“Khalil al-Marzouq is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned only for of his vehement criticism of the government. He must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

“His arrest is yet another blow to the National Dialogue which the Bahraini authorities have been flaunting as a reason to cancel the visit of the UN expert on torture to the country. However harsh his speech towards the authorities, he should not have been arrested for expressing his views.”

Khalil al-Marzouq, the Assistant Secretary General of al-Wefaq, the registered political association representing the majority Shi’a population in Bahrain, and former Head of the Legislative and Legal Committee in parliament, was arrested on 17 September.

He was interrogated by the Public Prosecutor in the presence of a lawyer for seven hours.

Khalil al-Marzouq has been charged with incitement to violence after he gave speech critical of the government on 6 September at a political rally attended by nearly 6,000 people near the village of Saar. During the speech a masked man passed near the podium and gave him a white flag which Khalil put aside. The flag allegedly symbolises the “14 February Movement”, a loose network of youth groups established in 2011 which has called for the end of the monarchy. Some of the movement’s members are on trial, accused of using violence.

Amnesty International has reviewed the video of the 6 September speech by Khalil al-Marzooq and the flag incident, but does not believe there is any incitement to violence in them.

The Public Prosecution ordered Khalil al-Marzouq’s detention for 30 days pending an investigation. If convicted he faces a lengthy jail sentence and the possibility of his nationality being revoked.

Khalil and al-Wefaq have repeatedly stated that they are against the use of violence and are committed to achieving change through peaceful means.

“Over recent months, the Bahraini government has increased its threats and attacks against political associations which are critical of the government, in particular al-Wefaq. This must stop and Bahrain’s allies can no longer hide behind the National Dialogue to mute their criticisms under the pretext that it could derail the process,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

This latest arrest comes only days after a joint statement by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Bahrain, signed by 47 countries, expressed concerns about the ongoing human rights violations in Bahrain.

As a response to Khalil al-Marzooq’s detention and other serious ongoing human rights violations the political opposition associations have today announced their decision to suspend their participation in the National Dialogue which had just resumed after two months of summer break.

In July the King issued several decrees which, among other things, banned demonstrations, sit-ins and public gatherings in Manama indefinitely and toughened punishments laid out in the 2006 anti-terrorism legislation. In early September the Minister of Justice issued a decree adding new restrictions on political associations. Political associations must now notify the Ministry of Justice three days before any meeting with a foreign diplomat and must take place in the presence of an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The resolution passed by a vote of 10-7 , with one senator voting “present”.

The vote by the panel clears the way for a vote on the resolution in the full Senate, most likely next week, according to Reuters.

“We have high confidence that Syria used, in an indiscriminate fashion, chemical weapons that killed thousands of people, including over 400 children, and in direct violation of the international norm against using chemical weapons. That poses a serious national security threat to the United States and to the region, and as a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable,” US president Barack Obama said in a statement before meeting with members of Congress on Syria.

“I’ve made a decision that America should take action. But I also believe that we will be much more effective, we will be stronger, if we take action together as one nation,” he added.

The resolution would authorize President Barack Obama to order a limited military operation on Syria that wouldn’t exceed 90 days and involve American troops on the ground, Al Arabiya reported.

Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency and senior Government ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey – countries which together host more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees – called today on the international community to “overcome differences” to stop the fighting in Syria, as the made an urgent appeal for expanded assistance to the region.

“We are facing the dramatic escalation of the Syrian conflict, namely with the use of chemical weapons,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in an agreed statement with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abu Faour and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

“A political solution to end this cycle of horror is “urgently needed,” Mr. Guterres and the ministers said: “There is no humanitarian solution to the Syrian crisis; rather there needs to be a political solution that ends the humanitarian crisis.”

The joint statement follows a half-day meeting chaired by Mr. Guterres with representatives of the four countries that host the majority of the 2 million refugees who have fled Syria since March 2011. And additional 4.25 million people are displaced within Syria, according to UN figures.

UNHCR and its partners in June appealed to donors for $4.4 billion for Syria relief operations this year, including $3 billion to meet humanitarian and host community needs in the immediate surrounding region. About 40 per cent of this component has been funded.

“I deplore the deaths of Ahmed Abdel Gawad, Mosab Al-Shami and Tamer Abdel Raouf,” said the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, calling on Egyptian authorities “to do everything possible to ensure the security of media workers.”

Ms. Bokova expressed her distress and concern over the violence directed against the media in Egypt, where five media professionals have been killed while carrying out their duties in the span of a few days.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Mr. Gawad, a reporter for the Egyptian daily Al-Akhbar, and Mr. Al-Shami, a photojournalist for Rassd News Network, were killed on 14 August while covering demonstrations in the capital, Cairo. Both died from gunshot injuries.

Mr. Raouf was the regional director of Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper. He was shot dead at a vehicle checkpoint in Damanhur, in the Beheira Governorate in northern Egypt, on 19 August. Another journalist in the car, Hamed Al-Barbari, was injured.

Ms. Bokova also condemned yesterday the murder of Pakistani journalist Haji Abdul Razzak and Guatemalan journalist Carlos Alberto Orellana Chávez.

Mr. Razzak, 35, was a reporter for the Urdu-language newspaper Daily Tawar. His mutilated body was found in the city of Karachi last Wednesday. He had been reported missing since 24 March.

A broadcast journalist in Guatemala, Mr. Orellana Chávez hosted a news programme on Optimo 23 cable television after having directed Radio Victoria for over 25 years. According to Reporters Without Borders, he was shot down as he was driving to work some 50 kilometres from Mazatenango, the provincial capital of Suchitepequez, in the south of the country.

Ms. Bokova called on Pakistani and Guatemalan authorities “to do all in their power” to investigate the killings and shed light on these heinous crimes.

Mubarak was taken from Cairo’s Tora prison by medical helicopter on Thursday, following a court ruling which ordered his release. A medical helicopter then carried Mubarak to the Maadi Medical Hospital afternoon, according to local media.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi has ordered Mubarak be placed under house arrest, according to AFP, with his travel ban remaining in effect.

Although Mubarak is released from prison he still faces charges of being involved in the killing of peaceful protesters in the 2011 uprising.

Mubarak was convicted last year of corruption and involvement in the murder of protesters during an uprising where Egyptians took to Tahrir Square for 18 days to demand his ouster.

Meanwhile, supporters of Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Mursi called on the Egyptian people to protest against the army Friday.

Egypt has witnessed unprecedented violent clashes since security forces dispersed two major pro-Morsi sit-ins in the country a week ago.

Until now, almost 1,000 people have been killed across the country, according to Al Jazeera.

Islamist groups in Egypt have been accusing Mursi’s ouster in early July as a “military coup”.

In July this year, Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected president, was deposed by the armed forces after only one year in office.

“The people of Bahrain have the right to express their views freely and to protest peacefully without the threat of violence,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.

“For years the authorities in Bahrain have shamelessly sought to stifle freedom of expression, taking increasingly drastic steps to stamp out dissent with complete disregard for international law.”

Demonstrators plan to hold major rallies across Bahrain on Wednesday calling for an end to repression and for genuine political reforms.

On Monday, Bahrain’s Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, warned that any attempts to destabilize the country will be dealt with harshly. He accused anti-government protesters of seeking to topple the government.

In the past two weeks a series of draconian decrees ordered by the King of Bahrain have been introduced, tightening the 2006 counter-terrorism law in a bid to suppress dissent.

These measures included a ban on all public gatherings and demonstrations in the capital city of Manama. Parents of anyone under 16 years of age who takes part in a demonstration will receive a written warning from the Ministry of Interior. They could face a prison term or be fined for a repeat offence.

“These draconian new measures are disgraceful. National security must not be used as an excuse to sanction the repression of peaceful protests,” said Philip Luther.

Sporadic opposition protests have continued in Bahrain in recent weeks. Security forces have used live ammunition and tear gas to deter demonstrators and conducted mass arrests of activists.

In a move to silence critics, Bahrain’s authorities have arrested journalists, photographers, bloggers and others active on social media networks in recent days.

Hussain Hubail, a 20-year-old cameraman, and Mohammad Hassan Sudayf, a 26-year-old blogger and translator, were arrested separately on 31 July. They were reportedly tortured when they were held incommunicado in the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID). Mohammad Hassan Sudayf’s lawyer, ‘Abdul-‘Aziz Moussa, later tweeted that he had seen signs of torture on his client and revealed the charges against both detainees. Because of that, he too has been detained.

The organization also fears that international journalists could be barred from accessing the country to cover the demonstrations. A journalist working for Al-Jazeera was prevented from entering Bahrain from Qatar on 7 August. .

Since February 2011 when mass anti-government protests began in Bahrain the human rights situation in the country has deteriorated sharply. Security forces have repeatedly used excessive force against protesters. Scores of opposition activists have been arrested and tried before military courts. Many have been tortured in detention. Human rights activists have also been jailed for their work.

Egyptians braced for a showdown after Friday prayers as Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the head of Egypt’s military, called for mass demonstrations Friday to support the country’s armed forces.

On the other hand, people joined thousands of Mursi supporters amid calls by the Muslim brotherhood for a million-man march under the title “bringing down the coup.”

Pro-Mursi supporters have been rallying against his overthrow and holding demonstrations since July 3.

In a related development on Friday, Egypt’s state prosecutor has ordered that ousted President Mohamed Mursi be detained for questioning over suspected cooperation with Hamas, official MENA news agency reported.

Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon urged the interim authorities to release Mursi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders currently in detention or have their cases reviewed transparently without delay, deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said.

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva today, the spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed that it is extremely important that security forces in Egypt do not resort to excessive use of force.

The crisis in the country escalated earlier this month, resulting in the Egyptian military deposing President Mohamed Mursi amid widespread protests in which dozens of people were killed and wounded. The Constitution was then suspended and an interim government set up.

The organization has gathered testimonies from detainees who said that they were beaten upon arrest, subjected to electric shocks or hit with rifle butts.

The Egyptian authorities must respect the right to due process for those who have been rounded up and are facing accusations of inciting or participating in violence in the last two weeks. Allegations of ill-treatment must be investigated urgently.

“At this time of extreme polarization and division, it is more important than ever that the office of the Public Prosecutor demonstrates that it’s truly independent and not politicized,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International. “These cases risk being seen as mere retribution rather than justice.”

Since the news of Mursi’s ousting on 3 July, lawyers have told Amnesty International that more than 660 men have been arrested in Cairo alone, including prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). Many were arrested on 8 July during the violence around the Republican Guard Club, which left at least 51 Morsi supporters dead.

While release orders were eventually issued for some 650 suspects, lawyers have told the organization that an unknown number remain in detention due to their inability to pay bail ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 Egyptian pounds (US$140-US$700). The whereabouts of the deposed President and his team of aides are still unknown.

Amnesty International fears that their conditions of detention may amount to an enforced disappearance. Family members who have asked have been denied information on their relative’s whereabouts and fate, and they appear not to have been brought before a judge or given access to a lawyer

“Establishing trust in the justice system will be impossible if only supporters of Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood are targeted while security forces are absolved of responsibility for unlawful killings and their failure to protect protesters from violence,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.

“Everyone has the right to due process, no matter what the authorities think of their political affiliation or their position. Mohamed Morsi and his team, like anyone, should be granted their basic rights, including immediate access to their lawyers and family.”

Under international law, all detained suspects must be released or promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offence. Anyone deprived of their liberty should also have the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention before a judge, as well as access to lawyers and their families, and receive any medical treatment that they might require. Lawyers must be permitted to assist their clients unimpeded.

Amnesty International urges the Egyptian authorities to launch full investigations into reports of detainees being beaten and ill-treated, particularly upon arrest, in the vicinity of the Republican Guard Club. This including being hit with rifle butts and given electric shocks. They also said that at police stations they were interrogated while blindfolded by men they believed to be intelligence officials from the National Security Agency, a practice that is eerily reminiscent of Mubarak-era tactics. Newly released detainees also complained about not being allowed to call their families or lawyers.

With at least nine senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders and supporters already detained, arrest warrants have also been issued for other prominent figures in the Muslim Brotherhood, including the group’s spiritual guide. The Muslim Brotherhood’s chief lawyer, Abdelmonim Abdelmaqsoud, has also been detained in Tora Prison, south of Cairo.

“The onus is on the prosecution and the authorities to charge and provide evidence to support the accusations against them,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. “Without evidence that can be tested in court it is yet another crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Directly after the army announced the ousting on 3 July, at least six pro-Morsi television stations were taken off the air and then had their studios raided. The following day the FJP announced that the state’s printing press refused to print the party’s newspaper. On Sunday the Public Prosecution froze the assets of 14 men associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and parties supporting them.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Syrian nationals that were turned back were returned to where their flights originated, including Damascus and Latakia.

This follows a decision on 8 July imposing new visa requirements, under which Syrian nationals are required to apply for a visa and security clearance prior to their travel to Egypt. UNHCR noted that the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus does not currently have the capacity to issue visas.

“I appeal to the Egyptian authorities, as I have to all other Governments in the world, to admit and protect all Syrians seeking refuge in their country,” High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said.

“I fully understand the challenges faced by Egypt at the present moment. But the traditional hospitality of the Egyptian people should not be denied to Syrians trying to flee the most devastating and dangerous conflict in the world today,” he added.

Civilians inside Syria have been under siege for over two years as the Government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad continue to do battle. As many as 100,000 people have been killed, almost 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries and a further 4 million have been internally displaced since the conflict began in March 2011.

UNHCR stated in a news release that it has formally expressed its concern about the change in Egyptian policy with the Government, noting the country’s great support since 2011, particularly in generously hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

“We urge the Egyptian authorities to do their utmost to ensure the continued protection of all who are in need of international protection, and to refrain from returning Syrians without a proper assessment of their protection needs,” said the agency.

UNHCR has registered almost 72,000 Syrian refugees in Egypt. Around 18,000 individuals await registration and plans for mobile registration in Alexandria and Damietta are under way. The Egyptian Government estimates that around 250,000 to 300,000 Syrian nationals currently reside in its territory.

Egypt has been grappling recently with its own political crisis, which escalated last week with the military removing President Mohamed Morsy from power amid widespread protests in which dozens of people were killed and wounded. The Constitution has been suspended and an interim government has now been set up in the country, which has been undergoing a democratic transition following a revolution two years ago.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos today issued a joint statement in which they urged immediate safe passage for civilians and aid workers in the Syrian cities of Homs and Aleppo.

“We are extremely alarmed at the escalating violence in Homs and Aleppo, and the humanitarian and human rights impact on ordinary people,” they stated. “We understand that up to 2,500 people remain trapped inside Homs, where there are reports of continuing shelling, use of long-range weapons and ground attacks using tanks. The presence of armed opposition groups inside residential areas also increases the risk for civilians.

“We call on all parties to immediately halt all actions that might result in civilian loss of life, to grant immediate safe passage to allow civilians to leave Homs and to allow humanitarian aid to get in. Negotiations on this continue but neither the Government nor armed groups have provided sufficient safety or security guarantees for civilians or aid workers,” they said.

The two officials added that UN agencies and humanitarian partners are helping people who have managed to leave Homs for safety in nearby towns and villages. Food and other basic supplies have been pre-positioned so that they can be delivered in Homs as soon as safe access is permitted, while humanitarian agencies continue to bring vital aid to communities in need in Aleppo and elsewhere.

Food production has slowed and prices are on the rise, making it harder and harder for Syrian families to meet their food needs, the two agencies said. As many as 4 million people across the country are now unable to buy or produce enough food.

“With so many adverse factors now stacked against the crop and livestock sectors, and assuming that the present crisis remains unresolved, domestic production over the next twelve months will be severely compromised,” the report added.

The report followed an assessment mission to Syria between May and June. It found that massive population displacement, disruption of agricultural production, unemployment, economic sanctions, currency depreciation and high food and fuel prices have all damaged the ability of families in Syria to meet their food needs.

In many parts of the country, the price of wheat flour more than doubled between 2011 and 2013, prompting WFP to begin distributing wheat flour with its monthly food ration.

Damage to farms and machinery together with the threat of violence and the soaring costs of raw materials have hampered food production across the country. Among the millions of people displaced by the conflict in Syria, many are farmers whose crops are likely to go unharvested, the report warns.

Wheat flour mills and bakeries have either closed or are operating far below their capacity. Sanctions have exacerbated the situation, leading to shortages of raw materials, fuel and spare parts.

“There is a limited window of opportunity to ensure crisis-affected families do not lose vital sources of food and income,” WFP and FAO said.

Working with partner organisations in Syria, WFP reached 2.5 million people with food assistance in June, is planning to feed 3 million people in July and is ramping up logistics and operational capacity to feed 4 million people by October. In addition, WFP is providing food assistance to nearly one million refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries.

WFP is seeking to raise more than US $27 million every week to meet the food needs of people affected by the conflict both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.

Under the revised Syrian Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP), WFP’s requirements for its operations inside Syria alone until the end of 2013 totalled $490 million.

The sheikh “will meet Monday with the royal family and advisors,” the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera television news channel reported Sunday,

The news channel said it had learned of the news from “trusted sources”, but provided no further details.

“The planned meeting comes amid news about the intentions of the emir to transfer power to his heir apparent, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani,” said the Qatar-based news channel.

Sheikh Hamad came to power in a coup when he overthrew his own father Sheikh Khalifa in June 1995 while he was in Geneva, Switzerland.

He will either hand over power  to Sheikh Tamim or appoint him prime minister in the place of powerful premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani, according to AFP.

Tamim is the fourth son of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the second child of the Emir with his second wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned.

Qatar took part in the armed intervention in Libya and is actively supporting rebel forces in Syria.

The Emir is famous for helping to establish the first Arab international news network, Al Jazeera.

Qatar holds the world’s third largest natural gas reserves and is the single largest supplier of liquefied natural gas. Qatar is also a member of OPEC and is a significant net exporter of oil.