicly about abuses are themselves targeted. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women face discriminatory family law, restrictions on travel and work, and strict dress codes enforced by morality police and surveillance cameras. The renewed enforcement of compulsory hijab, including the use of facial-recognition technology and fines or imprisonment, has driven many women into acts of civil disobedience. Same-sex relations are criminalized, and suspected LGBTQ+ individuals face extortion, torture, and the threat of execution. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world, including for drug offenses, “enmity against God”, and security-related charges. Members of minority communities and protesters are disproportionately sentenced to death and executed after unfair trials. Torture in detention—beatings, sexual violence, denial of medical care—is documented across prisons and interrogation centers. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs, and other ethnic minorities experience discrimination in employment, education, and language rights, as well as a heavy security presence in their regions. Baha’is are subject to systematic persecution: property seizures, exclusion from universities, business closures, and arbitrary detention. Afghan refugees and migrants also face deportation, violence, and exploitation. 

Political Participation
The candidate-vetting system screens out anyone deemed insufficiently loyal to the political and religious establishment. Reformists, dissidents, and many women are barred from running, so elections do not offer a genuine path to change. Protests are treated as security threats, not as political participation. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons such as Evin and provincial facilities are notorious for overcrowding and harsh conditions. Many political prisoners are held incommunicado or in solitary confinement for long periods, and families often learn of detainees’ whereabouts only after months of silence. Medical care is frequently withheld as a form of punishment. 

Religion and Belief
The state enforces a particular Shia interpretation and restricts other religious expressions. Sunni Muslims, recognized Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians operate under surveillance and face limits on building places of worship and teaching. Unrecognized groups—especially Baha’is and converts from Islam—are at constant risk of arrest, home raids, and denial of basic services. 

Rule of Law
Revolutionary courts handle many political and security cases in closed sessions, with judges relying on confessions extracted under torture and denying defendants meaningful legal representation. Laws are drafted broadly to criminalize “insulting” religion or authorities, giving judges wide discretion to punish dissent. 

Special Issues
Major protests since 2022 have been met with lethal force and mass arrests; authorities treat these movements not as rights-based protests but as existential threats, further closing the space for lawful opposition. 

 

IRAQ 

Association and Assembly
Civil society has grown since 2003, but activists, especially those involved in anti-corruption and anti-militia protests, have been assassinated or kidnapped with little accountability. Large demonstrations in Baghdad and the south have repeatedly been met with live fire and intimidation. 

Economic and Social Rights
Despite substantial oil revenues, basic services such as electricity, clean water, and health care remain unreliable, especially outside major cities. Youth unemployment is high, and corruption diverts public funds away from social needs, fueling anger and out-migration. 

Expression and Media
Journalists are caught between state authorities, militias, and local power brokers. Reporters investigating corruption, militia abuses, or security failures face threats, smear campaigns, and physical attacks. Many media outlets align themselves with specific parties or armed groups to survive. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women face serious obstacles in reporting domestic violence and “honor” crimes, which are often treated leniently by courts. Legislative attempts to expand protections have been watered down or stalled. LGBTQ+ people are targeted by both militias and family members; some are killed in so-called “moral” campaigns with impunity. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Militia and paramilitary groups carry out extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and torture. The death penalty is applied frequently, especially in terrorism-related cases, often after rushed or flawed trials. Landmines and unexploded ordnance from past conflicts continue to injure and kill civilians. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Yazidis, Christians, Sabean-Mandaeans, and others are still struggling to rebuild communities destroyed by ISIS. Many remain displaced, with limited access to property restitution or justice for crimes committed against them. In some areas, minority communities face pressure from dominant militias to adopt their political line. 

Political Participation
Elections do occur and can change the composition of parliament, but armed groups and patronage networks wield decisive influence over candidate lists, turnout, and coalition bargaining. Many young Iraqis see formal politics as captured by corrupt elites. 

Prisons and Detention
Counterterrorism detention facilities are overcrowded, with reports of torture and coerced confessions. Families of detainees often struggle to locate their relatives or learn their legal status. Conditions in some provincial prisons are poor, with inadequate food and medical care. 

Religion and Belief
In principle, the country recognizes religious diversity, and there are efforts in some areas to protect churches and minority shrines. In practice, religious freedom depends heavily on local power structures: Some regions are relatively tolerant, while others are dominated by militias that enforce their own codes. 

Rule of Law
Formal legal institutions coexist with militia influence and tribal dispute resolution. Judges and prosecutors can face intimidation, especially when handling cases involving powerful armed actors. Corruption undermines trust in law enforcement agencies. 

Special Issues
The integration of Popular Mobilization Forces into the state has blurred the line between official security forces and militias, complicating accountability for abuses. 

 

ISRAEL 

Association and Assembly
Israel continues to host a dense network of NGOs, professional associations, and protest movements. Large-scale demonstrations—against judicial reforms, wartime policies, or social issues—are generally allowed, though police have used force and made arrests in some high-tension protests, particularly involving Arab citizens and anti-war activists. 

Economic and Social Rights
Overall economic indicators remain strong, but gaps between Jewish and Arab communities are persistent. Arab municipalities often receive less funding, and unrecognized Bedouin villages lack basic services like electricity, water, and paved roads. Housing costs and inequality in central cities also limit access to adequate living conditions for lower-income groups. 

Expression and Media
The country maintains one of the freest media landscapes in the region, with investigative journalism targeting politicians, security services, and business elites. Wartime censorship focuses mainly on operational security, but there are concerns about increasing pressure on outlets and individuals who are seen as undermining morale or revealing sensitive information about the military. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women have high levels of education and workforce participation, and anti-discrimination laws offer substantial protection. Yet religious family courts retain power over marriage and divorce, leaving women vulnerable in religiously governed proceedings. LGBTQ+ individuals enjoy relatively broad rights in urban centers, including recognition of some family arrangements, but face hostility from parts of the religious and nationalist political spectrum. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Israel does not carry out executions, and the death penalty is effectively abolished. At the same time, armed conflict with Gaza-based factions, Hezbollah, and Iran-aligned groups causes regular cross-border attacks and military responses that kill and injure civilians. In the West Bank, military raids and confrontations have led to rising Palestinian casualties, with disputes over whether force used is proportionate. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Arab citizens of Israel hold citizenship and voting rights but face longstanding discrimination in land allocation, planning, and public investment. Crime and gun violence in Arab towns are severe, with many residents accusing authorities of neglect. Ethiopian and other minority Jewish communities report profiling and unequal treatment in policing and employment. 

Political Participation
Parliamentary elections are genuinely competitive, with frequent changes in coalition composition. Arab-majority parties, religious parties, centrist and right-wing lists all participate, though some politicians push for the exclusion of certain Arab parties or activists. Voter enthusiasm remains high, even amid political instability. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons hold both criminal and security detainees; conditions are monitored by domestic and international actors but remain overcrowded in some facilities. The use of administrative detention—holding individuals, mostly Palestinians, without charge based on secret evidence—draws sharp criticism, as does the treatment of minors from the territories in military courts. 

Religion and Belief
Freedom of worship is generally protected for Muslims, Christians, Jews, Druze, Baha’is, and others, and holy sites are accessible to citizens under normal circumstances. The Orthodox rabbinate’s monopoly over marriage, divorce, and many conversions creates significant obstacles for non-Orthodox Jews, mixed-religion couples, and people whose Jewish status is questioned. Security measures and political tensions shape access to sensitive sites like the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound. 

Rule of Law
An assertive judiciary reviews government actions, including those of security forces and the military. This independence has come under political pressure in recent years, with debates over limiting court powers and changing judicial appointments. Rights organizations make extensive use of petitions to challenge discriminatory policies and administrative detention. 

Special Issues
In the West Bank, Israeli military law governs Palestinians, while Israeli citizens living in settlements are under civilian law, creating a dual legal regime. Settler violence against Palestinians—including attacks on homes, farmland, and religious sites—has increased, and while some prosecutions occur, enforcement is widely seen as inconsistent and inadequate. 

 

JORDAN 

Association and Assembly
Professional associations, charitable organizations, and international NGOs function but are subject to restrictive registration and funding rules. Protests are allowed sporadically but often limited to specific areas and monitored closely; organizers of demonstrations critical of the monarchy or security forces risk arrest and questioning. 

Economic and Social Rights
The country struggles with high unemployment, significant public debt, and the costs of hosting large numbers of refugees from Syria and elsewhere. Many Jordanians complain about deteriorating public services, rising prices, and limited economic opportunities, especially outside Amman. 

Expression and Media
While some critical commentary appears in print and online, red lines around the royal family, security policies, and relations with powerful neighbors remain enforced. Cybercrime and anti-terror laws are used to prosecute journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens for social-media posts, encouraging self-censorship. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women have strong representation in education and parts of the workforce, but discriminatory nationality laws still prevent some from passing citizenship to their children equally. Domestic violence and so-called “honor” crimes remain serious problems, and shelters and legal protections are insufficient. LGBTQ+ people face social stigma and police harassment under broad morality laws. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is used, though not on the scale of some neighbors. There are credible reports of ill-treatment and beatings in detention facilities, particularly in cases involving political or security suspects. Refugees and migrants at times face violent pushbacks at borders. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Palestinians make up a large part of the population, and although many have citizenship, they are underrepresented in security and certain governmental positions. Syrian refugees encounter employment restrictions and the constant risk of deportation. Some communities complain of unequal state investment in infrastructure and services. 

Political Participation
Parliament is elected but wields limited power compared to the monarchy and government. Electoral laws and districting are widely seen as favoring rural, pro-establishment constituencies over urban and opposition-leaning areas. Political parties operate but face legal and informal constraints. 

Prisons and Detention
Overcrowding and poor living conditions are chronic issues. Human-rights defenders, teachers, and union leaders have reported arrests and detention for peaceful activism, often under broad national-security provisions. 

Religion and Belief
Sunni Islam is the official religion, but recognized Christian communities and Druze have significant space to practice their faith. Public conversion from Islam is socially taboo and legally complicated, affecting personal-status rights such as marriage and inheritance. Atheists or people who publicly adopt heterodox beliefs risk ostracism and pressure from authorities. 

Rule of Law
Ordinary courts handle most cases, but a powerful State Security Court hears many offences that could be considered political, undermining confidence in fair trials. Allegations of misconduct by security services seldom result in public prosecutions. 

Special Issues
The combination of economic strain, demographic pressures, and tight political control has created a sense of stagnation that fuels quiet discontent, even when it rarely erupts into large-scale protest. 

 

KUWAIT 

Association and Assembly
Civil society has some space, and professional associations can be vocal, but public protests are strictly regulated and often require prior authorization. Campaigns that touch on the ruling family, foreign allies, or sensitive religious issues invite swift repression. 

Economic and Social Rights
Citizens benefit from oil wealth, but rising fiscal pressures and debates over subsidy reform have brought cuts that affect lower-income households. Noncitizen workers, who comprise a large share of the population, often live in overcrowded housing and report unpaid wages and long working hours without effective recourse. 

Expression and Media
Parliamentary politics have generated a relatively lively media sphere, yet the state prosecutes people for “insulting” the emir, neighboring rulers, or religion. Content deemed threatening to public morals or national unity is censored, and courts have sentenced social media users to prison for critical tweets. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women have made gains in education and some professional fields, and a few hold parliamentary and cabinet positions, but personal-status law and social norms limit their autonomy in marriage, divorce, and guardianship matters. Laws criminalizing same-sex relations and gender nonconformity give police wide discretion to target LGBTQ+ individuals. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is used periodically, including for murder and drug offences. Allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody, particularly against political activists and noncitizens, surface regularly but rarely lead to accountability. 

Minority and Equality Rights
The stateless Bedoon population, despite deep roots in the country, faces severe restrictions on access to education, employment, health care, and documentation. Noncitizen workers from South and Southeast Asia and Africa are vulnerable to physical abuse and exploitation, with limited ability to challenge their employers. 

Political Participation
The elected parliament has the power to block legislation and question ministers, and political debates can be intense. However, the emir can dissolve parliament, and political parties remain formally banned, forcing politics into informal blocs. Women can vote and run for office, but representation lags. 

Prisons and Detention
Reports describe overcrowding, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation in some facilities. Migrant detainees awaiting deportation may be held for long periods under difficult conditions, and access to legal assistance is limited. 

Religion and Belief
Sunni Islam is the dominant faith, and religious institutions are closely monitored. Recognized Christian communities and other non-Muslim groups may operate churches or temples, primarily serving expatriates, but registration is difficult and public religious expression outside approved contexts is discouraged. Proselytizing Muslims is prohibited. 

Rule of Law
The judiciary has shown some independence in commercial and administrative cases but tends to align with the executive on security and political matters. Laws on national unity, religion, and cybercrime give prosecutors wide latitude to pursue critics. 

Special Issues
Debates over how to handle the Bedoon issue and how far to liberalize social and political life remain unresolved, fueling periodic tension between parliament and the ruling family. 

 

LEBANON 

Association and Assembly
Lebanon still has an active NGO scene, with groups working on everything from corruption to LGBTQ+ rights, but the space is narrowing. Activists who challenge powerful sectarian leaders, criticize Hezbollah, or investigate corruption risk defamation suits, intimidation, or physical attacks. Street protests over economic collapse are often tolerated at first, then dispersed with tear gas, rubber bullets, and beatings once they threaten entrenched interests. 

Economic and Social Rights
The economic meltdown has devastated living standards: The currency has lost most of its value, savings have been wiped out, and state services have nearly collapsed. Access to electricity, clean water, and health care is patchy, especially outside Beirut. Syrian refugees and low-income Lebanese often rely on humanitarian aid, while a small elite continues to live comfortably. 

Expression and Media
Lebanon maintains a tradition of outspoken media, but most outlets are tied to specific political or sectarian factions. Journalists who cross those red lines—by probing militia finances, drug trafficking, or foreign backing—face legal harassment, threats, or violence. Defamation and insult laws are used to drag reporters and activists into lengthy court battles, encouraging self-censorship. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women’s rights vary by sect because personal-status law is governed by religious courts, most of which are male-dominated and favor men in divorce, custody, and inheritance. Domestic violence legislation exists but is unevenly enforced. LGBTQ+ people are targeted under “morality” and “public decency” provisions, and organized crackdowns occur when authorities feel pressure to demonstrate social conservatism. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Armed clashes between militias, political factions, and occasionally security forces still erupt in certain areas, causing casualties and displacement. Political assassinations and unexplained explosions have never been fully investigated, reinforcing impunity. Reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention, particularly by military intelligence and other security branches, continue. 

Minority and Equality Rights
The confessional system allocates power among recognized religious communities, which protects some minorities but also freezes discrimination into law. Palestinians, many of whom have lived in Lebanon for generations, face strict limits on employment, property ownership, and access to services. Migrant domestic workers are often trapped in abusive employment relationships under the sponsorship system. 

Political Participation
Elections take place and can bring in new faces, but the confessional quota system keeps the same parties and families in key posts. Reformist lists gained some ground in recent elections, yet legislative gridlock and presidential vacuums show how hard it is for newcomers to change the system. Voters who challenge traditional patronage networks may lose access to basic services. 

Prisons and Detention
Overcrowding is severe, especially in pretrial detention facilities where suspects can wait years for trial. Conditions are poor, with inadequate food, sanitation, and medical care. Allegations of torture, particularly in political or security-related cases, rarely lead to prosecutions. 

Religion and Belief
Recognized sects—Sunni, Shia, various Christian denominations, Druze—enjoy wide religious autonomy, managing their own courts and institutions. But this autonomy locks individuals into sect-based personal law; those who identify as nonreligious or wish to leave their community have virtually no civil alternatives on marriage and family matters inside the country. Smaller or unrecognized religious groups face bureaucratic hurdles. 

Rule of Law
Courts are formally independent but are heavily influenced by political and sectarian pressures. Corruption scandals rarely reach final judgment, and powerful figures seldom serve serious time. The explosion at Beirut’s port remains a stark example of how accountability can be blocked by the very officials who should be investigated. 

Special Issues
Hezbollah’s armed wing remains more powerful than the national army in some domains, and its involvement in Syria and regional conflicts pulls Lebanon into broader geopolitical struggles that the electorate cannot meaningfully control. 

 

LIBYA 

Association and Assembly
In areas controlled by different armed factions, civil society groups must align with local power brokers or risk being shut down. Activists working on disappearances, war crimes, or corruption are at particular risk of kidnapping and assassination. Public gatherings are rare outside ritual or militia-organized events, and spontaneous protests are quickly suppressed. 

Economic and Social Rights
Despite ample oil reserves, much of the population lacks reliable access to electricity, clean water, and health care. Infrastructure destroyed in fighting remains unrepaired in many towns, and public employees often go months without salaries when rival authorities dispute budget control. Internally displaced people live in crowded shelters or unfinished buildings, with limited state support. 

Expression and Media
Journalists must navigate a minefield of local militias, rival governments, and foreign influence. Many self-censor or flee abroad after receiving threats. Media outlets that are seen as close to one faction can be attacked when the balance of power shifts, making independent reporting extremely dangerous. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women’s mobility and participation in public life vary by region: In some cities, women participate in civil society and local administration; in others, they face harassment or direct threats from armed groups if they appear in public roles. Sexual violence, including conflict-related rape, is widely reported but rarely prosecuted. LGBTQ+ people are at risk of violence from both families and armed groups. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Militias and security forces run a network of official and unofficial detention facilities where torture, electric shocks, and beatings are routine. The death penalty remains in law and is used by various authorities. Civilians in areas of active fighting are exposed to shelling, sniping, and improvised explosive devices. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Tebu, Amazigh, and Tawergha communities have suffered collective punishment, forced displacement, and discrimination in access to services and jobs. Many Tawergha remain displaced years after being collectively blamed for supporting past atrocities. Sub-Saharan African migrants face enslavement, extortion, and sexual abuse in trafficking hubs. 

Political Participation
Competing governments, parliaments, and warlords claim legitimacy, but none has a stable mandate. Attempts to organize national elections repeatedly stall over disputes on voting rules and candidacies. Ordinary Libyans have little meaningful say in who governs them. 

Prisons and Detention
Detention centers in Libya are notorious for extortion, forced labor, and abuse. Migrants intercepted at sea or on land are often taken to these centers, where they can be held indefinitely unless their families pay for their release. Legal oversight is virtually nonexistent. 

Religion and Belief
Sunni Islam is dominant, but armed groups with intolerant ideologies have attacked Sufi shrines and religious minorities. Non-Muslim worship is largely confined to private spaces, especially for foreign workers, who risk being drawn into raids on suspected “illegal” religious gatherings. 

Rule of Law
Formal courts operate in some cities but have limited reach. Criminal cases involving powerful militias often never reach trial, and judges have been threatened or killed. The collapse of unified institutions means that laws are applied inconsistently across regions. 

Special Issues
Libya has become a central hub for human trafficking and smuggling between Africa and Europe. International efforts to curb migrant departures have sometimes strengthened abusive militias that run detention facilities. 

 

MAURITANIA 

Association and Assembly
Anti-slavery groups and human-rights organizations face harassment, denial of registration, and periodic arrests of their leaders. Public demonstrations on sensitive topics, such as land rights or caste discrimination, are often blocked or broken up by security forces. 

Economic and Social Rights
Natural-resource revenues from mining and fishing have not translated into broad-based development. Rural communities and former slave castes struggle with limited access to education, land, and stable employment. Urban slums are growing around major cities, with inadequate sanitation and services. 

Expression and Media
Journalists can criticize some aspects of government policy but face prosecution when they address slavery, the military, or religion in ways authorities consider threatening. Bloggers and social media users have been sentenced to prison for online comments interpreted as blasphemous or disrespectful of tradition. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women face discrimination in inheritance and family law, and early and forced marriages remain common in some regions. Gender-based violence, including sexual assault, is underreported due to stigma and weak legal protection. Laws criminalizing same-sex relations provide cover for harassment and blackmail. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty remains in the penal code, including for certain religious offences such as blasphemy, though executions are rare in practice. Reports of beatings and ill-treatment in custody, especially of dissidents and members of lower-status communities, continue. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Ethnic Haratine (people of slave descent) and Afro-Mauritanians have long faced systemic discrimination, including dispossession of land and underrepresentation in government. Although slavery is officially abolished, some families still live in conditions of servitude or extreme dependency, with weak state enforcement against perpetrators. 

Political Participation
Elections occur and opposition parties participate, but the military and security establishment retain deep influence over politics. Many members of marginalized communities feel that political parties speak for elites rather than for them, and turnout is uneven. 

Prisons and Detention
Detention facilities are overcrowded and underfunded. There are recurring allegations of arbitrary detention of activists, torture during interrogation, and denial of medical care. Pretrial detention can be prolonged, especially in high-profile or sensitive cases. 

Religion and Belief
Sunni Islam is the only officially recognized religion, and deviation from mainstream practice can be treated as a security or blasphemy issue. Those accused of apostasy or insulting religion risk severe penalties, even if the harshest punishments are not ultimately carried out. Non-Muslim worship is very restricted and mostly confined to foreign communities. 

Rule of Law
Courts are influenced by political considerations and social hierarchies. Efforts to prosecute slavery and caste-based abuses have led to a few convictions but have not dismantled the underlying power structures that sustain them. 

Special Issues
The legacy of past mass expulsions and ethnic conflict continues to shape relations between communities, with many victims still waiting for full restitution and acknowledgment. 

 

MOROCCO 

Association and Assembly
Many NGOs operate, but groups working on Western Sahara, security abuses, or high-level corruption face registration obstacles and harassment. Large urban protests over social and economic issues often begin peacefully but can end in arrests and prosecutions for “illegal gathering” or “attacking public officials”. 

Economic and Social Rights
Morocco’s economic growth has not closed the gap between wealthy coastal cities and poorer inland or mountainous regions. Drought and water scarcity add pressure on rural livelihoods. Unemployment among youth is high, driving migration and disillusionment. 

Expression and Media
Independent journalists who investigate corruption, Western Sahara, or the monarchy’s business interests risk prosecution on charges such as “spreading false information”, “insulting institutions”, or in some controversial cases, non-political criminal allegations. Many prominent journalists and activists are in prison or living under travel bans. 

Gender and Sexuality
Reforms to the family code improved women’s rights on paper, but discriminatory practices persist in divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Violence against women is widespread, with limited shelter capacity and uneven police responsiveness. Laws criminalizing same-sex conduct and public displays of affection give authorities tools to target LGBTQ+ people. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty remains in the criminal code but has not been carried out for years, leaving inmates on death row in legal limbo. Reports of excessive force by police during protests and of ill-treatment in police stations and prisons persist, especially in politically sensitive cases. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Amazigh identity and language now enjoy constitutional recognition, but implementation in education and public administration is uneven. In Western Sahara, Sahrawi activists report discrimination, surveillance, and punishment for expressing support for self-determination. 

Political Participation
Elections are regular and parties compete, but the king retains ultimate authority over strategic decisions, and security red lines limit genuine debate over sensitive issues. Opposition parties that focus on social welfare rather than challenging fundamental state structures have more room to operate. 

Prisons and Detention
Prison overcrowding remains a problem, with reports of inadequate medical care and limited rehabilitation opportunities. Pretrial detention is used extensively, sometimes as a de facto punishment before conviction. 

Religion and Belief
The king is recognized as “Commander of the Faithful”, and Islam is the state religion. Jewish heritage receives official recognition and some protection, and registered churches serve foreign Christian communities. Conversion from Islam and active proselytizing are socially and legally sensitive, and public atheism can lead to harassment. 

Rule of Law
Judicial reforms have improved some aspects of court administration, but political interference in sensitive cases remains a concern. Lawyers and defendants in contentious trials report limited ability to challenge evidence or witnesses. 

Special Issues
The unresolved status of Western Sahara continues to drive tight security measures in that region and shapes the government’s stance toward critics at home and abroad. 

 

OMAN 

Association and Assembly
Civil society organizations must navigate tight registration and funding rules. Independent unions and political groups are not allowed, and public protests are rare; security forces intervene when demonstrations touch on political reform or royal authority. 

Economic and Social Rights
The state provides subsidies and public jobs, but falling oil revenues and budget pressures have led to employment uncertainty for young citizens. Migrant workers, especially in domestic work and construction, are vulnerable to exploitation under sponsorship rules and may face wage theft or confiscation of passports. 

Expression and Media
Criticism of the ruler or government policies is restricted, and journalists can be prosecuted for allegedly spreading rumors or undermining national unity. Online activists have received prison sentences for critical posts, leading many to avoid direct political commentary. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women participate in education and public life, and some hold senior positions, but personal-status law still favors men in divorce, inheritance, and guardianship. Social norms discourage reporting of domestic violence. Same-sex relationships are criminalized and heavily stigmatized. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty remains available but is rarely used. Allegations of ill-treatment and beatings in detention, especially against protesters or security suspects, surface from time to time but rarely lead to public accountability. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Expatriate workers form a large share of the population and face restrictions on movement, job changes, and organizing. Discrimination based on tribal, regional, or sectarian backgrounds is reported informally, though it is not openly acknowledged. 

Political Participation
There are elected consultative councils, but their authority is limited, and real power remains with the sultan and appointed government. Political parties are not allowed; independent organizing around policy or ideology is tightly constrained. 

Prisons and Detention
Information on detention conditions is limited, but former detainees describe overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate medical care. Administrative detention is used against activists and critics. 

Religion and Belief
Ibadi Islam is historically influential, and Sunni and Shia Muslims generally practice freely. Expatriate Christian and Hindu communities can worship at licensed sites but face restrictions on building and public outreach. Open proselytizing and religious debate that challenges Islam are discouraged or penalized. 

Rule of Law
The judiciary is formally independent but closely aligned with the executive in politically sensitive cases. Broad security and cybercrime laws give authorities wide discretion to prosecute perceived dissent. 

Special Issues
Oman’s low-profile diplomacy and internal restraint have spared it from some regional turmoil, but these same habits of quiet control limit space for domestic rights advocacy. 

 

PAKISTAN 

Association and Assembly
Civil society organizations operate but face shrinking space, especially those working on enforced disappearances, minority rights, or military accountability. Protests over economic conditions or regional grievances are sometimes tolerated, but demonstrations seen as challenging the security establishment can be met with force, arrests, and internet shutdowns. 

Economic and Social Rights
Debt, inflation, and austerity measures strain public finances and household budgets. Many families struggle with food prices and school fees, and public health systems are overstretched, particularly in rural and conflict-affected regions. Floods and climate shocks exacerbate inequality and displacement. 

Expression and Media
Pakistan’s media landscape is vibrant yet heavily pressured. Journalists and TV anchors report “red lines” around criticism of the military, intelligence agencies, and some religious parties. Reporters are harassed, abducted, or attacked by state and nonstate actors, while broadcast licenses and advertising revenue are used as leverage. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women face high rates of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and so-called honor killings, which still receive lenient treatment under certain legal provisions. There have been advances in education and political representation for women in some areas, but these gains are uneven. Legal recognition once granted to transgender people has come under political attack, and LGBTQ+ individuals face criminalization and deadly violence. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Security forces, armed groups, and criminal organizations all contribute to extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and targeted attacks. The death penalty is used for a wide range of offences, including blasphemy and terrorism; death-row prisoners sometimes wait years for their sentences to be carried out or commuted. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Religious minorities—Ahmadis, Hindus, Christians, Shias, Sikhs—face discrimination, blasphemy accusations, mob violence, and attacks on places of worship. Many cases arise from personal disputes that are reframed as religious offences. Members of lower-caste or lower-class communities also experience entrenched prejudice and bonded labor. 

Political Participation
Elections occur, but allegations of interference in candidate selection, media coverage, and vote counting are widespread. Popular political leaders and parties face disqualification, imprisonment, or pressure to align with the security establishment. Voters often feel they are choosing between factions pre-approved by unelected power centers. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons are severely overcrowded, with poor sanitation, inadequate food, and limited medical care. Pretrial detainees make up a large share of the prison population, and reports of torture and coerced confessions persist. Political activists and journalists are sometimes held under vague security charges. 

Religion and Belief
Blasphemy laws carry the death penalty and are used both by the state and by mobs; even when courts acquit defendants, they and their lawyers remain at risk of vigilantism. Ahmadis are legally barred from calling themselves Muslim and face criminal charges for practicing their faith openly. Atheists and secularists often conceal their views for fear of violence. 

Rule of Law
Courts are formally independent, and some high-profile rulings have gone against the government or military, but in many cases, pressure, delays, and selective prosecutions undermine public confidence. Accountability for abuses by security forces is rare. 

Special Issues
The interplay of extremist violence, strong religious parties, and a powerful military establishment creates a structural tension between formal democratic institutions and deep-seated coercive power. 

 

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (WEST BANK AND GAZA) 

Association and Assembly
In the West Bank, NGOs face pressure from both the Palestinian Authority and Israel: PA security forces monitor and occasionally raid organizations seen as aligned with opposition factions, while Israel designates some groups as “terrorist” or restricts their movement. In Gaza, after the fall of Hamas rule, new armed groups and provisional authorities limit independent organizing, and activists risk crossfire among rival factions. 

Economic and Social Rights
Movement restrictions, barriers, and permit regimes limit Palestinians’ access to jobs, farmland, and markets. In the West Bank, settlements and military zones carve up territory, making economic planning difficult. Gaza’s infrastructure, already devastated, struggles under repeated rounds of conflict and limited reconstruction materials, leaving residents with chronic electricity cuts, unsafe water, and stretched medical services. 

Expression and Media
Journalists and social-media users in the West Bank can be detained by the PA for criticizing officials, security cooperation, or corruption; those reporting on Israeli military actions also face arrest, violence, or restrictions from Israeli forces. In Gaza, reporters have long been pressured by Hamas and now face a patchwork of new security actors who expect favorable coverage or silence. 

Gender and Sexuality
Discriminatory family laws and social norms limit women’s autonomy in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and domestic violence is underreported, especially when families fear social backlash. LGBTQ+ Palestinians face intense social stigma and threats from both family and authorities; many flee or remain deeply closeted, with little or no local support. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Palestinians face lethal force from multiple directions: Israeli military raids, armed-settler attacks, PA policing, internal factional clashes, and terrorist activity. Civilian casualties in West Bank raids and Gaza operations have increased, with widespread reports of homes demolished, farmland destroyed, and unarmed people caught in crossfire or targeted as “suspects”. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Palestinian society is relatively religiously homogeneous, but Christian communities—particularly in Bethlehem and some West Bank towns—report economic pressure, emigration, and occasional harassment. Internal political minorities, such as activists aligned with smaller factions or independent lists, face marginalization and, at times, intimidation. 

Political Participation
There have been no general Palestinian elections since 2006, leaving the PA and various factions ruling without fresh mandates. Efforts to hold elections are repeatedly postponed, citing internal divisions and restrictions under occupation. In practice, local power is often exercised by security services and armed groups rather than elected representatives. 

Prisons and Detention
The PA holds detainees in facilities where torture and ill-treatment have been reported, especially in cases of political rivalry. Gaza factions maintain unofficial detention centers, using them to silence critics and suspected collaborators. Israeli authorities rely on administrative detention and military courts, where Palestinians can be held without charge based on secret evidence and tried with limited procedural safeguards. 

Religion and Belief
In the West Bank, Muslims and Christians worship openly, but access to key religious sites—particularly in Jerusalem and Hebron—is heavily affected by checkpoints, security restrictions, and settlement expansion. In Gaza, Christian life has shrunk dramatically, and remaining Christians are caught between jihadist threats and broader insecurity. Public atheism is rare due to social pressures. 

Rule of Law
The legal landscape is fragmented between Israeli military law in much of the West Bank, PA law in areas under nominal Palestinian control, and a mix of old statutes and new decrees in Gaza. Courts under the PA are influenced by political leadership, and Israeli military courts in the West Bank are seen by Palestinians as instruments of occupation rather than neutral bodies. 

Special Issues
Occupation, settlement expansion, blockade policies, and repeated military escalations with both Israel and internal armed groups create an environment in which almost every aspect of daily life and human rights is shaped by overlapping layers of force rather than by transparent legal rules. 

 

QATAR 

Association and Assembly
Local charities and some professional associations operate with limited independence, but space for political organizing is almost nonexistent. Attempts to form political groups or organize protests on domestic or regional issues are usually blocked at the permit stage or quickly dispersed. Migrant workers who try to organize collectively risk deportation or blacklisting. 

Economic and Social Rights
Citizens benefit from extensive welfare, including jobs in the public sector and subsidized services. By contrast, the vast majority of residents—migrant workers—live in tightly controlled conditions. Reforms have been announced to limit abusive sponsorship rules, but many workers still report confiscated passports, unpaid wages, and unsafe living and working environments, especially in lower-tier construction and service jobs. 

Expression and Media
State-funded outlets project an image of dynamism and global engagement, yet domestic criticism of the ruling family, foreign policy, or security partners can draw legal action. Cybercrime and “false information” provisions are used against people posting critical content online. Local journalists and residents know where the lines are and tend to avoid overt political critique. 

Gender and Sexuality
Qatari women have high levels of education and visible roles in some professional fields, but male guardianship norms continue to restrict travel, certain employment choices, and personal decisions. Reports indicate that it can be difficult for women to leave abusive relationships. Same-sex relations are criminalized, and LGBTQ+ people face the constant threat of arrest, outing, or deportation. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty exists and has been used in a limited number of cases. Migrant workers describe beatings, confinement, and threats from employers or security personnel when they complain about working conditions. Investigations into deaths on worksites are uneven, and families of deceased workers have struggled to obtain compensation. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Noncitizens make up the overwhelming majority of the population yet have no political rights and limited recourse against employers. Some nationalities are steered into specific sectors and face entrenched wage gaps. Citizens from large tribes and families enjoy informal privileges in access to jobs and contracts. 

Political Participation
There are no political parties and no national elections that could change the executive. A partially elected advisory council exists, but its authority is circumscribed and cannot decisively alter policy on core issues like security, foreign relations, or major economic priorities. 

Prisons and Detention
Information about prison conditions is limited. Former detainees describe overcrowding, lack of legal counsel during early stages of detention, and pressure to sign confessions. Migrant workers detained for “absconding” or visa infractions can be held for long periods before deportation, often with little clarity on their legal status. 

Religion and Belief
Islam is the official religion. Licensed compounds in Doha host churches and other places of worship for expatriate Christians, but these sites are tightly regulated, and public religious expression outside them is restricted. Non-Muslims cannot proselytize, and Muslims who publicly question or depart from the faith risk both social and legal consequences. 

Rule of Law
The justice system offers some procedural guarantees in ordinary commercial disputes but is much more opaque in cases touching national security, morality, or political criticism. Foreign workers and low-income defendants often lack meaningful legal representation, and judicial outcomes can be heavily influenced by status and connections. 

Special Issues
Qatar’s role as a regional mediator, including contacts with armed groups, generates diplomatic influence but little domestic debate, because decisions at this level remain tightly controlled and shielded from public scrutiny. 

 

SAUDI ARABIA 

Association and Assembly
Independent human-rights and political organizations have been dismantled or driven into exile. Public gatherings that are not state-sanctioned—especially those with political, religious, or social-reform themes—are banned or quickly broken up. Many individuals once involved in rights work remain behind bars or under movement restrictions. 

Economic and Social Rights
The government’s economic diversification drive has created new jobs and entertainment venues but also widened gaps between regions and classes. Major urban centers enjoy heavy investment, while parts of the interior remain underdeveloped. Migrant workers—who underpin the construction, domestic, and service sectors—often suffer dangerous conditions, unpaid wages, and limited access to health care. 

Expression and Media
Critical voices face exceptionally long prison sentences for peaceful expression, including for tweets, retweets, or mild criticism of policies. Self-censorship is pervasive, with many Saudis deleting old posts or leaving social media altogether. Traditional media outlets are closely aligned with official narratives. 

Gender and Sexuality
Recent reforms have allowed women to drive, travel abroad without a male guardian in many cases, and enter more professions. At the same time, prominent women’s-rights activists have been detained and prosecuted, sending a message that reform is the prerogative of the leadership, not grassroots movements. Same-sex relations are criminalized, and suspected LGBTQ+ individuals risk entrapment, blackmail, and harsh punishment. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The country carries out one of the world’s highest numbers of executions annually, including for drug offences and security-related charges. Reports describe forced confessions, torture in detention, and executions after trials that fall well short of international fair-trial standards. Critics and perceived opponents have been subjected to extraordinary measures, including transnational threats and alleged assassinations. 

Minority and Equality Rights
The Shia minority, concentrated in the Eastern Province, reports discriminatory treatment, including disproportionate use of security charges, demolitions of neighborhoods, and limitations in state employment. Migrant workers from certain countries are concentrated in low-paid and dangerous roles, with little chance of regularization. 

Political Participation
There are no national elections or political parties. Local municipal councils have limited authority and cannot challenge central decisions. Policy-making is concentrated in the royal court and a small inner circle, and citizens have no institutional avenue to influence major decisions beyond informal petitions. 

Prisons and Detention
Detention facilities house thousands of political prisoners, dissidents, and people convicted in broad security cases. Solitary confinement, denial of visits, and restricted access to lawyers and medical care are common. Families often learn about sentences only after lengthy closed proceedings. 

Religion and Belief
The state promotes a particular Sunni interpretation of Islam, with tight control over mosques and religious education. Public practice of other faiths is effectively limited to private spaces; non-Muslim worship cannot be openly organized. Apostasy and blasphemy are treated as serious crimes, potentially punishable by death. 

Rule of Law
Specialized security and terrorism courts handle many politically sensitive cases. Legal procedures allow judges broad discretion, and defendants often lack access to evidence against them. Accountability for abuses by officials is opaque and selectively enforced. 

Special Issues
Efforts to project a modern, investor-friendly image sit uneasily alongside some of the harshest punishments for online speech and activism in the region, creating a stark duality between economic liberalization and political repression. 

 

SOMALIA 

Association and Assembly
Civil society organizations operate in some urban areas, but activists face threats from both government forces and armed groups, particularly al-Shabab. Organizing protests is risky; gatherings can be attacked by members of armed groups or dispersed by security units that see them as a security risk. 

Economic and Social Rights
Years of conflict and climate crises have left millions in need of humanitarian aid. Access to food, clean water, and health care is precarious in many regions, especially in drought-affected rural areas. Schools function unevenly, and many children work or join militias out of economic necessity. 

Expression and Media
Somali journalists face a deadly environment: They can be targeted by al-Shabab for “collaboration” if they report on the government, and by security forces or political actors if they report on corruption or abuses. Arrests, beatings, office raids, and threats are common, prompting some outlets to relocate or close. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women face high rates of sexual violence, including rape by armed actors, often with no accountability. Deeply rooted practices such as female genital mutilation remain widespread. LGBTQ+ people have no legal protection and are forced to conceal their identity to avoid violence from both state and nonstate actors. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Military operations against al-Shabab, bombings by terrorists, clan clashes, and criminal violence all produce high civilian casualties. The death penalty is imposed by military courts, sometimes after speedy trials of civilians. Enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are reported in conflict zones. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Minority clans and communities, including Somali Bantu, are marginalized in access to political office, education, and public resources. They often live in segregated settlements with fewer services and face frequent discrimination and abuse. 

Political Participation
Formal elections have gradually expanded but remain based on clan quotas and indirect mechanisms, with elders, clan leaders, and political elites choosing representatives. Al-Shabab’s presence in many regions makes genuine campaigning and voting impossible there. 

Prisons and Detention
Detention conditions vary but are frequently poor, with overcrowding, inadequate food, and minimal health care. People accused of terrorism are often tried in military courts under procedures that fall far short of basic fair-trial standards. 

Religion and Belief
Islam is the dominant religion, and al-Shabab enforces an extreme interpretation in areas it controls, punishing even minor deviations. Non-Muslims and converts are at serious risk of being killed. Even in government-controlled areas, preaching seen as unorthodox or critical can invite harassment. 

Rule of Law
Formal courts are weak and often confined to major towns. In many areas, customary and clan-based mechanisms or al-Shabab’s own “courts” effectively replace the formal justice system. Corruption and political interference undermine trust in state institutions. 

Special Issues
The overlapping authority of clan elders, federal and regional governments, and armed groups means that rights protections vary sharply from one district to another, with little consistency or predictability. 

 

SUDAN 

Association and Assembly
Since the eruption of full-scale conflict between rival military factions, civil society organizations have been decimated. Offices have been looted or destroyed, and activists have either fled or gone into hiding. Peaceful gatherings are nearly impossible in many parts of the country because of constant insecurity. 

Economic and Social Rights
The war has obliterated already weak services. Millions are displaced and face acute hunger, with markets disrupted, crops destroyed, and humanitarian convoys blocked or looted. Health facilities have been attacked or occupied, leaving vast areas with no functioning hospitals. 

Expression and Media
Journalists face threats, arrest, and violence from all sides. Reporting from frontline areas is extremely dangerous, and independent media has largely gone off air or moved abroad. Internet blackouts and infrastructure destruction restrict information flows, allowing atrocities to be committed with limited documentation. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women and girls face widespread conflict-related sexual violence, including gang rape and sexual slavery, particularly in regions where paramilitary forces operate. Survivors have virtually no access to medical or psychological support, and the risk of reprisal or stigma discourages reporting. Existing social and legal discrimination against women has been magnified by chaos. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Civilians are murdered, tortured, and forcibly disappeared by both main warring parties and allied militias. Mass killings and ethnically targeted attacks have been reported, especially in Darfur and other contested regions. The death penalty remains in law, but the primary threat to life comes from war crimes and crimes against humanity committed with near-total impunity. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Ethnic and regional divisions are manipulated by armed leaders to recruit fighters and target opponents. Communities in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile—long subject to state neglect and abusive counterinsurgency—face renewed atrocities that deepen historical grievances. 

Political Participation
Any semblance of civilian-led transition has collapsed. Political parties and protest committees that helped topple the previous regime have been sidelined, repressed, or scattered by the conflict. Ordinary people have no channel to influence decisions taken by armed generals. 

Prisons and Detention
Formal prisons and ad hoc detention centers are used by all sides to hold civilians, political opponents, and perceived collaborators. Conditions are dire, with overcrowding, torture, and lack of food and medical care. Many detainees are simply “disappeared”. 

Religion and Belief
In areas of active fighting, religious sites have been looted or destroyed as part of broader attacks on communities. Public religious life is disrupted as people flee or hide. Minority faiths, including Christians in some regions, are particularly vulnerable to targeted violence. 

Rule of Law
Rule of law has effectively collapsed. Courts barely function in many regions, and law enforcement has been replaced by gunmen loyal to rival commanders. Agreements and decrees issued by either faction carry little legitimacy outside their immediate range of force. 

Special Issues
The scale of displacement, hunger, and targeted ethnic violence has turned Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises worldwide, with long-term implications for justice and reconciliation even after the guns fall silent. 

 

SYRIA 

Association and Assembly
Since President Ahmed al-Sharaa took office, the government in Damascus has formally lifted the decades-old state of emergency and announced new rules on forming associations and holding public meetings. Some professional unions and neighborhood committees have resurfaced, and a handful of opposition-linked NGOs have been allowed to register. In practice, security agencies still monitor activists closely, and protests that challenge the presidency, the military, or foreign partners are quickly contained. In Kurdish-administered regions, NGOs have somewhat more space to operate but face pressure over political and security issues. In zones still controlled by Islamist factions or remnants of jihadist groups, civil society is tightly constrained or banned outright. 

Economic and Social Rights
Years of war, sanctions, and looting have left the economy in ruins, and the change of leadership has not yet translated into major gains for ordinary Syrians. Al-Sharaa’s government has begun limited anti-corruption drives and talks with international lenders, and has pledged to prioritize power, water, and health services in cities back under state control. Even so, many families rely on remittances and humanitarian aid. Public employees are still paid in devalued currency, with electricity available only for limited hours in many areas. In regions outside government control, access to water, health care, and schooling depends heavily on aid agencies, local militias, and foreign backers. 

Expression and Media
The new authorities have licensed a small number of independent newspapers and radio stations and released some prominent journalists and bloggers from jail. A narrow space has opened for criticism of past abuses and corruption, including under the old regime. Direct attacks on the presidency, the army, or core security institutions still carry serious risk, and red lines around foreign policy remain. Kurdish-held areas retain a somewhat freer media environment but enforce restrictions on coverage of security matters. In Islamist-held pockets, journalists face rigid ideological controls and violent reprisals if they depart from approved narratives. 

Gender and Sexuality
Al-Sharaa’s government has promised to review personal-status laws and expand protections against domestic violence, and a few pilot programs for legal aid and shelters have started in major cities. Patriarchal norms and discriminatory statutes remain in force, especially in rural areas and conservative neighborhoods. Kurdish-led administrations continue to promote gender equality and co-leadership positions, including women in local councils and security forces. Across all zones, sexual and gender-based violence is widely reported and rarely prosecuted. LGBTQ+ people remain at extreme risk, targeted by both state and nonstate actors, and live largely in hiding. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Although frontlines have stabilized in parts of the country, civilians still face airstrikes, artillery, drone attacks, landmines, and unexploded ordnance, especially near areas contested between government troops, Kurdish forces, and remaining jihadist groups. The new government has announced a review of death sentences and a moratorium on executions in ordinary criminal cases, but security services continue to use detention and ill-treatment in counterterrorism operations. Armed groups outside state control run secret prisons where disappearances, torture, and summary executions are reported, often without any outside access. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Religious and ethnic minorities—Alawites, Christians, Druze, Kurds, Ismailis, and others—have responded to the change in government with a mix of hope and anxiety. Al-Sharaa has pledged equal citizenship and has appointed some minority figures to visible posts. In practice, communities’ safety still depends largely on local power balances, armed-group patronage, and foreign protection. Kurds in the northeast retain greater cultural and political space than before 2011 but remain under pressure from Turkish military operations and local Arab rivals. Return of displaced communities to mixed or formerly opposition-held areas is slow and fraught with disputes over property and security guarantees. 

Political Participation
The transition has brought a new constitution and parliamentary elections overseen in part by international observers, but key opposition factions and Kurdish representatives argue that the process still favors the old security elite and allied parties. Some former dissidents now sit in parliament or local councils, yet real authority continues to rest with the presidency, top generals, and foreign patrons. In areas outside government control, parallel administrations run their own councils and courts, leaving millions of Syrians outside any national political process. 

Prisons and Detention
The al-Sharaa government has publicized prisoner releases and allowed limited international visits to certain facilities, but Syria’s prison system remains synonymous with torture and enforced disappearance. Families searching for relatives who vanished under the previous regime rarely receive clear answers, and new arrests by security branches continue, especially in regions where loyalty is questioned. Kurdish forces still hold thousands of suspected ISIS fighters and family members in overcrowded prisons and camps, many without charge or clear prospects for trial or repatriation. Islamist factions maintain ad hoc detention sites with no legal oversight. 

Religion and Belief
Officially recognized religious communities continue to run their mosques, churches, and schools, and Al-Sharaa has sought to reassure both majority and minority groups that the state will protect pluralism. Sermons and religious institutions in government areas, though, remain under security surveillance, and clerics who challenge state policy risk dismissal or prosecution. Kurdish authorities emphasize secularism and allow diverse practices within their territories. In zones held by Islamist factions, strict codes are enforced, with severe penalties for perceived blasphemy, apostasy, or deviation from mandated norms. 

Rule of Law
Formal legal structures have been revised on paper, and a few high-profile anti-corruption trials have showcased the new leadership’s reform message. At the same time, security forces and allied militias still wield outsized influence over courts and prosecutors, particularly in terrorism and national-security cases. Kurdish-led administrations continue to build their own legal systems with modest transparency gains, yet they struggle with resources and political pressure. In jihadist-held areas, religious courts operate without basic due-process safeguards, and rulings are enforced by armed men rather than accountable institutions. 

Special Issues
Russia, Turkey, Iran, and other foreign powers retain troops, bases, or proxy militias inside Syria, limiting the new government’s ability to control its own territory or deliver justice for past and ongoing abuses. The coexistence of a formal transitional framework in Damascus, autonomous Kurdish regions, and pockets of jihadist control leaves Syrians facing very different legal and security realities depending on where they live, even after the fall of the previous regime 

 

TUNISIA 

Association and Assembly
Tunisia’s once-vibrant civil society has come under mounting pressure as authorities restrict funding, launch investigations into NGOs, and arrest activists. Demonstrations are still common, but security forces increasingly disperse protests critical of the presidency, using tear gas, arrests, and sometimes violence. 

Economic and Social Rights
The economic crisis has deepened unemployment, poverty, and regional inequality. Many young Tunisians see no future and attempt to migrate, often risking deadly sea crossings. Public services such as health and transport are deteriorating, and strikes over wages and working conditions are frequent. 

Expression and Media
Journalists, lawyers, and opponents face investigations and charges such as “conspiracy against state security” or “spreading false information”. Critical television programs have come under pressure, and arrests of commentators and online users have sent a chilling message that the president’s policies and the security services are off-limits. 

Gender and Sexuality
Tunisia still has some of the region’s strongest legal protections for women, especially in education and employment, but enforcement of laws against domestic violence and harassment is uneven. Women’s organizations report that austerity and political turmoil undermine social services that protect women. Same-sex relations remain criminalized, and sporadic campaigns target LGBTQ+ people using those provisions. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The death penalty is retained, though not applied, leaving a number of prisoners on death row. Allegations of police violence, including beatings and torture in custody, continue, particularly in poor neighborhoods and during protests. Migrants and asylum seekers in border regions face pushbacks and exposure to life-threatening conditions. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Black Tunisians and sub-Saharan Africans report racial profiling, verbal and physical attacks, and discrimination in housing and employment. Statements by political figures blaming migrants for crime and economic woes have coincided with spikes in violence against them. 

Political Participation
After a period of democratic experimentation, the president has concentrated power, dissolved parliament, and introduced a constitution that weakens checks and balances. Opposition parties and unions still mobilize, but many leaders face legal harassment, travel bans, or detention, narrowing the field for genuine political competition. 

Prisons and Detention
Prisons struggle with overcrowding and poor conditions, including inadequate health care and sanitation. Pretrial detention is widely used, sometimes for long periods. Lawyers defending opposition figures report limited access to clients and case files in sensitive prosecutions. 

Religion and Belief
Islam is the official religion, but the state has traditionally maintained a degree of religious moderation and pluralism. Registered Christian and Jewish communities worship freely. Nonetheless, individuals who publicly reject religion or challenge dominant norms can face social exclusion and occasional legal trouble under morality or defamation laws. 

Rule of Law
Judicial independence has been weakened through dismissals of judges and reorganization of judicial oversight bodies. Lawyers and judges who criticize the executive risk disciplinary action or prosecution, reducing the courts’ willingness to challenge government abuses. 

Special Issues
The sharp reversal from a post-2011 reform trajectory to a more centralized and repressive system has unsettled many Tunisians, who fear that the window for rights-based reform is closing just as economic pain is deepening. 

 

TURKEY 

Association and Assembly
NGOs working on human rights, Kurdish issues, and gender equality face onerous audits, raids, and the threat of dissolution. Public demonstrations, especially in major cities, are frequently blocked or met with heavy police presence, water cannons, and mass detentions. Annual commemorations of sensitive events, like certain labor or minority rights dates, are routinely banned. 

Economic and Social Rights
High inflation, currency volatility, and unemployment have eroded living standards, particularly in urban working-class neighborhoods and earthquake-affected regions. Access to quality housing, education, and health care is uneven, with marginalized communities bearing the brunt of economic mismanagement and natural disasters. 

Expression and Media
Turkey has imprisoned large numbers of journalists, editors, and social-media users, often on terrorism-related charges tied to their reporting or commentary. Media outlets critical of the government face fines, license suspensions, or takeovers, leading to a heavily polarized and self-censoring media environment. 

Gender and Sexuality
Withdrawal from a regional convention on violence against women signaled a retreat on protections, even as femicides and domestic violence continue. Women’s groups face smear campaigns and legal restrictions. Pride marches are banned or violently dispersed, and LGBTQ+ organizations are harassed, contributing to a climate of fear and invisibility. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Reports of torture and ill-treatment in police stations, especially for those accused of terrorism or coup-related offenses, persist. The death penalty has been abolished, but some political leaders call for its restoration. Security operations in the southeast and cross-border campaigns in neighboring countries have led to civilian casualties, often with limited investigation. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Kurds, Alevis, Armenians, and other minorities face structural and informal discrimination. Kurdish language and identity continue to be sensitive issues, with activists prosecuted for using Kurdish in political contexts. Religious minorities encounter obstacles in property restitution and recognition of religious leaders. 

Political Participation
Elections are competitive but occur on an uneven playing field, with ruling-party dominance over state resources, media, and patronage networks. Opposition parties, especially those with Kurdish roots, face closure cases, arrests of members, and legal harassment. Some mayors elected from opposition parties have been removed and replaced by government-appointed trustees. 

Prisons and Detention
Overcrowding is severe, with large numbers of political prisoners, including journalists, academics, lawyers, and local officials. Long pretrial detention, isolation, and restrictions on visits and communication are common. Health care for prisoners, particularly elderly or seriously ill detainees, is inadequate. 

Religion and Belief
Sunni Islam enjoys state support through religious affairs directorates, while Alevis continue to struggle for recognition of their places of worship and rituals. Non-Muslim communities can worship and run schools but face bureaucratic obstacles in property management and clergy training. Public criticism of religion can be prosecuted under insult and hate speech laws. 

Rule of Law
The judiciary has been reshaped by mass dismissals, arrests of judges and prosecutors, and changes to appointment procedures, leaving it widely perceived as aligned with the executive. Trials of political opponents and critics often rely on broad terrorism definitions and weak evidence. 

Special Issues
Turkey’s military role in northern Syria and Iraq, as well as its treatment of refugees and cross-border operations, has significant human-rights implications both inside and outside its borders. 

 

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 

Association and Assembly
The UAE projects an image of openness and modernity but allows very little space for independent civil society. Human-rights organizations and independent political groups are effectively banned. Even small petitions or closed-door meetings that question security policy or governance can prompt arrests. 

Economic and Social Rights
Citizens benefit from extensive welfare, subsidized services, and public employment. A large noncitizen workforce underpins construction, hospitality, logistics, and domestic work. While some reforms have improved contractual rights on paper, many migrants still report exploitative conditions, wage theft, and restrictions on changing employers. 

Expression and Media
Traditional media is tightly controlled; critical reporting on domestic politics, security, or sensitive foreign alliances is off-limits. Strict cybercrime laws criminalize online “insults” or content deemed harmful to national unity or the state’s reputation. People have received long prison sentences for relatively mild social-media posts. 

Gender and Sexuality
Women enjoy higher education levels and active participation in many professions, including government and business, but family law retains male guardianship elements and discriminates in divorce and inheritance. Same-sex relations are criminalized, and authorities use morality laws to prosecute LGBTQ+ people, who must live largely hidden lives. 

Life and Physical Integrity
The state uses the death penalty, though executions are not as frequent as in some neighbors. Detainees in security and terrorism cases allege torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and denial of legal counsel. Migrant workers protesting unpaid wages or poor conditions have been detained and forcibly deported. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Citizens constitute only a small fraction of the population and enjoy a privileged legal status. Noncitizens, including long-term residents, have limited paths to permanent status and lack political rights. Discrimination based on nationality is embedded in hiring practices, wages, and access to certain services. 

Political Participation
There are no political parties and no elections that could alter the leadership. A consultative council includes some appointed and indirectly chosen members, but it has limited legislative authority. Political dissent, even in mild forms, is treated as a security threat. 

Prisons and Detention
Security detainees, including political activists and human-rights defenders, may be held in unknown locations for weeks or months before appearing in court. Family contact can be restricted. Conditions in ordinary prisons vary, but transparency is minimal, and independent monitoring is rare. 

Religion and Belief
The state sponsors a narrative of religious tolerance, funding churches, temples, and interfaith initiatives. At the same time, all religious institutions operate under close oversight, and preaching that deviates from state-approved lines can be punished. Non-Muslim worship must occur in approved locations; proselytizing Muslims is prohibited, and public atheism is not tolerated. 

Rule of Law
Courts show some independence in commercial matters, which helps attract foreign investment, but security and political cases are handled by specialized courts that rarely acquit. Broad laws against terrorism and “state security offences” enable long sentences based on limited or secret evidence. 

Special Issues
The UAE’s involvement in conflicts abroad and intelligence cooperation with partners has been linked to abuses beyond its borders, including in detention and external surveillance programs that local residents never have the chance to debate. 

 

YEMEN 

Association and Assembly
In areas controlled by different armed groups—Houthi authorities, internationally recognized government forces, separatist militias—independent organizing is almost impossible. Activists and aid workers are harassed, detained, or disappeared if they are seen as critical or aligned with rival factions. Public protests are extremely rare and quickly suppressed. 

Economic and Social Rights
Years of war and blockade have pushed millions to the brink of famine. Salaries for public workers often go unpaid, and many families survive on remittances or humanitarian aid. Health facilities have been destroyed or left without staff, equipment, or medicines, leaving communities without basic care. Clean water is scarce, contributing to cholera and other outbreaks. 

Expression and Media
Journalists face threats from all sides: Houthis detain reporters, shut down outlets, and impose ideological controls; government and allied forces harass and arrest reporters in their areas; and other armed groups treat independent media as enemy propaganda. Kidnappings and killings of journalists create a pervasive climate of fear. 

Gender and Sexuality
Deeply rooted patriarchal norms have combined with war to make life more dangerous for women and girls. Early and forced marriage rates have risen as families seek dowries or protection. Sexual violence, including rape and domestic abuse, is underreported and seldom punished. LGBTQ+ people, already stigmatized before the conflict, now face even more danger from both families and armed groups. 

Life and Physical Integrity
Civilians face constant threats from shelling, airstrikes, landmines, drone attacks, and small-arms fire. Armed groups on all sides have been implicated in summary executions, arbitrary killings, and torture. Landmines and unexploded ordnance contaminate fields and roads, injuring and killing people attempting to farm or travel. 

Minority and Equality Rights
Religious and ethnic minorities, including Baha’is and African migrants, have been detained, tortured, and expelled from certain areas, particularly where Houthi forces dominate. Migrants crossing the country toward the Gulf are subjected to shootings, extortion, and forced labor by various armed actors. 

Political Participation
Former national dialogue efforts have been eclipsed by war. Rival governments and factional authorities rule by force rather than consent, and local communities have no voice in peace talks dominated by regional and international actors. Political parties have splintered along regional and clan lines. 

Prisons and Detention
Each faction runs its own network of formal and secret prisons. Conditions are appalling, with overcrowding, starvation, beatings, and electric shocks widely reported. Families often do not know whether detained relatives are alive, and there is no effective legal route to challenge detentions. 

Religion and Belief
In areas under Houthi control, religious education and public preaching are tightly controlled, with opponents accused of heresy or treachery. Baha’is and certain Sunni groups have faced severe persecution. In other areas, religious institutions are caught between local authorities and extremist groups that enforce their own codes. 

Rule of Law
Formal courts function sporadically at best. Many disputes are settled by armed commanders or tribal leaders, and rulings depend on power balances rather than laws. Anti-corruption and human-rights institutions that existed before the war have gone dormant or been co-opted. 

Special Issues
Yemen’s overlapping foreign interventions—air campaigns, support to proxies, and blockades—have amplified local abuses and entrenched war economies. Even if a formal cease-fire were reached, rebuilding institutions capable of protecting rights would be a generational challenge. 

 

Across the Middle East, 2025 offers a picture defined less by sweeping transformation than by small shifts in systems that remain deeply entrenched. Some governments tightened their grip on critics; others opened limited space for public debate or adjusted long-standing restrictions. In countries torn apart by war, civilians continue to shoulder the steepest costs, facing hunger, displacement, and abuses committed by state forces and armed groups alike. 

The wide gap in transparency also continues to distort how human rights are understood from the outside. Nations that permit investigators, journalists, and local watchdogs to operate—even imperfectly—produce a fuller, more uncomfortable record of their failures. States and territories that restrict access or criminalize scrutiny keep most violations out of view, leaving only fragments of a much darker story. On a day set aside to measure global commitments to dignity and basic freedoms, that imbalance remains one of the region’s defining realities. 

Human Rights Day is meant to reflect not just on abuses but on the conditions that allow them to be seen. In a region shaped by conflict, political upheaval, and decades-old grievances, the ability to document what happens—to publish it, debate it, and demand remedy—remains uneven and, in many places, under threat. Whether the year ahead brings progress will depend as much on that openness as on any single reform or declaration.