The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI; ) was a non-governmental organization devoted to promoting freedom of expression across the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. It was founded in the year 2004. Based in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt, the organization was founded by prominent Egyptian attorney and human rights activist

Gamal Eid Gamal Eid (; born 1964) is a leading Egyptian human rights activist and lawyer. He is the executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the most prominent organization dealing with the defense of freedom of opinion ...

, who also served as the ANHRI's executive director.Granger, William
Gamal Eid: Executive Director, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)
. World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. 2011-12-13. The ANHRI collected publications, campaigns, reports, and statements from almost 140 Arab human rights organizations across the region and republished them in a daily digest on its website. The group focused on supporting free expression, especially via the internet and mass media, and worked on behalf of persons regarded as having been detained on political grounds. It also advocated against

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

by Arab governments. The ANHRI described its mission as follows:

Today, there are countless millions of internet users in the Middle East, but it remains difficult for users to find information about human rights. ANHRI provides a central site where Arabic readers can easily find links to and information about all human rights groups and their work in the region. The Network also focuses on and seeks the expansion of freedom of expression on the internet in the Middle East. Above all, there are critical areas that are not only taboo intellectually in the Islamic world and culture, but for which there are also no groups in the region today to even work on, such as, the death penalty, and rights of Christian minorities. Our objective is to create a space where these issues and other vital information about human rights can be discussed freely, and where people who share an interest in these areas can create a community.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information was a member of the

International Freedom of Expression Exchange IFEX, formerly International Freedom of Expression Exchange, is a global network of more than 119 independent non-governmental organisations that work at a local, national, regional, or international level to defend and promote freedom of expre ...

. In February 2008, the network opened ''Katib Blogs'', which made it possible for those in the Arab world to obtain an Arabic-language

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

that was uncensored. In March 2008, a legal service website, ''Qadaya'', was launched to provide a resource for journalists, researchers, and activists. The website provided information on court verdicts, important judicial cases, constitutions from various nations, and legal acts pertinent to the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. In April 2008, a website devoted to providing information on

Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...

for Arab journalists and decision-makers was launched, called ''Ifhamdarfur''. The website provides a twice-weekly newsletter and gathers Arab news reports about the Darfur crisis. Currently, its website and reports are blocked in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. In November 2011, the ANHRI was awarded with the ''2011 Human Dignity Award'' of the German '."2011 Roland Berger Human Dignity Award goes to Rhadia Nasraoui, The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and Mazen Darwish"
''Roland Berger Foundation'', November 22, 2011 The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

reported that in January 2022, the ANHRI announced that it was closing down, blaming perceived intimidation from the Egyptian government.

References

External links

Home Website (English)Home Website (Arabic)Katib Blogswww.Qadaya.netHuman Rights First Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arabic Network For Human Rights Information International human rights organizations Human rights organisations based in Egypt Human rights in the Middle East Society of the Arab world International organisations based in Egypt Egyptian journalism organisations 2004 establishments in Egypt 2022 disestablishments in Egypt

See also

References

External links