At the moment there are many unconfirmed reports of heavy firing in Bahrain as the police open fire on demonstrators near the royal palace. Just last night we received reports of death threats against three prominent human rights defenders,Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Mohammed Al-Maskati and Naji Fateel. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja is a former staff member of Front Line - he was Front line's Protection Coordinator for the Middle East region. It would be a tragedy if the ongoing political negotiations were to end in all out violence.

Front Line has received reports of a limited pardon in Syria according to which certain categories of people, including those over 70 or in bad health will be released. According to reports received Haitham Al Maleh. For some time Haitham Al Maleh has been in bad health and only recently, as a concession to his advanced years and state of health, was he given a bed to sleep on.

Haitham Al-Maleh is a 79 year old lawyer and human rights defender who is a founding member and ex-director of the Human Rights Association in Syria. Haitham al-Maleh was originally arrested on 14 October 2009 by Syrian security personnel in Damascus and had a preliminary military court hearing on 20 October 2009. On 31 January 2010, the Court of Cessation in Syria rejected Haitham al-Maleh's appeal against the decision by the Supreme Military Investigation Judge in Damascus to confirm the charges against him of “conveying false news within Syria that could debilitate the morale of the nation” and “insulting the president”.

Previous Front Line update on the case of Haitham Al Maleh

Front Line has received reports of a limited pardon in Syria according to which certain categories of people, including those over 70 or in bad health will be released. According to reports received Haitham Al Maleh. For some time Haitham Al Maleh has been in bad health and only recently, as a concession to his advanced years and state of health, was he given a bed to sleep on.

Haitham Al-Maleh is a 79 year old lawyer and human rights defender who is a founding member and ex-director of the Human Rights Association in Syria. Haitham al-Maleh was originally arrested on 14 October 2009 by Syrian security personnel in Damascus and had a preliminary military court hearing on 20 October 2009. On 31 January 2010, the Court of Cessation in Syria rejected Haitham al-Maleh's appeal against the decision by the Supreme Military Investigation Judge in Damascus to confirm the charges against him of “conveying false news within Syria that could debilitate the morale of the nation” and “insulting the president”.

Previous Front Line update on the case of Haitham Al Maleh

Ali Abdulemam was one of 11 human rights defenders and 12 political activists detained on spurious charges of participation in a terrorist conspiracy in Bahrain.

Ali was kept in solitary confinement and sometimes tortured In this interview you can read his description of his experiences before his release.

Released blogger Ali Abdulemam speaks about his experiences in prison

Ali Abdulemam was one of 11 human rights defenders and 12 political activists detained on spurious charges of participation in a terrorist conspiracy in Bahrain.

Ali was kept in solitary confinement and sometimes tortured. In this interview you can read his description of his experiences before his release.

Released blogger Ali Abdulemam speaks about his experiences in prison

A litany of deaths : How long will the barbaric mutilations and killings in Ciudad Juarez Mexico go on? When will the Mexican government act to stop these heinous crimes?

It is pure horror that these killings continue year in year out with complete impunity. Whole families are being wiped out one or two at a time. And all are terrified and women human rights defenders are most at risk.

On 25 February 2011, the bodies of Elías Reyes, Malena Reyes, and Luisa Ornelas were discovered at a petrol station, east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. On 7 February 2011, they had been abducted by armed men. Elías and Malena Reyes are the brother and sister of Josefina Reyes, a human rights defender who was killed in January 2010.

A litany of deaths : How long will the barbaric mutilations and killings in Ciudad Juarez Mexico go on? When will the Mexican government act to stop these heinous crimes?

It is pure horror that these killings continue year in year out with complete impunity. Whole families are being wiped out one or two at a time. And all are terrified and women human rights defenders are most at risk.

On 25 February 2011, the bodies of Elías Reyes, Malena Reyes, and Luisa Ornelas were discovered at a petrol station, east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. On 7 February 2011, they had been abducted by armed men. Elías and Malena Reyes are the brother and sister of Josefina Reyes, a human rights defender who was killed in January 2010.

A witness in the trial of eight police officers accused of the murder of a Democratic Republic of Congo human rights defender on Thursday said locals told him they saw officers transport and then abandon Floribert Chebeya's body.

Floribert Chebeya was Director of La Voix des Sans Voix and one of DRC's most prominent and well respected human rights defenders. His murder sent a message to the human rights community that if he could be killed it could happen to anybody. This is why those who planned the killing as well as those who carried it out must be brought to justice.

"Mbala Ndonzvao told the court that local people, whom he has been unable to trace, told him they saw two police jeeps arrive near their homes on the outskirts of Kinshasa accompanied by Chebeya's car.

The vehicles stopped at the side of the road and the person driving the murdered activist's car got out and got into one of the police jeeps.

A witness in the trial of eight police officers accused of the murder of a Democratic Republic of Congo human rights defender on Thursday said locals told him they saw officers transport and then abandon Floribert Chebeya's body.

Floribert Chebeya was Director of La Voix des Sans Voix and one of DRC's most prominent and well respected human rights defenders. His murder sent a message to the human rights community that if he could be killed it could happen to anybody. This is why those who planned the killing as well as those who carried it out must be brought to justice.

Further Information

"Mbala Ndonzvao told the court that local people, whom he has been unable to trace, told him they saw two police jeeps arrive near their homes on the outskirts of Kinshasa accompanied by Chebeya's car.

The vehicles stopped at the side of the road and the person driving the murdered activist's car got out and got into one of the police jeeps.

A Front Line contact in Western Sahara sends this report on the latest developments in the trial of imprisoned Saharawi human rights defenders Ali Salem Tamek, Brahim Dahane and Ahmad Nasiri, who have announced a new hunger strike in protest at their ongoing imprisonment and the deferral of their trial to an unspecified date.

"The Saharawi Human Rights Defenders and prisoners of conscience - Ali Salem Tamek, Brahim Dahane and Ahmad Nasiri - have started an open hunger strike on Tuesday 22 Feb 2011, in Casablanca prison. They demand their right to a fair trial or their unconditional release.

This is their 6th hunger strike since their arrest and the third one in Casablanca prison after they were transferred from Salé prison. Their trial has been continuously postponed.

The three Saharawi political prisoners are still under arrest without any verdict. Ever since their first hunger strike – which lasted 41 days – they’ve been demanding their right for a fair trial or to be unconditionally released.