Almost 40 human rights defenders are participating in the 6-day seminar. As well as training relating to the monitoring and documentation of human rights violations, the participants are also engaging in panel discussions addressing the recent Arab revolutions and questions of democratic transition.

Notable contributors so far include Mr. Shawqi al-Tabib, president of the Tunisian League for Citizenship, who spoke about the role of institutional reform and victim restitution in achieving transitional justice.
Mr. Abdul Basit Bin Hassan, head of the Arab Institute for Human Rights, spoke of how the Occupied Palestinian Territory has a special place in the various activities of the Institute and the developments of the Palestinian issue is at the core of its moral obligations.

Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq, banned from travel by the Israeli government, addressed the seminar via Skype and urged the participants to concentrate on co-ordinating their efforts to expose violations of international law and to protect the human rights of the Arab people.

The seminar will continue until the 29th September.

Video Footage  For the First Regional Seminar: