Five human rights organizations came together on June 25, 2025, for a public gathering in front of the European Parliament in Brussels to demand the immediate release of detained human rights defenders (HRDs), particularly women HRDs, across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
NGOs that participated in or supported the solidarity action include the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Egyptian Human Rights Forum, HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).
The gathering featured speeches in solidarity and on behalf of families of the detained defenders by Khalid Ibrahim of GCHR; Alexis Deswaef of FIDH; Dr. Moataz El Fegiery, on behalf of both EuroMed Rights and the Egyptian Human Rights Forum; Nour Khalil of the Refugees Platform in Egypt, and a human rights defender Jehad Khalid.
Speakers urged the European Union and United Nations human rights mechanisms to act decisively and publicly to pressure MENA governments to release prisoners of conscience and uphold basic rights, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The gathering highlighted the deepening crackdown on civil society in the region and underscored the need for all political and economic partnerships with authoritarian regimes to be contingent on clear, measurable progress on human rights.
Photos of detained HRDs from Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and beyond were raised, serving as a visual reminder of the cost of repression and the power of solidarity.
