On 29 November 2021, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), stands in solidarity with all Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) in the region, while paying tribute to those whom we lost this year.

Between hope and despair, GCHR marked International Women’s Day and celebrated the strength and the fierceness of WHRDs in the Gulf region and neighbouring countries. We applaud WHRDs’ work, activism and endeavours towards equality, freedom and justice, despite the challenges and precarious struggles.

2021 was a difficult year for WHRDs in the region, defying oppression, human rights violations, intimidation, living within conflicts and complex contexts, flighting patriarchy on all levels and fronts while lacking proper protection. COVID-19 puts more challenges and restrictions on feminists’ struggle and continues to force regression on equality while widening the gender gap.

This year was marked with a number of achievements worthy of celebrations, where several Saudi WHRDs were released after three years in prison following the crackdown on WHRDs in the country; and were able to breathe outside the prison walls but continue to battle for their freedom of movement, speech and expression. 

In Iran, WHRDs continue to face lengthy sentences in a misogynist state that lashes WHRDs, fines them, and locks them in prisons, fearing their strength and the change they may bring about if they continue their activism. The country puts released WHRDs under travel bans while sentencing others in absentia, and returns them to prison. For example, Narges Mohammadi, vice president of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, was violently arrested on 16 November 2021, and taken back to prison to serve another sentence.

In Syria, Yemen and Iraq, women activists and WHRDs – whether inside their countries or even in exile – continue to face multiple forms of intimidation, GCHR has documented many cases of WHRDs who have been  assassinated, killed, threatened or arbitrarily arrested and unlawfully sentenced to prison by the authorities. GCHR in cooperation with partners was able to support dozens of WHRDs from these three countries to access funding and emergency support. 

In Qatar, WHRDs are not able to work freely except in exile, those who dare to challenge the status quo, might face enforced disappearances by the authorities or intimidations and threats of assassinations by their own family. 

On International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, we call on Bahrain to stop arresting women activists and using sexual violence to silence them. As part of a campaign by GCHR and over a dozen partners to #FreeBahrainiPrisoners, we are asking the authorities to implement the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), for which we marked the tenth anniversary on 23 November 2021. Watch a video about the torture and sexual abuse of WHRDs in Bahrain at https://youtu.be/bUhM7eqacFo.

In Kuwait, WHRDs are constantly facing intimidation, summoned, and are subjected to smear campaigns and online attacks. While the police and judiciary fail to protect women victims of honour killing and other crimes, they leave criminals to enjoy impunity under the current laws.

This year we lost an astounding WHRD, Alaa Al-Siddiq, the Executive Director of ALQST for Human Rights and a Senior Researcher at Wejha Centre for Studies, who died sadly in a car accident in the United Kingdom in June 2021. Her tragic death has affected us all in the region, as she was an example of strength, perseverance and unleashed power of truth and dedication to human rights. 

GCHR today and every day reiterates its calls to the authorities in the Gulf region and neighbouring countries to put an end to the coercion, threats, unlawful criminalisation and femicide of WHRDs and women activists in the region. 

We call on the member states of the United Nations, allies and partners to continue to keep the protection and wellbeing of WHRDs at the top of international agendas and priorities on all levels and fora.

“WHRDs shouldn’t be the burden bearer of defending women’s rights and their own protection and well-being, while fighting unequal battles against patriarchy, oppression, and conflict. As they continue to struggle fiercely, feminists and WHRDs insist on reoccupying the activism spaces and refuse to bow to institutionalised and systematic misogyny and gender-based discrimination and terrorisation. It’s a reminder to us all, that defending women’s rights is a collective responsibility that shouldn’t be ignored or postponed,” says Weaam Youssef, WHRDs Programme Manager at GCHR.