Update: Watch the event video in English on YouTube here!

The Gulf Centre for Human rights (GCHR), with the support of 27 partners held the online event, the Alternative Human Rights Expo 4, on Thursday, 04 December, with a focus on women human rights defenders. You can hear from the family and colleagues of women who have been imprisoned in Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, and from women journalists, writers, artists, musicians and poets.

We highlighted the work and creativity of women from Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia, and honoured the memories of Palestinian women journalists, artists and poets who have been killed. 

You can find the promo video online now on YouTube, made with our partner Muwatin.

The event was held during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, which started on 25 November 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

We are also working with the WHRD International Coalition (WHRD-IC) to support the “Spreading the Echo” campaign that occurs as part of the #16Days campaign, including with partners FEMENA and the WHRD-MENA Coalition. The campaign features Iranian, Saudi and Egyptian women highlighted during the Alternative Human Rights Expo.

You can find the Programme here and below. Thanks to the 27 partners who joined us to help create and promote the event.

Show your support!

Please consider donating, and share the video and event info! Your support in encouraging people to watch the event is highly appreciated.

Donate: If you would like to support our work to help free and support these brave women, please donate! https://www.gc4hr.org/support-us/ (select Women Human Rights Defenders as the payment option in PayPal.)

Share: Watch, like and share the promotional video for the Alternative Human Rights Expo 4 social media posts on YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook. There is also a Facebook event here.

Alternative Human Rights Expo 4 Programme, 04 December 2025

Opening music:

VIDEO: Marhaba by Tabiba, a women’s music group from the diaspora (Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq) 

Introduction:

Hosts: Weaam Youssef, GCHR, and Ilef Kassab, OMCT

Palestine:

Mai El-Shaer, artist, showed her art

Ibtisam Mahdi, a journalist living in Gaza, spoke about her experience

In memoriam:

Fatma Hassouna, photojournalist

Mariam Abu Daqqa, journalist

Hiba Abu Nada, poet

Recording of Hiba Abu Nada’s poem, I Grant You Refuge (Translation by Huda Fakhreddine) – sung and performed by Roula Said

Egypt:

Introduction by Amel Almohandes, WHRD-MENA Coalition

Gehad Khaled, spoke about her mother, Hoda Abdelmoneim, imprisoned WHRD

Dr. Waafa  Mohamed Hassan spoke about her daughter, Marwa Arafa, imprisoned WHRD

Sudan: 

Omaima El-Zubair, Sudanese Refugee Rights Advocate, Ghostwriter, and poet, read her poetry

Tunisia

Ramla Dahmani spoke about her sister Sonia Dahmani, formerly imprisoned journalist

Imprisoned women human rights defenders Sherifa Riahi and Saadia Mosbah were also featured.

Saudi Arabia: 

Duaa Dhainy, Researcher\ Case Worker- European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, spoke about imprisoned Saudi women human rights defenders Manahel Al-Otaibi, Nourah Al-Qahtani and Amani Al-Zain

Kuwait: 

Zahra Marwan, Kuwaiti-American woman artist, read from her book “Where Butterflies Fill the Sky”

Iran: 

Anisha Asadollahi, an imprisoned translator and essayist, was  introduced by Shiva Nazarahari of FEMENA, who read from her work

Imprisoned women human rights defenders Sharifeh Mohammadi, Golrokh Iraee, Nasim Gholami Simiyari and Fariba Kamalabadi were also featured in the gallery

Syria:

Sana Yazigi spoke about her work with, Creative Memory

Closing music: Gardenia Choir, Syria

Thank you to our participants and partners!