Middle East-North Africa worse in terms of human rightsSome positive steps have been taken in Tunisia, Lebanon and Qatar, but gender segregation remains in Saudi Arabia. For the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “domestic laws must not punish criticism of religious leaders or prevent commentary on religious doctrine and tenets of faith.”Dec 11, 2018NEW YORK: The Middle East-North Africa is "the worst region in the world in terms of human rights," said today Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division, speaking on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "The major obstacles remain the governments in most Arab countries, which do not respect the freedoms and rights of their citizens," she told Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour. In 1948, certain Muslim-majority countries like Syria, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan voted in favour of the Declaration. However, in relation to countries like Pakistan, “The UN Human Rights Committee has emphasized that domestic laws must not punish criticism of religious leaders or prevent commentary on religious doctrine and tenets of faith,” writes the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 10, 2018 17:48 UTC