The Janus-like Arab human rights groups

By Moataz El-Fegiery Commentary by What United Nations literature calls national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have emerged in recent years in the Arab world. A few of them - for example in Morocco and Palestine - have attained some autonomy in confronting governments. Most Arab NHRIs, however, have been unable to garner legitimacy in their society because they are seen as government organizations. In addition, the relationship between these institutions and independent human rights groups is often tense, especially when it comes to civil rights and political and constitutional reform. All NHRIs in the Arab world were created by the ruling elite during two waves of activity over the past two decades. The first wave occurred in the 1990s, when governments in certain countries - Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Palestine,... [read full story]