On 25 June 2025, five human rights organisations held a gathering in front of the European Parliament in Brussels in solidarity with detained women/human rights defenders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while calling for immediate action by EU and international human rights mechanisms on this issue.

NGOs that participated in or supported the solidarity action include the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Egyptian Human Rights Forum, HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).

The gathering featured speeches in solidarity and on behalf of families of the detained defenders by Khalid Ibrahim of GCHR; Alexis Deswaef of FIDH; Dr. Moataz El Fegiery, on behalf of both EuroMed Rights and the Egyptian Human Rights Forum; Nour Khalil of the Refugees Platform in Egypt, and woman human rights defender Jehad Khalid.

The five speakers sent a united call to all oppressive governments in the MENA region to release detained WHRDs and HRDs and all other prisoners of conscience. They further called on the relevant human rights mechanisms within the EU institutions and the UN system to act immediately to ensure the defenders’ release, and to appeal to governments in the MENA region to respect public freedoms including freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.

The gathering further emphasised the need to establish clear benchmarks for any strategic

partnership agreements, grounded in tangible human rights and democratic milestones.

Photos of detained human rights activists from countries across the MENA region were raised during the gathering and various people expressed solidarity with them during the event.