Alternative Human Rights Expo II

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and 35 partners presented the Alternative Human Rights Expo II, an online event on 15 November 2023. The event was hosted by Weaam Youssef of GCHR, exiled Emirati woman human rights defender Jenan Al-Marzooqi, and Brian Dooley of Human Rights First. The event was very personal for the co-hosts, who have worked with or are related to some of the human rights defenders featured. You can watch the event on GCHR’s YouTube account, and visit the gallery here. The full programme is here with links to the individual videos.

In her welcoming remarks, Weaam Youssef said, “Today’s event is not an entertainment event; it is rather of a cathartic and awareness-raising nature; we are aiming today to show the reality of the human rights defenders we work with and support and showcase their art and literature to unveil the injustice they have been subjected to and allow them the space to share their own stories with their own words or any art form they may choose.”

Michel Forst, the world’s first UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention, introduced the event. He said, that “in the region, many of those activists are currently targeted with surveillance for their work or in prison, including land defenders who have been arrested for protecting territories or environmental activists protesting megaprojects.” His mandate arises from the need to have specific protection for environmental defenders, who are the most at risk among all human rights defenders.

The purpose of the event is to call for the release of human rights defenders detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as others persecuted in the region – from Bahrain to Egypt to Iran to Saudi Arabia, by showcasing the work of detained human rights defenders, and featuring environmental activists, as well as poets, writers and musicians from Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Morocco and Lebanon. The event had a common theme of women’s rights and environmental rights, and featured women activists in prison in the UAE, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as the art of Emirati, Syrian and Palestinian women artists.

Among others who have been killed by indiscriminate bombing in Gaza are artists including Heba Zagout, Muhammed Sami Qariqa, and Halima Al-Kahlout. They all had a connection to  Dar Al-Kalima Art Centre. Two weeks before she was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on 13 October, Heba Zagout, a 39-year-old mother of two, posted a YouTube video about her work, which was shown at the event.

Fatemeh Ekhtesari read two of her poems and spoke of women’s struggles for freedom in Iran, including by Mahsa Amini, who was killed in September 2023 for refusing to wear hijab. She said, “You are aware of the ‘Women’s life freedom’ movement. These days, we mourn the anniversary of the death of the young protesters every day. Every day, we read news about the arrest or sentencing of one of the detainees…. But the people of Iran are always in a state of struggle and fighting. Iranian women have not taken a step back and demonstrate their civil resistance by refusing mandatory hijab.” This includes Narges Mohammadi, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, who refused to wear hijab when she went to the hospital from prison after a hunger strike.

Lina Al-Hathloul from ALQST for Human Rights read the tweets of Salma Al-Shehab, a Saudi women’s rights activist who is serving an unjust 27-year-prison sentence, and called on supporters to sign the petition to free her. She also talked about other human rights defenders in prison such as Manahel Al-Otaibi, who was arrested in 2022 for refusing to wear an abaya; and Dr. Mohammed Al-Qahtani, who remains held incommunicado for over a year. She also mentioned that her sister Loujain Al-Hathloul is still not permitted to travel even though her 5-year travel ban ended in October 2023.

In a video, Maryam Al-Khawaja read her poem “A Letter to my Father”, and at the event, a poem called “The Wall”, written by Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, was read by GCHR’s Executive Director Khalid Ibrahim, who mentioned how he co-founded GCHR with Al-Khawaja before his arrest in 2011. We also heard from Mohamed Jawad Hameed, a Bahraini musician, singer and human rights and environmental activist, who lives in Ma’ameer, a village surrounded by over 130 polluting factories, industrial workshops, petroleum and petrochemical plants. He has been persecuted for his activism, but this has not deterred Jawad who is resolute in his demands for clean air and a healthy environment, and an end to discrimination in Bahrain. Then we listened to his song “Searching for Clean Air.”

Well-known Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif spoke about her nephew Alaa Abdel Fattah, and read some of his writing about Gaza. She mentioned that he remains in prison and that in October 2023 a petition had been made to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to free him. On 14 November, Soueif accepted the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation “disturbing the peace courageous writer at risk award” on behalf of Alaa Abd El-Fattah in New York. A year ago, when the Conference of Parties (COP27) was held in Egypt, human rights group and the family of Abd El-Fattah highlighted that he was at risk from a prolonged hunger strike to protest poor prison conditions in Egypt, where freedom of expression is not respected, and the attention raised led to some improvements and the end of his hunger strike.

The Alternative Human Rights Expo II was organised ahead of the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) to be held from 30 November to 12 December 2023 UAE as part of activities to draw attention to the many human rights defenders detained in the UAE, including over 60 who are being held past the end of their sentences. They include members of the UAE94, such as Abdulsalam Derwish Al-Marzooqi, who is the father of Jenan Al-Marzooqi.

She said, “Being a family member of an Emirati detainee comes with its own set of challenges, especially when you are subjected to constant discrimination. It gets even worse when you are an activist or advocate at the same time. I can present myself and the late Alaa Al-Siddiq (whose art was shown) as daughters of Emirati detainees. … We experience threats due to our advocacy for our fathers’ release.” She added, “The government will strip away the rights of detainees and their families, control their access to essentials like health, education, and employment, while portraying the country as one of tolerance and justice.” Since April 2023, many families have had no calls or communication with their detained relatives.

Another Emirati detainee, Ahmed Mansoor, a GCHR board member, was featured in a short clip that filmmaker Manu Luksch prepared for our event from her upcoming documentary film on the Emirates. Khalid Ibrahim read a short poem by Mansoor who is also a poet and engineer. He remains in prison in solitary confinement. Hamad Al-Shamsi, of the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre, described the situation of detained Emirati activists and called for their release.

There was also a presentation by Shamel Al-Obaidy of the Climate Prospects Campaign in Iraq which has made recommendations to the authorities to protect the rights of environmental activists and peaceful protesters to publicise and campaign against the issue of climate-induced forced displacement. We saw some beautiful photos taken by Jassim Al-Asadi from Dhi Qar Governorate who has documented the environmental impact of climate change on the marshes, where he has been working for many years. Al-Asadi was released on 15 March in 2023 two weeks after he was kidnapped by an armed group. Despite being tortured in captivity, Al-Asadi said, “This kidnapping will increase my determination for people, nature and its environment.”

Finally, we heard from Neirouz Houri, a Kurdish children’s book illustrator from Syria who has been living in the Netherlands for four years. We saw some art that she created about the devastating earthquakes that hit Syria and Turkey in February 2023, and how their impact is still being felt today. She said, “My drawings are to make all my fantasies a reality and something visible, and to express myself. The challenges, circumstances, and reality that I lived in Syria of war and displacement. The most difficult thing was when I discovered that my son was suffering from autism.” She said, “This was a reason for me to use drawing as a tool to express my sadness and fears for my son and my anger at the denial of my identity and existence as a Kurd. I love drawing because I can I express everything I feel and I can express what words cannot express.”

In solidarity with indigenous environmental activists worldwide, the event closed with a tribute to Tyndek Arara, from the Indigenous Land Cachoeira Seca, in Brazilian Amazonia, who was found dead in October 2023 after returning from Geneva, where he had made a statement about invasions on his land at the UN Human Rights Council.

Kristina Stockwood, who managed the event for GCHR, said, “Thanks to all the participants and co-hosts for their powerful contributions. We had many people respond with heartfelt appreciation for this moving event. So many staff and partners contributed support and ideas for the event. Special thanks go to FIDH, Qurium Foundation, Amnesty Westminster Bayswater and the Innovation for Change MENA Hub.”