Mideast: Rights activists face torture and repression, says Amnesty

London, 11 March (AKI) - Human rights activists in the Middle East and North Africa still face the prospect of persecution, torture and repression for defending others, according to a new report by Amnesty International released on Wednesday. The report entitled 'Challenging Repression' looked at 20 countries on the region and said Iran, Syria and Egypt were among those that adopted a harsh response to human rights. "

Governments should be heralding the crucial role of human rights defenders in promoting and defending universal rights," said Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa.

"Instead, too often, they brand them as subversives or trouble-makers and use oppressive means to impede their activities. People are languishing in jails across the region simply for peacefully exercising their right to expression, association or assembly."

Amnesty said unfair trials that hand down severe punishments are carried out by courts in Syria and Egypt, which cite decades-long states of emergency, while online bloggers and Egyptian Coptic Christians are also subjected to harassment.

The report said any peaceful acts or expression deemed critical of Syrian authorities can be suppressed under a decree that penalises opposition to the socialist system or state.

"These offences can be punished by sentences ranging from imprisonment with hard labour to death," said Amnesty.

In Iran vague offences such as "insult", "slander", "dissemination of false information", and "anti-state propaganda" are routinely used to silence human rights activists, the report said.

Amnesty also said Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian and Bahai communities suffered discrimination "in law and practice"."A climate of fear and repression prevails in Iran," said the report.

The scary part it that the muslims have a human rights council in the UN. They are trying to stop people from discussing anything about islam and its hatred. And to be totally honest about this subject of the activists being tortured and repressed, I dont feel bad for any of them. If they are from another country, what the hell are you doing there? If you were born there, get out.