The MENA Human Rights Observatory (“the Observatory”) builds much of its analysis on the work of established governmental, intergovernmental, and civil-society organisations. This page explains the primary sources we rely on, how we cite them, and the conventions we follow so that readers can trace every claim back to its origin. Full credit for factual material remains with the originating organisation.
1. Why Attribution Matters
Human-rights research depends on trust. By naming our sources and linking to the original documents, we allow readers to verify our reporting, understand the standards behind each finding, and distinguish between primary documents and secondary analysis. Proper attribution also respects the copyright and terms of use of the organisations whose material we draw upon.
2. Primary Sources We Rely On
The following organisations are the principal authoritative sources for the facts, figures, legal standards, and documentation published on this website.
| Source | What we use it for | Preferred short citation |
|---|---|---|
| EEAS — European External Action Service | EU statements, sanctions and human-rights dialogues, and the EU’s country positions on the region. | EEAS, EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (2025) |
| Council of Europe | European human-rights standards, recommendations, and reports of the Parliamentary Assembly and monitoring bodies. | Council of Europe, European Convention on Human Rights (1950, as amended) |
| UN OHCHR — Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights | Treaty-body and special-procedure findings, country reports, and thematic guidance. | UN OHCHR, Compilation of United Nations information on [country] (2025) |
| UNHCR — UN Refugee Agency | Refugee and displacement statistics, country guidance, and protection information. | UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement (2025) |
| Amnesty International | Annual country reports, thematic research, and urgent-action documentation. | Amnesty International, Amnesty International Report 2025/26 |
| Human Rights Watch | Country reports, investigative research, and field documentation. | Human Rights Watch, World Report 2026 |
| Minority Rights Group | Research on ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities and minority-rights standards. | Minority Rights Group, State of the World’s Minorities (2025) |
| RSF — Reporters Without Borders | Press-freedom indicators, journalist-safety data, and the World Press Freedom Index. | RSF, World Press Freedom Index (2025) |
3. How We Cite Sources
We apply the following conventions throughout the website:
- Named attribution. In the body of an article or report we name the originating organisation in the text, for example “according to UN OHCHR” or “Amnesty International reports that”.
- Inline reference. Each factual claim drawn from a source is followed by a reference or a direct hyperlink to the original document.
- Full source list. Longer publications end with a source list containing the organisation, document title, date of publication, and a stable URL.
- Case entries. Entries in the Cases Database include one or more “Source” links to the reporting on which the entry is based, together with any relevant UN mechanism reference.
- Quotations. Direct quotations are reproduced verbatim inside quotation marks and attributed to the source, with a link to the passage where possible.
- Translation. Where we translate source material, we indicate that the translation is ours and link to the original-language document.
4. Copyright and Reuse of Source Material
Source documents remain the intellectual property of the organisations that produced them. Our summaries and references are provided for research and educational use. Where we reproduce more than a short quotation, we do so only within the terms of the source’s licence or with permission. If you wish to reuse material from a source cited here, please refer to that organisation’s own terms of use and licensing.
5. Corrections and Updates
Where a source revises or retracts a document, we aim to update our pages accordingly and to note the change. If you identify a citation that is incomplete, broken, or attributed to the wrong source, please let us know at [email protected] so that we can correct it.
6. Trademarks and Names
The names and logos of the organisations listed above are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification and attribution purposes only. Their use does not imply any endorsement, sponsorship, or partnership with the Observatory. See also our Disclaimer on academic neutrality.
Last updated: 2026-09-22.