ALQST’s Arabian Peninsula and Gulf Human Rights Project, inspired by and named in honour of our former Executive Director, Emirati human rights defender Alaa Al-Siddiq.
Before her death, Alaa was developing a new project on human rights abuses in the Arabian Peninsula, expanding on ALQST’s existing work on Saudi Arabia to include the other GCC states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE) as well as Yemen. Tragically, she died before the project could be launched.
ALQST has continued to develop this work initiated by Alaa, and today, in recognition of her outstanding work in the field of human rights, we are launching the project on this section of our website as The Alaa Al-Siddiq Unit.
The Unit will contribute to ALQST’s ongoing work of monitoring and documenting violations of human rights, gradually moving beyond ALQST’s core focus on Saudi Arabia to address rights issues relevant to several or all of the Arabian Peninsula states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen).
From the persecution of human rights defenders and oppressive male guardianship and kafala systems to the plight of stateless populations and discrimination against minorities, many abuses are common in multiple states in the region. They often intersect with one another or extend beyond borders, such as involvement in the war in Yemen, online surveillance, or the use of sportswashing to mask poor human rights records.
The Unit will be working in coordination with established partner organisations already active on some of those states, and engaging together with them in advocacy and campaigning in ways that will amplify the impact of all our work.
It aims to deepen understanding of the concepts of human rights and individual and public liberties, spread awareness of the importance of human rights in developing stronger and more secure societies, and above all encourage authorities in the region to respect human rights and change repressive laws.
We welcome anybody in the Arabian Peninsula who wishes to be a part of this project. If you are interested, please contact us at contact@alqst.org
