We,  human rights defenders from the Gulf countries and neighboring countries, convened at the third Gulf Platform for Human Rights Defenders held in Istanbul (15-19 November 2015), and organized by the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), declare our absolute solidarity with the detained human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience in the various countries of our region who have been targeted solely due to their peaceful and legitimate human rights work.

We also express our concern and condemnation for the use of anti-terrorism and cyber-crimes laws to target human rights defenders including independent journalists, bloggers and Internet activists.

We the participants hold the authorities and security forces fully responsible for the severe violations of human rights that take place in our region on a daily basis, and we demand that the International community and in particular the UN system, EU and the different governments that have influence in our region especially the US and the
UK governments,  take the serious and required steps  to ensure that  governments in our region will respect their citizens’ civil and human rights in addition to protecting and supporting human rights defenders while they are doing their important duty that aims to build a free and prosperous community that has no place for discrimination and confiscation of public freedoms.

We the participants demand that the authorities in the Gulf and neighboring countries take the following measures:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release  all detained human rights defenders and those forcibly disappeared for practicing their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; and to drop all charges related to their human rights work;  
2. To guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of all detained human rights activists and grant them an immediate and unfettered access to their families and lawyers;   
3. Stop using anti-terrorism and cyber-crimes laws to target human rights defenders and directing trumped up charges against them in mock trials that lack due process and basic international standards;   
4. Ensure in all circumstances the ability of human rights defenders in the region to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisal and without restrictions in any matter including judicial harassment.

Released in Istanbul on 19 November 2015.